The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-12-26
IrStall71ent FOur)

Belgian government secertiy installed | in Brussels, ! rGreived, III the middle ] of 1918. q request that I should ar range as far as poss ble for compe- | tent officers and men whom I aided , to escape from th, Germans to re ! main behind the German lines for ] the purpose of picking up what in l formation they could about the dis positions of the Germans to cover their retreat from Flanders and to report their obserya tious to the Brit tsh hea6a1arters through the ar couriers who were then passing be- tween different parts ot Belgium and the Allied lines We got to work at once OF this pre- posaI. and in 8 few weeks cine We had the country cverruu with Brit isl and ITreugn nfEcerS &n5 men WGo knew how 10 make Use of their " e@ and ears. 50 thCToUgIIy was inc vCrI, done 2,z these men j.: cooTort- 3iou with the aerial curriers' that he fore long Iler was hardly a move ment of the enemy that was not re- ported within few hours to inc -Al~ lied Headquarters.
 For instance. il wss sl released Brit ish officer who was the first 10 dis cover the German evacuation of the Flanders coast. and less uhau an hour afIeL. the first German moved out of Zee arI!=ee the inform 1ttrn had been given 10 an airnlan who wa speeding on his way ro Headquarters with this ] news.
 i was the intal1 ion of the Gerln2ns to carry out the evacuation by- slow stage. .aNio1l5lsa over three no1ths. and had ,he ori~inal plans hees ad- he-ed to the Flanders coas- would not have been free until the end of December. As il were the timely discovery of the German plans forced then 10 expedite the evacuation, and il also coT.s:sslEcJ th"Ea Io leave oe- hind eraat. auantitiaz of stores that thy HaG intended to rake av-ay.
 t WAS nc, ll.e-aly that n. British Fiecs WAS nenaci1g the garrison from the seas and there WIS daily eNpec- Ia5.ou vE B landing. Tl-e -tiiios con ceutra-ed a powerful aerial force aIru@ he railways and roads, by which tho Germans were carrying oul inc sy@,.ss-.oG. and these air men. --.-r --.r0 +- -i.s=- c=5-..-T pI tte most aceu~ste Information. were ahle to haras= .aa erear- in .aeh q fashion that all 3Ee. c@ orderly and systenlaI- l. yyitEld-,.y.-- had t0 oa abandoned
 na4 au >.-e-g-icn- n-ss of one stage Of ina, vlr-li-4-s.ai about the ri2o when ! Ers-- T.Jr--iI,G Fl t:fe taTl 'r'}l region }sG zoue u 2rU~e@ Cs-eH- sfhl- in connection y-ira thn work of fee6iae +hc ci:ili.,a population. When ! a.. there ! ru-nA the town ii uo- roar Allied ai-nsen were oyer the ;..3wuF station. and 2 number o- boa1b- had ,fn dropped, causine E:-...-s asrI wrecl-iuG number oi trains JEaL tloa been passing through inc station o- heir Wa- 10 Germany.
 Toanio-s-r.ollo. E1ooF5=-
 The roads --a5irg l--o end out oi tz-a town were filtered with rreclSaSa and la0e line c- motor lo2'-ie= vTer, holG up. the drivers having aban l. oned .tleir .charge in tare oE the pc" s5-ten-. .z-tacl.s f the Allied alrn2en Panic had seized lt-e troops. who haC been narckinE i- to onrr-in fur othe parts of the front. and all =--lbL2ne' Of order had been abandoned
 The soldiers h~d broken ranks. ana wzTn hiding wherever they could Ee the au0earaucc of shelter. Large nam bars haE been killed b. he bombs and when tha Ai-:nd ziFTnen came low a7G used 1naci2tre gus the panic an, sI u@htsr EoecarEs M prse than ever. SAW a BsrtaIion of German infanr, on the march. TheE had just Teachet the cross roads between Bruges ant Ghcnt, when the Allied airEen aE rived. The men wer- tcrTor-striclel at the sight of the aeropIanes, and be fore they could scamper for shelte the 5cTn5s were dropping n qUic! succession. and the ground Wa thickly carpeted with dead and dy' ing.
 One German officer who sought saf ety in the doorway beside nc ex claimed in an excess of terror. ''YVna is the use of going on? Only deat awaits us The more British an Fre1.ch we defeat -he more ther seem to be Of them. Germany ougt to have given up the struggle lon ago. We cannot fight 2 world
 The men under him were eGuaIl depressed and refused to be ra1He when their officers in a haf-hearte fashion tried to reform the ranks. saw the Germans break away. an scamper across .tile fields in terro
 The aeropIares were then flying To and the maci2ine guns were bein used pitfIessiy- Great gaps were CT ia the ranks of the German infantr \ and the men were tercor-sJrfcken. saw about half a battalion of 1T Germans march along the road unt they were attacked by two airme with their machine guns. One ( the eirnlen was Major Hammock, vi was killed only 9 few days later The: afrrnen flew so low over the German
 
 ~ hands. and touched the heads of u Germans. They sprayed the half co umn of Huns with bullets until tho were practically wiped out
 Nannock's Exploits.
 Major Hammock was one of Il 7 British airmen of whom ve saw
 great deal in the later days of | :. war. He freCuently flew over Be gium. and made a number of Ian ings well behind the enemy lines. that time he was probably bett known by sight in Belgium than
 Britain or France. and the amazil thing is that the Germans never a peared to recognize him.
 AIannock flew repeatedly over u district around Brussels. We had difficulty in recogniZing his machi by its markings. and we had the | mast admiration for this daring C ficer. Orrce 1 saw him land at t iI1qrovised landing place not from Brussels used by the Allied { couriers It was about a month
 six weeks before his death. I su gested to him that the work he "
 aged on was dangerous