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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0538.PDF
(/OGHT) to be found cropping up, quite as a matter of ordinary routine, throughout the series of reports, and it is gratify ing to know that the services of the men engaged in this particular sphere of the war, are recognised by generous mention in the despatches sent in by the Commander of the Force in Egypt. The admirable work of our R.F.C. men—and in this connection the French Hydro-aero plane Squadron, which was working in co-operation with the forces, should be bracketed—is the more notable from the fact that it is particularly pointed out by General Sir John Maxwall that the R.F.C. pilots were "much handicapped by inferior types of machines," but "not withstanding these drawbacks, they furnished me regularly with all information regarding the movements of the enemy." In regard to the quality of these machines, which the pilots had to utilise to the best of their ability, it should be remembered that the date of the operations to which these despatches refer, goes back to the early stages of the war—November and December, 1914— when the practical effects were being appreciated of past official neglect to grasp in good time the meaning of the power of aircraft in modern tactical warfare. Since then such enormous strides have been made in making up for previous shortcomings in this direction that it is difficult to visualise at this lapse of time how much more vital even than they were the pilots might have proved themselves to be, in helping forward the plans of the CO. A graceful tribute to the help of the French seaplane squadron is made by General Maxwell, who, he points out, being "equipped with hydroaero planes with floats, ran great risks in undertaking land re connaissance." Air work in the desert was found to be particularly helpful in watching the movements of the enemy, who apparently contemplated making sudden attacks from the oases which they occupied on our troops located near the Nile Valley. Here was inau gurated that system of depots in the desert, which we have »o many years back contemplated as being one of the means whereby aviation in these barren districts would be evolved. In Major-General Wilson's report he refers to this scheme as follows :— "All this time the oases were kept under constant observation by means of aeroplanes. Very long flights Roll of Honour. THE Secretary of the Admiralty announces the following casualties:— Previously reported Missing, now reported Died as a Prisoner of War In Germany. Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant Kenneth M. van Allen, K. N. Seriously Injured (June 241/1). flight Sub-Lieutenant Kenneth V. Hooper, R.N. Injured (Jutu 23rd). Proba'ionary Flight Sub-Lieutenant Valentine E. Sieveking, R.N. Slightly Injured (/tine zyd). Flight-Commander Henry M. Cave-Brown-Cave, R.N. (Engi neer-Lieutenant, R.N.). Injured. Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant Charles Huddy, R.N. The following casualties have been officially announced by the War Office:— Killed. Second Lieutenant J. Gilsun, Devon Regt. andli.F.C. Wounded. Captain F. E. Hellyer, Ilatnphire Regt. and R.F.C. Captain M. McK Bell-Irving, D.S.O., Royal Flying Corps. Second Lieutenant W. R. I). Shaw, Essex Regt. and R.F.C. JUKE 29, 1916. were necessary, and to reduce them as much as possible a system of advanced depots in the desert was started. The credit for originating this system is due to Lieutenant (now Captain) Van Rynefeld, R.F.C., and to Mr. Jennings Bramley, of the Sudan Civil Service, and was first put into practice on the occasion of the flight to Qara mentioned in my previous despatch." This is but a beginning, carried through under stress of emergency. But the experience gained will, without doubt, be taken advantage of, and in the years following the war we can imagine practical steps being taken to establish a well thought-out chain of depots which will link up parts now so widely separated by natural objects as to render them as far apart relatively to each other as the two poles. Such possibilities alone should give pause to those few croakers who still fail to see anything but stagnation for aerial navigation in the future. Nothing could be more encouraging than Underlining tne generous recognition by the award of Service Work, honours in most of the lists, as they are issued from time to time, to individual members of the R.N.A.S. and R.F.C. Only a few weeks ago the latter had over a dozen names in the King's list of D.S.O.'s, the Military Cross and D.C.M.; whilst a record may be surely claimed, we think, for the former in the list of awards to naval officers and men which appeared in the London Gazette of the 22nd. In this list 33 appointments to D.S.O. and D.S.C. in all were announced. Of these the R.N.A.S. claimed no less than seven out of n D.S.O.'s and 14 out of 22 D.S.C.'s. The range of services for which these honours are distributed is very great, including outstanding deeds on the British and French coasts, in the Mediterranean, at Constanti nople and over the sea—emphasising the versatility of the valuable services which fall to the lot of the flying officers to see through. There are many prizes being won in this long drawn out war, and we are more than satisfied to see such a goodly share still continue falling in increasing ratio to the service which but a decade ago had positively no existence. ® ® ® ® Second Lieutenant G. N. Anderson, Yeomanry and R.F.C. Second Lieutenant W. E. Nixon, K. O. Scot. Bord. and R.F.C. Second Lieutenant T. S. Roadley, S. Staff. Regt., attached :;-. R.F.C. Missing. Second Lieutenant J. Cooke, Durham L.I., attached R.F.C. Second Lieutenant W. D. S. Paterson, Royal Flying Corps. Second Lieutenant C. E. Rogers, Royal Flying Corps. Second Lieutenant J. R. B. Savage, Royal Flying Corps. Captured at Kut. Reported from the Base as believed to have been taken prisoners at Kut-el-Amara. Official lists have not yet been received from the Turkish Government:— Royal Flying Corps.—6242 2nd Class Air-Mechanic S. G. Butler; 445 Flight-Sergeant H. Campbell; 533 1st Class Air-Mechanic W. Candy; 1299 2nd Class Air-Mechanic L. N. Claridge; 3968 2nd Class Air-Mechanic V. Dagger; 4894 2nd Class Air-Mechanic H. Dodd ; 5809 2nd Class Air-Mechanic F. G. Draper ; 806 1st Class Air-Mechanic J. R. Eaves; 7578 2nd Class Air-Mechanic R. E. George; 7801 2nd Class Air- Mechanic A. T. Hare; 1414 1st Class Air-Mechanic J. Hogg; 5848 2nd Class Air-Mechanic W. Keefe; 7373 2nd Class Air-Mechanic R. G. Nickolls; 7350 2nd Class Air-Mechanic D. Ponting;. 4475 Sergeant F. Read ; 862 Corporal A. Reid ; 4351 2nd Class Air-Mechanic F. Snell; 2853 1st Class Air- Mechanic T. W. Vincent; 4477 Flight-Sergeant A. Webb ; 4136 1st Class Air-Mechanic S. Welch; 7870 2nd Class Air-Mechanic S. T. Wells. 538
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