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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0002.PDF
[/yon] pool. Thus, not only did our warships safely pass through the enemy's mine field, but they remained un harmed in Germany's nearest home waters for nearly three hours, and safely re-embarked three out of the seven air pilots together with their machines. Three others of the flying officers, who returned later, were picked up by British submarines which were standing by for that purpose, whilst their machines were ensured against future use by the enemy by their being sunk. The names of the pilots who entered on this stirring raid, were: Flight Commanders Douglas A. Oliver, Francis E. T. Hewlett, Robert P. Ross, and Cecil F. Kilner; Flight Lieutenants Arnold J. Miley and Charles H. K. Edmonds; and Flight Sub-Lieutenant Vivian Gaskell Blackburn. While there is much cause for congratulation in the result of the raid, and in the fact that of this gallant band six succeeded in returning safe and sound, yet it is with the greatest concern that no news at present has come to hand of the safety of Flight Commander F. E. T. Hewlett, whose machine is said to have been seen in a wrecked condition about eight miles from Heligoland. There is a possibility that he may have been picked up by one of the enemy's ships, although too much reliance cannot be placed upon this ray of hope ; and whilst wishing that Flight Commander Hewlett may still be heard from, we, in the meantime, offer our sincerest con dolence to those left to mourn his loss, and we trust that they may be able to find some degree of consolation in the fact that he has given his life for his King and Country. To his mother, Mrs. Maurice Hewlett—one of the few lady pilots of the world—it must come as a great blow, as it is due to her splendid work and enthusiasm as a pioneer in aviation that her son was initiated into the art of flying, thus opening up his career, which may now have passed its final and glorious, if sad, stage. • • • The raid stands out in marked contrast of the from the attacks in wrncn the Prussian Raid. Huns have recently been indulging. Un like them, we have deliberately denied ourselves any advantage that might be gained by ignoring civilised conventions, and have been content to wage war according to the accepted rules of modern warfare. Consequently, the nation may take a legitimate pride in the brilliant attack on that section of the German Navy which has so long been hiding itself safely in the vicinity of Cuxhaven, and may sincerely trust that some of the bombs that our men left behind them suc ceeded in reducing the efficiency of one or more of the vessels. The raid was probably assisted, and yet, at the same time, possibly robbed of some of its effect, by the fog which hung over the mouth of the Elbe, for unfortunately, to use the words of the official report, " the extent of the damage by the British airmen's bombs cannot be estimated." Enlightenment on this point is not forth coming from the German press, which, ominously, has had remarkably little to say upon the subject. The enemy, just as was announced in the case of our aerial visits to Diisseldorf and Friedrichshafen, officially claims that no damage or injury was done. As in the previous cases, we may beg leave to doubt these official utterances, especially as, in this case, telegrams from Denmark and Holland agree that they are not in accordance with facts. Although some of the bombs dropped may not have found their billet, there can be little question that some JANUARY I, 1915- at least did fall on points of military significance. It is unofficially reported, for example, that several German warships, which were the main objective of the raid, were damaged, and that we also succeeded in destroying an airship and its shed. One Zeppelin is also believed to have been hit by a shell from one of our cruisers. The view has been expressed in some quarters that such raids have no practical military value; on the other hand, there are those who consider the attack on Cuxhaven to be the best strategical move we have thus far made. Whatever view be taken, the exploit was one of the most noteworthy yet recorded in the history of aviation as a branch of naval operations, and it may be safely assumed that the purpose for which it was under taken was achieved. While we do not suggest that such raids will have a decisive effect on the duration of the war—the final issue resting, as hitherto, on the seas with ships of the line, and on land with legions of infantry and batteries of artillery—yet the moral effect on the enemy and its people is extremely important, bringing home to them, as it does, the fact that raiding—other than women and children slaughtering—is not the monopoly of Germany. Moreover, the suddenness and unexpectedness with which we have shown them that two can play at the game of dashing adventures has already created the greatest uneasiness in the so-called Home of Kulture. Nothing could have been more opportune than this incident as a commentary of the German Grand Admiral's recent high-flown statements that the German naval forces have the command of the seas which separate the United Kingdom from Northern Europe. There was plenty of opportunity for the German fleet to make good their claim, for this exploit was not an un dertaking of the German variety as exemplified by the bombarding of unfortified towns on our North-Eastern Coast, but was an enterprise directed towards, and strictly confined to, legitimate war ends. In other words, it was no lightning - knock on an undefended door, followed by a rapid flight for safety, but a well conceived and calmly carried out hostile visit of three hours' duration, during which British flying officers forged their way over the German harbours and warships. Thanks to its mastery of the seas, our Navy, as it has once again shown, can select its own moment to send its seaplanes, its cruisers, and its submarines, across the North Sea, and Germany cannot say it nay. Indeed, one of the striking features of the raid, and one that says little for the reputed bravery and daring of the German Navy, is that not a single enemy battleship, cruiser, or destroyer put in an appearance during the attack. Nor is the fact that the bombs and torpedoes directed at the British vessels all fell harmlessly into the water without its significance. «• <*. «• Romance ^e Cuxhaven raid marks the first em- Outrivalled ployment of the seaplanes of the Naval by Air Service in an attack on the enemy's Modern harbours from the sea, and, apart altogether from the results achieved, is an occasion of historical moment. Not only so, but for the first time in history a naval attack has been delivered simultaneously above, on, and from below the surface of the water. The exploit has caused a thrill of patriotism through out the length and breadth of the Empire, showing, as it does, that the old spirit of our seafaring forefathers still exists. With our cruisers, swiftly manoeuvring to avoid the German submarines and their torpedos, while, at the
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