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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0443.PDF
MAY IO, 1917. dilution of labour is seen in what we have recently accomplished on the Western Front. Our expenditure of shells of 6 inch calibre and upwards in the first week of the great offensive was twice what it was in the first week of the Somme battles In the second week of the present operations it was 6\ times as high as in the second week of last year's offensive on the Somme. The Government will get its powers—will have them by the time these lines appear in print—and we sin- cerely trust that no time will be lost in putting them into active operation. The whole Press of the country has been unanimous in urging employers of labour to substitute women for men in the less skilled occupa- tions in order that men may be released for the fighting services or for work of direct national importance. On the whole, the trade unions have played the game very well, and we were certainly under the impression that, employers generally had equally risen to the occasion. It is evident from the action of the Govern- ment that this has not been so. However, the smaller employer is now to be compelled to do what he has in many instances so far declined to do as a matter of national duty—and a good thing, too. Lord Calthorpe in a letter to the Destroy Morning Post advocates the destruction German °* tne German harvests by means of Harvests ? incendiary bombs dropped from aero- planes. He points out that all food crops have been taken over by the German Govern- ment, and that the course he advocates would thus not entail making war on civilians. We quite appreciate his Lordship's motive in making the reservation, and it does him credit, but it does give us to think that the German's summing up of the British character was absolutely right when he said that : " You will always be fools and we shall never be gentlemen." Why we should trouble our heads about the lives or property of German civilians we do not know. The Huns are sinking our food ships without ruth or pity for the civilians upon whom they are trying to impose the stress of starvation. Why, therefore, should we concern ourselves about questions of simple ethics ? To our wajr of thinking the only thing that counts in connection with Lord Calthorpe's proposal is the question of its practicability. If it be held to be practical—and we believe that it is— then let the necessary measures be taken to give effect to the policy, and let them be taken without a moment's delay. The German crops are ready for reaping before our own—the rye crop comes on in June in parts of the. country, so that there is no time to be lost if we are going to do it. But we suppose that once again the innate dislike of doing anything that could be called hitting below the belt will intervene, and we shall do nothing. In the meantime the less squeamish Hun will continue to sink our ships, murder their crews, and cause almost endless loss of valuable foodstuffs which are required to keep our people from starving. We shall see. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. THE Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung of April 18th gives the following list of British airmen and machines which are declared to have fallen in the German lines on the Western Front during March :— Fourteen Sopwiths—two-seaters. Nos. A 1108 and 4818 : Lieut. W. Reid, Lieut. H. J. Green. No. 4594 : Occupants dead. No. Ami: P. H. Lowndes, name of the other occupant not known. No. A 4168 : Pilot dead, observer severely wounded. No. 1907 : Occupants taken prisoners. One aeroplane, number unknown, as it was entirely burnt, with its occupants. No. 5748 : Occupants wounded and prisoners. One aeroplane with " le Rhone " motor, 2637 : Occupants dead. No. 7763 : Lieut. Charles Stuart Vane Tempest, Lieut. Allinson. One machine, the number of which was not decipherable : Lieut. Duff, Capt. Stuart. One-seaters. No. A 633 : Capt. (?), severely wounded. No. 6170 : Occupant dead. No. 6165 : Occupant dead. • No. 6633 : Name of occupant not known. Ten Yickers—two-seaters. No. 1953 : Capt. William S. R. Blomfield, 2nd Lieu,t. Victor O. Landsdale. No. A 5443 : Occupants taken prisoners. One aeroplane, number not known : One occupant dead, other severely wounded. No. 1943 : Lieut. F. E. Hills, Lieut. A. S. Ryall. No. A 5439 : Occupants dead. One machine, number not recognisable: One occupant, Lieut. Knight; name of the other not known. One-seaters. No. 7941 : Capt. H. C. Southon. No. 7882 : Lieut. J. M. Montembault. No: 3425 : A.M.C. : Occupant burned. No. 4874 : 2nd Lieut. G. J. Hasde. Six B.E., No. 12205 : Occupants burned. No. 5856 : Lieut. A. G. Watts, Lieut. G. Underwood. No. 5179 : N.C.O. Cooper, Lieut. Appleton. No. 6232 : Lieut. Byrne, Lieut. Smith. No. A 27 : Lieut. Wildon Anderson, Lieut. Duncan Boyd Wolley. No. 2560 : Occupant taken prisoner. -•'••' •••••••• -: Six F.E.—two-seaters. No. 4803 : Occupants taken prisoners. No. 464 : Lieut. Charles A. K. Schum, Lieut. E. C. Coops. Two two-seaters, numbers unknown, One-seaters. No. 6397 : 2nd Lieut. W. B. Hill. No. 6456 : Lieut. Shepard. Two Nieuport one-seaters. No. A 279 : Lieut. Whiteheard. No. 6615 : Lieut. Hugh Welch. Spad. t No. A 6633 : Lieut. Parves. i <• Hisp'ano-Spad. No. 6607 : Lieut. Baker. One Martinsyde. No. 7508 : 2nd Lieut. Webster. One machine, two-seater, type ?, rotary motor. - R 36,068 : Capt. Lees, Bir., rank unknown. The following English machines have fallen into German hands on the east and south-east fronts :•— One Nieuport two-seater. No. 3182 : Lieut. Sidney George Beare, Lieut. Edgar Peary Hyde. One Sopwith two-seater. No. 5223 : Two English naval officers, both dead. 443
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