Norman Prince : $b A volunteer who died for the cause he lovedBabbitt, George Franklin
History
Norman Prince : $b A volunteer who died for the cause he loved
Babbitt, George Franklin
Prince, Norman, 1887-1916; World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
NORMAN.
* * * * *
V. B. 108-B. 103, _May 20, 1915_.
_Dear Freddy_,—Arrived here at the Front last Tuesday piloting
two _Voisins appareils de bombardement_. On the way we
bombarded observation balloons, railway centers, _poudrières_,
aviation camps and other locations of Boche activity—but not
towns or cities or other localities where the lives of helpless
women and children might be endangered. We are in the section
where all the French advances have lately been made. The
vertical guns of the Boches are particularly annoying to us.
They have got two out of six of the pilots of our Escadrille
since our arrival. One got down within our own lines; the other
fell within the lines of the Boches—whether he was killed or
not we do not know.
(_Eight miles from the German trenches._)
Been here a week and have become quite accustomed to being shot
at. We go out every day and the salutations we get from the
Boches are rapid and continuous when we are over their lines.
The Boches here have more vertical guns to aim at us—more to
the mile of front than anywhere else. There are hundreds of
French aeroplanes grouped here because it is in the twenty
miles north of Arras and south of the English where all the
recent French advances have taken place. Attacks and counter
attacks by day and night, and the bang of artillery in the near
distance never ceases. We often go out at the same time as
the infantry attack behind the artillery fire, the artillery
of both sides banging away at the trenches, batteries and at
us,—the avions in the air. It is a wonderful spectacle and
something frightful as well—until we get used to it!
N. P.
* * * * *
_Paris, September 6, 1915._
_My dear Grandmamma_,—I am in Paris on a few days’ leave and
just had luncheon with a friend who is leaving to-night for
Rome and I have asked him to mail this letter to you on his
arrival.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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