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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0855.PDF
NOVEMBER 5. «qi5 \flMH Jls3 J**J£*4^+ FOLLOWING on my little paragraph in " Eddies " last week regarding the taking prisoner, by the Germans, of Capt. Norman Spratt, R.F.C., it is, indeed, a pleasure to be able to record a few details of the circumstances under which Capt. Spratt lost his liberty. A very interested correspondent, whose identity I may not disclose but whose reliability is absolutely unquestionable, sends me the following cheerful message : " Seeing the paragraph in 'Eddies ' in reference to Capt. Norman Spratt, R.F.C., I am pleased to tell you that he is a prisoner of war and unharmed. " On the return journey of a long reconnaissance flight over the German lines on September 28th on an R.E.5, having a fearful wind against him, he was only able to do 30 miles in two hours. After four and a half hours in the air he was forced to descend in a ploughed field near Ghent, owing to engine trouble. He quickly fixed up the engine, and having only 15 minutes' petrol left was about to make for ' somewhere' when the Germans came up and captured him. He is now at Crefeld, where several R.F.C. officers are imprisoned." XXX It is comforting to know that although Capt. Spratt is a prisoner of war he is neither wounded nor injured. My correspondent does not state whether Capt. Spratt succeeded in setting fire to his machine before he was captured, but even if he did not, the Germans would not learn a great deal from the R.E.5, which is, perhaps, that of our military aeroplanes which most resembles the average German 'bus. From the engine, at any rate, the enemy would not learn anything new, since the R.Es. are, I believe, fitted with Austro-Daimler engines of British make. It was, if my memory serves me rightly, on a similar machine that Capt. Spratt reached an altitude of nearly 19,000 ft. down at Farnborough somewhere in April or May of 1914. Little did he then suspect that some day a similar machine would land him in a German Kritgsgefangniss. I wonder whether the anctstry of the engine had anything to do with its " letting down " Spratt at such close proximity to the German lines. xxx One of the latest additions to the fleet of the N.A.C. on Lake Windermere is a Blackburn monoplane with a TOO h.p. Anzani engine. In its general arrangement this machine is, as will be seen from the accompanying photograph, similar to the monoplane exhibited at the last Olympia Aero Show. The nose of the body is somewhat different, however, owing to the fitting of an Anzani engine instead of the Gnome used on the Show 'bus. The change from a land machine to a waterplane has been effected without any great alterations, the wheels and their axles being removed and two cross members substituted, from which the two floats are sprung by rubber bands. This machine arrived the other day, and was immediately erected. As soon as this was accom plished, Mr. Ding took it out for a trial run, and found it ' OFF FOR A SPIN."—The 100 h.p. Anzani-englned Blackburn monoplane of the Northern Aircraft Co. starting on a trip over Lake Windermere, with Mr. Rowland Ding at the helm and Lieut. Stubbs in the passenger's seat. 855
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