Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-29
Interview With Guy Wheeler

Guy WHEELER. our favorite Philadcl-
~ phian. is back from France and ap-
parently bears no malice for the number of
letters didn't write him while he was
abroad. \ representative of the Dish inter
viewed Mr. Wheeler concerning his impress
sions of the great world.
Guy came back with about 1200 others,
on the cruiser Charleston, landing in New
York last week. The normal crow of the
Charleston is about 1000 men, but in order
10 make room for the troops the crew was
cut down to 800. This meant that the
doughboys had to help in the stoking, but
Guy says they didn't mind. Those boys
would row themselves back to get home,
ouoth he. But the 1900 of them were slowed
in the space normally allotted to 800. They
were slung in canvas hammorkS. four in
tier. Guy, lucky as usual, had the top ham
mock.
TIY went abroad as an aviator in Sep
VI tcmbcr. 1917 lie thought he was bound
for ITALY, but he found himself quartcrcd in
a college at Oxford for wireless instruction.
After u month of that he was sent to ma
chine gun school at Grantham and then at
tachcd to home defense squadron near
Favcrsham. in Kent. This was the most
exciting service he saw. for Fritz's Gothas
we're coming over pretty regtnarly in those
days Dccembcr and January, 1011-1S).
I'VE would get word when Fritz left the
coast of Belgium" said Guy. ''Thcn all
the souadrons would take the air in the
hope of finding him. There wasn't much
chance that any one plane would meet him.
You sec. you're lost up there in the dark
You cant see anything and all you can
hear is the motor roaring. 1t was exciting
when YOU got over London. though. with
the Arches popping off and the shrapnel
rafting on the housetops. When you do
see Fritz" he added humorously, "you have
strong impulse to let him alone. You say
to Yourself We'll, he doesn't seem to be
doing any harm. 1t wouldn't be fair to
annoy him.
uJ'M STRONG for the English" said
l. Guy. "They treated us like kings.
! When a man who has had his flying school
training over here gets to England he
| likely to find he's got to go through 1t all
again The English are the real aces. In
| the American flying fields the authorities
were afraid of public opinion. They were
| afraid to kill any one. The English know
| that YOU cant train bunch of aviators
without killing a lot Of them. It's rather
risky work. you know. Out of our lot OF
300 that went over together eighty nine got
bumped off ."
THE English are wonderful flyers, said
| Guy. They're mostly very young, but a
man ages rapidly in that job. They seem a
bit quaint until you understand them, but
| they're the very devil in the air. The demon
rum perhaps has little to do with it also.
The part played by this well known demon
| in aviation has rarely been made public and
| the representative of the Dish asked for
| further particulars, but Cadet Wheeler was
retcent The talk then turned upon Guyne-
mer. the famous French ace. Like al
hynrs who want to live little longer, he was
probably more cautious than the public
| thinks" said Guy. 1--WE talked to mer
who saw him fly and they say he was nc
stunt merchant
| V V
.TT's a great game" said Guy. when W.
i were stationed at the bombing airdrom,
near Lincoln, England, we used to fly ovei
70 Woodhall Spa, a kind of summer resort
every day for lunch. We'd pick out nice
hospitable looking farmhouse or country
place and come down on the front lawn
OF course they'd invite us in and give u,
the hest. While was at Lincoln had m,
only crash. / cams down with $4,000
worth OF bus wrapped around my neck IL,
i unees what man can stand when he ia.
i t.x.l.II I........,l L...a