A report issued at a comparatively early date of the war stated: ‘Quite one of the features of the campaign, on our side, has been the success attained by the Royal Flying Corps. In regard to the collection of information it is impossible either to award too much praise to our aviators for the way they have carried out their duties, or to over-estimate the value of the intelligence collected, more especially during the recent advance. In due course certain examples of what has been effected may be specified, and the far-reaching nature of the results more fully explained, but that time has not yet arrived. That the services of our Flying Corps, which has really been on trial, are fully appreciated by our Allies is shown by the following message from the Commander-in-Chief of the French armies, received on the night of September 9 by Field-Marshal Sir John French:— ‘“_Please express most particularly to Marshal French my thanks for services rendered on every day by the English Flying Corps. The precision, exactitude, and regularity of the news brought in by its members are evidence of their perfect organization, and also of the perfect training of pilots and observers._”’ CHAPTER XV FROM VICTORY TO VICTORY At a later date (September 12, 1916) a writer in the _Daily Chronicle_ remarked: ‘All reports, official and unofficial, concur in warm praise of the daring, resourceful, and effective work of the British airmen. Our supremacy over the Germans in the aerial arm is incontestable. Every day’s fighting brings evidence of it. Not only are the exploits of our airmen the theme of admiring comment by our own soldiers, but they also extort reluctant tributes of admiration even from the enemy. Were it not for the accurate observation of these fearless, hawk-eyed scouts of the air, the marvellously effective results achieved by our gunners in the recent fighting would not have been possible, and the difficulties in the way of our heroic infantry would have been vastly increased.’