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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0156.PDF
FEBRUARY 7, 1918. IT seems almost incredible that the Huns should haveso utterly and so continuously violated every law of humanity and decency in the World's War which they forced upon man-kind and yet every now and again send forth a human ray of chivalry which calls for admiration in the individual actorconcerned. Such an episode is to be found in the following letter to hand from a member of the Mesopotamia Expedition-ary Force, referring to the death of General Maude :—" On the day of the funeral there was an enemy aeroplane over Bagh-dad, and the firing of the anti-aircraft guns formed an appro- priate requiem for the dead soldier. Whether the Turks werethen aware of General Maude's death is unknown, but two days later an enemy aeroplane again appeared over the cityand coming unscathed through the gunfire and eluding two attacks in the air swooped down over the British Residencyto drop a message of condolence. " Of course it was not war, but it was a gallant action, andour acknowledgment of it, I understand, was conveyed in the same way. The Turks admire a good soldisr, and hadreason to respect. General Maude." BY way of contrast take the recent shameful action by the German authorities in condemning two of our Flying officers to penal servitude for distributing literature from above, setting out some truths as exemplified in Mr. Wilson's now famous War Aims Speech. This plan was initially carried out and since persisted in by the Germans themselves, yet it is this barbarian race that now professes to be piously wrath at being dubbed " Huns." Wonder what the Huns would say, were they able to speak, at being bracketed with the modern Huns ! IF there were one thing that one would have thought ared-tape hide-bound Government would do it would be to respect custom begotten of white-whiskered years. Yet inthis respect the powers that be have badly broken away in connection with the National Aircraft damage insurancescheme. It is as to the customary " days of grace " hitherto allowed under Insurance policies. From a case which hasrecently been decided by one of the Metropolitan Police magis- trates it has emerged that no latitude whatever is given underthe Government's air damage scheme. All benefits and official liability ceases upon the date of expiry. Moreover, from ex-perience, it is long since accepted that no notice of the expiry date is given, another ancient custom of insurance companieswhich has also gone by the board under Government policies. The main particulars of the case in point are as follows : A college in one of the districts raided in September, 1916,was struck by a bomb and almost completely demolished. The adjoining "premises—used partly as a school and partlyas a residence—were rendered uninhabitable. One of the build- ings was insured under the Government scheme, in accordance with the provision that air-raid insurances have to be taken out with the company insured with against fire and for the same amount. The policy was taken out on September 9th, 1915, and the raid took place on September 23rd, 1916; the renewal premium had not been paid. The proprietor of the college trusted to the customary " days of grace " allowed by London insurance practice. The Government, however, refused any compensation on the ground that no " days of grace " are allowed on Govern- ment policies. APART from this, the L.C.C. for some work in shoring- up the premises and making them safe—a proceeding which the proprietor declares was quite unnecesary—have summoned him to pay between ^30 and ,-£40 for the work, and the police magistrate has made an order against him. This is rubbing it in with a vengeance. " SPEED " is aviation and aviation is speed, in war times at least. This is the subject, with aircraft illustrations, selected by Lieut.-Col. Mervyn O'Gorman for a lecture on February 15th at 3 o'clock to the Women's Institute. Col. O'Gorman can never help but be interesting when he takes a problem in hand, and as the lecture room is not over large early application to the secretary of the Women's Institute for a ticket of admission is essential. PROBABLY in no section of the People's Army has initi- ative had greater opportunities of quickly asserting itself than in the Flying Services. Thousands of remarkable incidents will presently go to make up many a fascinating volume when these things can be recorded in detail after the war, but every now and again an individual case breaks through the shrouding veil of secrecy, and then it is that one can realise what our citizen army has meant to those who perforce have had to remain as mere citizens to carry out their share of the problem of beating down the barbarous enemy. In this con- nection it transpired last week at the National Provincial Bank meeting that Capt. G. H. Hackwill, R.F.C.,who was one of the strafers of the Gotha moonlighter, was, at the outbreak of war, on the N.P. staff. THOSE who take an interest in things actual, should note the presence of the remains of this self-same moonlighter craft at the Red Cross exhibition now in full swing at Burlington House. ENVY assumes at times strange forms. Paris, it would appear, is jealous of London having the honour of so big a share of the Hun night raiders, if M. Gustave Herve's view is to be accepted as voicing the opinion of his compatriots. M. Herve's lament, following the raid of Paris last week, is :— " We had begun to be somewhat humiliated in Paris to see ON THE BRITISH WESTERN FRONT IN FRANCE .-With our night bombing planes irf Franof!"one of our night bombing machines returning after a flight. 152
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