Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-01-14

In May, 1917, I and seventeen other
Canadian fliers left for England on the
Meganic, where we were to qualify
for service In France.
Our squadron consisted Of nine
Americans. G. c. Robinson. II. A. MIL
Ter, F. s. McClurg, A. A. Allen, e. B.
Garnet. 81. K. Boysen, n. A. Smeeton
and A. A. Taylor, and myself, and nine
Britishers, Paul 81. Raney, ]. R. Park.
G. Nelmes, G. R. Moore, T. L. Atkin-
son, F. G. Conry, A. Muir, q. A. L. B.
Smith and A. c. Jones.
Within a few weeks after our ar
rival in England all Of us had won our
"wings'-the insignia worn on the
left breast by every pilot on the west
ern front.
We were all sent to place in
France known as the Pool Pilots Mess.
Here men gather from all the training
sQuadrons in Canada and England and
await assignments to the particular
squadron of which they are to become
members.
The Pool Pilots Mess is situated a
few miles back Of the lines. When
ever a pilot is shot down or killed the
Pool Pilots Mess is notified to send an
other to take his place.
There are SO many casualties every
day in the r. F. G. at one point Of
rho fropt or onotbar thof tho damond
for new pilots Is quite active, but when
a fellow is itching to get into the fight
rs badly as and my friends were
must confess that we got little i'm
patient, although we realized that
every time new mai vas called 1t
meant that some one else had, In all
probability, been killed, wounded or
captured.
scout pilot and one of my friends
vas assigned. I can tell you the rest
Of US were as enviOus Of him as If 1t
were the last chance any Of us were
ever going to have 10 get to the front.
AS it was. however, hardly more than
three hours had elapsed before an
other wire was received at the mess
and / was ordered to follow my
friend. l afterward learned that as
soon as he arrived at the squadron he
prevailed upon the commanding off,
Ger Of the squadron to wire for me.
At the Pool Pilots Mess 1t was the
custom Of the officers to wear "shorts"
-breeches that are about eight inches
long, like the boy scouts wear. leav-
ing q space Of about eight inches OF
open country between the top Of the
puttees and the end of the shorts. The
Australians wore them In Saloniki and
at the Dardanelles.
When the order came In for me,
had these "shorts" on, and l didn't
have time to change into other clothes.
Indeed, 1 was In such sweat to get
to the front that If I had been In my
pajamas l think I would have gone
that way. AS 1t was, 1t was raining
and I threw an overcoat over me,
jumped into the machine, and we made
record time to the airdrome to whict
had been ordered to report.
As I alighted from the automobile
my overcoat blew open and displayed
my manly form attired in "shorts" in
stead of In the regulation flying
breeches, and the sight aroused con-
siderable commotion in camp.
"Must be q Yankee" overheard
one officer say to another as ap-
preached. "No one but Yankee would
have the cheek to show up that way,
you know!"
But they laughed good-naturedly as
I came up to them, and welcomed me
to the squadron, and I was soon very
much at home.
My squadron was one Of four sta
toned at an airdrome about eighteen
miles back of the Ypres line. There
were Is pilots In our squadron, which
was scout squadron. scout machines
carrying NJ! n 'ran.
A scout, sometimes called fghtirc
scout, has no bomb dropping or recon-
noitering to do. His duty Is just t.
] fight or. as the order was given to mt.
"You are expected to pick fights an
not wait until they come to you!'
When bomb droppers go out over
the lines in the daytime scout squat
ron usually conveys them. The boml.
droppers fly at about twelve thousanI
| feet, and scouts q thousand feet or s.
above them.
If ut any time they should be at
tackled, it is the duty of the scouts Il
| dive down and carry on the fight, tn,
| orders of the bomb droppers being T.
| go on dropping bombs and not to fg!''
| unless they have to. There is seldom.
| time that machines 60 out over IT,
lines on this work. in the daytime tha
| they are not attacked ut some time OF
| other, and so the scouts usually haV'
plenty of work to do. In addition t
these attacks, however, the squaGroi
is invariably under constant lombard
ment from the ground, but that doesn'
worry us very much, as we know pret
ty well how to avoid being hit from
that quarter.
On my first flight, after Joining the
squadron, I was taken out over the
lines to get q look at things, map ou'
my location in case Iawas ever lost
locate the forests, lakes and other
landmarks and get the general lay OF
the land,
One thing that was impressed upon
me very emphatically was the location
of the hospitals, so that In case was
ever wounded and had the strength to
pick my landing ! could land as near
as possible to q hospital. All these
things new pilot goes through dur
ing the first two or three days after
joining q squadron.
Our regular routine was two flights
a day, each of two hours duration
After doing our regular patrol. 1t was
our privilege to go off on our own hook
| IL we wished. before going back to
the squadron. ias fv
l soon found out that my squadron
was some hot squadron, our flyers De-
ing almost always assigned to special
duty work. such as shooting up
trenches at height Of fifty feet from
the ground.
| received my baptism into this kind
of work the third time ! went out over