The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-12

stage al the CaSinO laSL SsSi.iiIS, II seemed impossible that this slight boyish, most modest and unassuming chap had been credited officially with killing 72 Boche airmen, and with an unofficial record of 11O. His exploits all of them as he related them were most spectacular to his hearers but to him they had been merely a part of the days work.
 Col. Bishop was brought here un- der the auspices of the Bridgeport Boy Scouts, and the meeting last ev- ening was in celebration of the 9th anniversary of the founding Of the Bridgeport organization. Preceding the lecture there was community singing led by Alvin Bruel. Lieut. Parker Seeley, of the U. S. Air Ser vice presided at the meeting in place of Mayor Wilson who was unable to be present Lieut.. Seeley's characteri- zation of himself as the famous Bridgeport deuce" provoked a rip pie of appreciative applause.
 Starting with a description of the way in which he came to go into the Royal Flying Corps. Col. Bishop de- ptcted the hardships of learning to fly in the English aviation camp to which he was sent. These consisted Of go- ing out every day to field for the purpose of sending signals. The method of procedure was to take pleasant nap back of haystack un- til 1t was time to go in and eat.
 "A mechanic would meet the party just before they went into the camp proper, and hand them a number of slips of paper which the aviators would put into a box. These" said the speaker, "cost me dollar 8 week as I learned before long. In this way I found the duties involved in learning to fly so pleasing that l quite liked them.
 At the same time," continued he, T was very anxious to get over to France and so took the observers course. worked hard and passed out on top. I was greatly elated, infromed me that 1t was always GUS tomary to keep the man who passed out on top as an instructor. This was disheartening but shortly after rule was passed that we could not use government motors any more. We had been in the habit of taking then for weekend trips and having a good time. One day in some manner collided with a lorry and although 1t was proven my car couldn't have been going over four miles an hour and the lorry must have been gotne backwards if it was moving at all the car was in was smashed up and the lorry injured nearly as badly. An infringement of this rule meant prob ably that the offender would be cash tered out of the army and when was placed under arrest I admit was a bit scared. The colonel was a good friend of mine, seemed to like me and he informed me that as a to France!
 After another short period ot training I was assigned to do nigh flying over London. had foul months of that while the Huns were trying to do their little bit. w chased stars in the sky or in Londo1 and only once in that four months did the zeppelins come over, and the1 1 didn't see them
 Colonel Bishc ? then described tn, three types of planes that were mos used. The single scatter which i very fast and used mainly for man oeuvering with the fixed gun that i aimed by pointing the machine. Tn, two scatter carries a pilot and an ob server. The observer is at the rear behind the pilot with a gun that h is able to point in almost every direc ton. This machine is used for re connaIsance and day and nigh bombing. The third type is used fo bombing entirely, for long distanc 1 bomb raids at night. They are slov they carry, but they can remain il 1 the air for a long time.
 Speaking of these big bombers, Co, | Bishop said: If the war had gon l on three days longer twelve of thes 1 machines. each carrying a ton 0
 bombs would have gone 800 mile
 from their base in England and drop
 ped their pills on the city of Berlir One of these planes recently flew owe London carrying 41 passengers, an l that record has been beaten in thi
 country by plane carrying over 5 | passengers.
 The speaker described the variou
 duties of the airmen such as their co
 operation with the artillery photo
 graphic work and the like He said
 If you want to know who held tn
 supremacy of the air I can give yo7 | few facts that will show it yer l clearly. During the whole time I wa flying our machines did work alon
 and always two or three miles ove l the German lines. The Huns alway
 came in twos and threes. and neve
 approached within two or three mile | of our lines. In short if you wante
 8 fight, you had to go over the Ger
 man lines to get it. I have been i,
 nearly 200 fights in the air and ever,
 one was on the German side of tn 1 lines"
 l Col. Bishop recited marvellous ex
 ploit performed by Mcleod, a Cana
 dian aviator. He was out and wa
 attacked by ten Hun planes H. managed to shoot down four and wa
 engaging fifth when his machin
 burst into flames. He was badl,
 wounded, both arms and legs bein;
 broken by bullets. He knew if h.
 stayed in the burning plane he Woult die, and as he could no longer con troi the plane because of his wound
 he managed to crawl out on one o
 the planes. His machine was alvin, straight to the ground at a terrifl
 rate of speed when he reached In l putting his hand right into tn | flames. caught the control stick
 brought his machine out of the div
 so that it crashed to the ground a 1 Ola r-nu @