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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0903.PDF
" H .P. "—Troubles all packed in old kit-bag, &c. AUGUST 30, 1917. them. The times of some of the ra&es were really splendid, the TOO yards, for instance, being run Several times in but little over record time. True, the course was slightly down- hill, Which Would not have been allowable under record conditions, but for all that the running was remarkably good. The ladies' 60 yards, as usual, proved one of the most interesting events, and was won in breathless style by a fair athlete, described by the megaphone man as the "lady in the blue frock." It occurred to many of us who had Witnessed recent sports that it was a pity Miss White of Darracq's had not entered for this race. It will be re- membered the fine performance this lady put up at the Aircraft Industry Sports, whfen she won the "FLIGHT" prize, also that she won the same event at Hendon last year. Both girls ran this distance so well and in such professional style that there were suggestions on the ground in more tnan one quarter that it would be a sight worth seeing for these two feminine exponents of sprinting •either to be matched or meejt in a 60 yards race. Should there be an open 60 at the Sopwith sports to be held on September 15th, per- haps these outstanding amateurs will consent to try out their prowess for the benefit of their many ad- mirers. Speaking of the megaphone man, in passing, compliment must be accorded to him for the Way he helped to keep every- body amused, in the execution of • •*-.-••. his lung-stretching duties. He had a pretty turn of wit and repartee together with a way of his own in returning results that was highly amusing. The band Worked hard and did their level best to make merry, but why, oh, why did they hark back to the Ark for the sheet music collected by Noah for his historic trip ? "A Boy's Best Friend is his Mother " may be very true, but it was little consolation to the man Who missed the track and ran off the course by 50 yards when he was winning " hands down " whilst they were letting it go- There was a pretty good crowd of sight-seers in attendance, and not the least happy corner of the field was that occupied, by a large number of wounded soldiers from the local hospitals, the guests of the employees. They were provided by their hosts with every comfort and much to smoke and nibble, after- • •"„.'• wards all sitting down to an excellent tea. Tommy can always enjoy himself under like conditions, and his interest in sport needs no bush ; Aeroplane for the North Pole. ' , ' "V • ^ INCLUDED in the equipment which Roald Amundsen intends to take with him for the Arctic Expedition which is' to start next March or April, is an aeroplane to be used for • scouting in the Arctic regions. How the Ramsgate Raiders were Brought Down. How the two Gotha raiders were brought "down in the neighbourhood of Ramsgate on August 22 nd was told by a /prominent official of the town to a Daily Mail correspondent. He says : " The Huns made a dash for the sea as though attempting to escape, but could not get through the tremen- dous fire and had to turn back inland. Then it -was that.- two of them came down within a few minutes. One nose- dived, burst into flames and fell spinning round and round like a top. It was a real spiral descent. One of the wings became detached and floated out towards the sea. The charred remains of the rest of the machine fell between Ramsgate and Margate. The second machine started to drop before the first one had reached the ground. It was a " T.P."—Not a chip,but an abbreviated H.P. brotherly edition. m An eye on next year'shandicapping.—Mr. W. H. Jones makes noteson "form." therefore it may be guessed that the applause from his quarter of the ground was lacking neither in volume nor heartiness. - . The tall figure of "*H.P." him- ' self was here, there and every- where, and if any man enjoyed •himself that day it surely was he, judging by. the appearance of his face ; kindly note the seraphic smile—which would not come off—in our marginal photo- graph. Maybe at that exact moment he was booking an order for another century of H.Ps. A word of praise must be accorded to Mr. W. H. Jones, the Sports Hon. Secretary, who Worked as hard as it was possible to work, and kept things on the move throughout™". the entire afternoon. To him very much of the day's pleasure was due, for nothing is so likely to mar a meeting of this character as long waits be- tween events with, generally, an attempt to close up by running others out of their turn, thus getting spectators horribly muddled as to what is taking place. There was nothing of this at Crickle- wood. In one respect the'elements took charge to the distress ot the poor man at the events board.! He must have dreamed that night of rafwires and strainers, ^ , for a few would have been of much service for anchoring his boards to the ground. The wind played a merry dance with the two he had charge of, and the way he chalked on one whilst holding it down with his feet, his other hand meanwhile being engaged in reclaiming the other, was a sight worth seeing. If he is not ambidextrous, he certainly seemed to be a double- jointed acrobat. Mr. Handley Page presented the prizes in both me.anings of the word, and they must have cost him a pretty penny, backed up by much crisp paper. At the real presentation he was en- tirely in his element, albeit he had that usual appearance we all know so well ; the appear- ance of shy embarrassment, which, if real, he has a re- markable gift of covering by witty and subtle remarks. Dancing, continuing until late T' in the evening, brought to a finish a very enjoyable after- noon's sport, which we hope to see repeated next year, with— as a suggestion—some inter-club events, always so interesting. <•> <$> wonderful sight. In the glorious sunlight one could see the aeroplane turning over and over—alternate patches of grey and flashes of white as the plane caught the sun's rays. In this way it was taken out to sea Where it disappeared." The remain? of the three occupants of the first machine were buried at Margate on August 27th. Officers and men of the R.N.A.S. attended, and the military provided an escort and a firing party. The burial service of the Church of England was read by a military chaplain, and afterwards three vollevs were fired and the Last Post sounded. There were no name-plates on the coffins.Fire Brigades and Air Raids. BY a new Defence of the Realm regulation the Home Secretary is empowered, where he is satisfied as respects any area that it is expedient for the better protection of the area from fire that, in case of an air raid or apprehended air raid, the fire brigades and fire appliances in the area, or any of them, should be employed under single control, to constitute it a special fire brigade area, acting under the chief officer of one of the brigades, or some other specified person. Kept "Jim" busyall day answering questions. 9O3
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