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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0016.PDF
JANUARY 3, I§I8. TKe Rozral £lero Clu of the United Kingdo OFFICIAL NOTICES TO MEMBERS SPECIAL COMMITTEE MEETING. A SPECIAL MEETING of The Committee was held on Wednes- day, the 19th ult., when there were present: Brig.-Gen. Sir Capel Holden, K.C.B., F.R.S., in the Chair, Squadron-Commander John D. Dunville, R.N., and Mr. J. H. Nicholson. In attend- ance Lieut.-Commander H. E. Perrin, R.N.V.R. Election of Members.—The following New Members were elected :— Capt. Arthur Lawrence Anthony, R.A.M.C. Percy Howard Ashworth. Capt. George Brown, R.F.C. Capt. Stephen Henry Carnelley.John Henry Downey. Harvey Richard Drew.Lieut. Ernest Basil Falkner, R.N.V.R. Lieut. Gilbert Evelyn Falkner (3rd D.C.L.I.). Lieut. William Walker Gibson. Capt. Frederick Russel Hardie (3rd Hussars).Major Clement Hirtzel, R.F.C. Capt. Percy St. G. Kelton (W.A.F.F.).Frederick Osborne Simeon Leak. Col. Henry Millett Nicholls.John Amery Parkes. Andre Pereire (French Air Service).Lieut. Edward Murray Spcakman, R.N.V.R. THE FLYING SERVICES FUND, administered by THE ROYAL AERO CLUB. THE Flying Services Fund has been instituted by the RoyalAero Club for the benefit of officers and men of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps who areincapacitated on active service, and for the widows and dependants of those who are killed.The fund is intended for the benefit of all ranks, but especially for petty officers, non-commissioned officers and men.Forms of application for assistance can be obtained from the Royal Aero Club, 3, Clifford Street, New Bond Street, London, W. 1. Subscriptions. £ s. d. Total subscriptions received to D.c. nth, 1917 12,510 16 6G. H. Mansfield, Managing Diiector of the Aircraft Supplies Co., Ltd., 125, Long Acre,W.C. 2 ; Proceeds of the sale of copies of " Standard A.G.S. Parts for Aircraft," byBe'nard Isaac (Twelfth contribution, making a total of ^43 us. lod.) Staff and Workers of Gwynnes, Ltd. (Fifty-third contribution) Julius A. Meller Employes in Aviation Department of Messrs.J. Samuel White and Co. 1 17 6 II 0 I II 10 17 36 1 Annual Subscription. Total, January 1st, 1918 .. .. 12,526 12 10 Members are reminded that the Subscription for the current H. E. PERRIN, Secretary. vear is now due. 3, Clifford Street, New Bond Street, W. 1. X" AIRCRAFT RAIDS. IN view of the decision of the Government not to allowdetails of places visited by enemy aircraft to be published, we are, as before, giving to each one an index number.Eventually, when details are available, we shall give the respective information under these index numbers, whichwill facilitate easy reference to each particular raid. "X85 " Raid (December 18th). THE following communique was issued on December 21st:— " The Press Bureau is authorised to state that it has been established from our pilots' reports that a raiding aeroplane was struck by machine-gun fire from one of our machines over London during the raid on December 18th. Subsequent observations proved that this raider went off in a damaged condition, and was ultimately brought down in the sea off the Kentish coast two hours later." "X 86 " Raid (December 22nd). The following communiques have been issued by the Field-Marshal Commanding-in Chief Home Forces :— "Dec. 22nd, 10.30 p.m. " An air raid was attempted on the Kentish coast shortlyafter 6 p.m. One raiaer was forced to descend close to the coast, the crew of three being captured alive. No othermachines came over the land at this time. " A second attack developed about 9.30 p.m., when a fewbombs were dropped in Thanet. The raiders did not penetrate farther inland." Press Bureau, Dec. 23rd, 11.20 a.m. " No casualties or damage occurred in Saturday night's airraid." German Version. " Berlin, Dec. 23rd." The aerial activity, which continued very strong through- out the day in many sectors, was also very lively during themoonlit night. " Bombs were dropped freely on Sheerness, Dover, andDunkirk, as well as the munition depots behind the English and French fronts." AIR FIGHTING IN DECEMBER. Two hundred and fifty aeroplanes—British, French, andGerman—were officially reported down during December says the Times, in its excellent monthly summary. Eighteenof these, Germans, were brought to earth by British pilots on the last day of November. Deducting these, and makingallowance for possible duplication in any of the official reports, the number brought down actually within the month is 232. In November, the total was 370. Of the December totalthe Allies claim 171 and the Germans 61. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the month's aerialwarfare on the British front is the number of German aero- planes which have been brought down in our lines by bothpilots and gunners. Twenty have thus fallen—seven to anti- aircraft guns, 12 in fights, and one which landed, probablyowing to engine defect, and was captured by us intact. These figures give point (o Sir Douglas Haig's not infrequent remarkthat the enemy's machines were, on this or that day, " more enterprising," or " more aggressive " than usual, and indicatethe price they have been made to pay for their excursions in a westward direction. One hundred and one German machines have been broughtdown by our men—78 on the battlefront and 23 by the R.N.A.S., operating under the orders of the Admiralty.The naval airmen have again a distinguished record. In October, they destroyed or drove down out of control, 24machines, with a loss to themselves of four machines, and in November the corresponding figures were 18 to o. Last month,they destroyed 12, and drove down out of control n (and of these it is claimed that three were probably destroyed), andlost only one machine themselves. Of the 78 German aeroplanes accounted for on the battlefront, exactly half were destroyedin fights, 28 were driven down out of control, 10 fell to the guns, and one was forced to land. Our loss, as reported byGeneral Headquarters in France, was 36 machines, one of which failed to return from the raid on Mannheim. French airmen and gunners accounted for 69 enemymachines—40 destroyed and 16 driven down damaged in fights, seven brought down by the gunners, and six forced toland. One machine was brought down during the month by a Belgian airman.
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