The War in the Air; Vol. 1: The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air ForceRaleigh, Walter Alexander, Sir
History
The War in the Air; Vol. 1: The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force
Raleigh, Walter Alexander, Sir
Great Britain. Royal Air Force; World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations, British
On this same day--the day of the battle of Le Cateau--the First Army
Corps under Sir Douglas Haig was delayed, and failed to reach its
appointed position in touch with the Second Army Corps. Lieutenant A. E.
Borton and Lieutenant F. G. Small were dispatched from headquarters in a
machine of No. 5 Squadron to 'find Sir Douglas Haig'. With them went
Lieutenant D. S. Lewis in a B.E. machine fitted with wireless apparatus.
He was to report by wireless when Sir Douglas Haig was found.
Lieutenants Borton and Small in their Henri Farman, being unable to find
a suitable landing-ground in the rear of the First Army Corps, landed
between the firing lines in a field protected by a rise in the ground
from the direct fire of the enemy. With the aid of a cavalry patrol they
succeeded in delivering their message to Sir Douglas Haig, after which
they returned to their machine, started up the engine, and flew away in
the presence of two Uhlans, who had just ridden into the field.
Meantime, Lieutenant Lewis, to whom they were unable to signal, lost
touch with them; he circled in the air for an hour under fire, and
returned with one shell splinter and four bullet-holes in his machine,
and with one of his hands grazed by a bullet. Captain L. E. O. Charlton
was also sent at 11.30 a.m. to report to General Smith-Dorrien at
Bertry. 'I found him', he says, 'in considerable anxiety as to his left
about Haucourt and Selvigny. Having been on that flank at 9.30 a.m., I
was able to reassure him as to its safety, and made another ascent to
confirm my previous reconnaissance. During the reconnaissance I was able
to report that the enemy had made no progress, though their shell-fire
had increased. I was sent up again to examine the right about Le Cateau,
and on reporting at 2.45 p.m. the General told me that the Fifth
Division had been unable to withstand a most determined artillery
attack, and had come back. He added that he had no doubt he would
succeed in getting them back somehow, and requested me to inform Sir
Archibald Murray. I left at 3.0 p.m. and reported to General
Headquarters as ordered.'
General Smith-Dorrien did succeed in getting them back. The stand made
at Le Cateau was a great fight against odds; and the part played in the
battle by the Royal Flying Corps seems a little thing when it is
compared with the gallant resistance of the infantry. But British
machines were flying over the enemy, under fire, within full view of the
British army, and some British officers who took part in the battle have
described how the sight of our aeroplanes above them raised the spirits
of the troops and gave them a feeling of security.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account