‘The Admiralty published openly the names of those killed in these operations. Young Mr. Lord, of Newcastle, was, I believe, the first victim. He was killed in the south of England when trying to land a fast scout in the dark. Much about the same time Mr. Hilliard was killed through the bombs he had on board his Caudron exploding as he landed. Mr. Richard Gates was killed when landing a Henry Farman in the dark. Mr. Barnes was killed through landing a big Sopwith pusher in the early morning fog after flying all night. There may have been other deaths, but those are all I recall in the early part of 1915. There were many other officers injured, and still many more marvellous escapes. I have been told how an officer jumped out of his machine near the ground, chancing where he fell rather than risk being blown up by his bombs. Another officer had a still more extraordinary experience. He landed on a Caudron, and his bombs blew up. Subsequently investigation showed clearly where his skids first struck the ground. About twenty-five yards farther on was the wreck of the machine and engine, all burnt to bits by the petrol set on fire by the bombs; and about twenty yards farther still was the place where the pilot had finished having a private fire of his own. Seemingly the first shock had jarred and bent the stems of the bombs and released the firing mechanism. The second shock had exploded them, had blown the whole machine to pieces, had burst the petrol tank so that the spirit splashed all over the pilot and caught light, and, finally and fortunately, had blown the pilot clean out of the machine into some longish grass, where he fell without being stunned, and rolled over and over till he put the flames out. I gather that his worst injury was a rather burned hand, due to his glove falling off while he was beating the flames out on his coat.’ Never must we forget the debt we owe to these heroes of the Royal Naval Air Service. They have played, as we have seen, a most heroic part. And we would bear in mind the fact that the work of our heroic aviators covers the _whole_ field of the World War. In Mesopotamia, for instance, much good work has been done. A correspondent of the _Daily Telegraph_ wrote in October, 1916: ‘On the night of the 19th one of our aeroplanes raided an enemy aerodrome at Shumran, dropping eight 20-pound bombs, which fell all round a machine, apparently damaging the same, and putting out lanterns left on the ground by the guard, who fled on the aviator’s approach. Early in the morning of the 26th two of our aeroplanes successfully bombed a hangar, descending to 100 feet. One of our machines was damaged. A bullet cut a control wire, and the aeroplane “nose-dipped” 1,000 yards, but the pilot succeeded in righting the machine and landed safely. The Turks, believing they had destroyed the machine, started cheering in the trenches. Several exposed themselves, and were “picked off.”’