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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 1328.PDF
NOVEMBER 21, 1918 s.- •', 17PM] THE Air Empty. " Peace is very palpable to-day, evenat the front. What I noticed even more than the absence of artillery fire and one's own delightful freedom from theburden of a tin hat and mask was the vanishing of the aero- planes. It was a day of perfect visibility and not a planewas up. One felt that something was wrong." Thus wrote Mr. W. Beach Thomas in his despatch from the WesternBritish front the morning after the signing of the Armistice. It is a suggestive ending to the War. WHAT'S amiss with the suggestion which"Has been madethat, by way of filling the want of a Bank Holiday between August and Christmas, November nth shall be proclaimedan Empire holiday in commemoration of the downfall of Hun militarism ? MAJOR GORDON WATNEY, speaking near Weybridge the other day, gave Bis opinion of putrid politics thus : '' The politician is no good to anybody—he is out for himself and to get an extra feather in his cap." And he should know a lot about his subject. MIXED up very intimately with putrid politics is Bureau-cracy, of which Viscount Middleton, speaking last week at a meeting of the Surrey Nursing Association, said : '• Havingoverthrown the greatest of bureaucracies, we need to take care lest we establish a bureaucracy for ourselves." Unfortunatelyit's already with us. What we have now to see is that it is not perpetuated. And it'll take some doing. I*1 ANOTHER "first " for the R.A.F. Writing from MudrosBay on November 5th, Mr. G. Ward Price records the fact that a first landing had been made on the Gallipoli Peninsulaby half a dozen British airmen, who flew over there and came down at Galata, near Gallipoli, where was the chief German aerodrome, with whose machines our own from Lemnos andImbros were constantly fighting. The Turkish troops on the peninsula did not seem to have been officially informedof the Armistice, and the attitude of their officers was con- sequently a little constrained. The British machines crossedthe peninsula from about Y Beach at Helles to Galata, flying only about 400 ft. above the ground, so that possible hostileconsequences of the Turkish failure as yet to circulate news of the closure of operations were averted by the white streamerswhich the aeroplanes flew. They stayed an hour at the enemy aerodrome, and found there some of their own machineswhich had been shot down some months ago. IN reply to a query by Mr. Dillon in the House last week,as to the delay in the enquiry into the Dope monopoly job, and as to whether the proceedings would be conducted inpublic, Mr. Bonar Law seemed quite surprised at a suggestion of delay. " It has been found necessary," said the Chancellorof the Exchequer, " to examine a large number of documents, and preliminary statements have been received from variouspersons, some of whom have been granted time in which to prepare their statements and evidence. It has been decidedfor the present to take evidence in private." One wonders why ? WE notice that in a report from the British Army in France,Marshal Foch is credited with having " paid a flying visit to General Sir William Birdwood." That's a term whichunder present-day conditions will have to be modified. To motor to an appointment is not to pay a " flying " visit now. Now that the Trans-Atlantic traffic begins to look thick—on paper, anyhow—someone suggests that it would be very interesting to see among the first contestants the realisationof the wonderful aerial super-liner designed for Messrs. THE HOME OF THE «« HANNOVERANERS."—A batch of Hannover biplanes in the grounds in frontof the HAWA. (Hannoveranian coach works) offices. The building on the left is part of fhe erecting shop. /.;-"vv^ 1329 ^-1""-
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