INTRODUCING THE WIRE WORM CLUB

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 102, 1 May 1937, Page 27

INTRODUCING THE WIRE WORM CLUB

More.;exclusive even than.:,: .that of the "Caterpillars"—airmen /who,. owe their.liyes'to , the/use of parachutes—7 will-be/ a,, club, yet" to be formed and named,-/restricted to those who have, flown into:: balloon" cables and lived, writes Major C. ,C Turner in the "Daily- Telegraph." Its name might well be "The Wire Worm Club." ; ' : '-V '/-/-/

I have justvmet -one of the. British airmen •; qualified ,"; fpr ■ membership. Probably there^rendt:more: than/•two or . three in this country,, .'. only, about half, a dozen throughout the world. Some day there may be more.

Among those qualified would be any surviving members of- the: cre-w of the ..German "Gotha" bomber, which, during the war, flew into a balloon "apron" east of Xondbri and escaped. The history .'of- the war. contains, only two or'three- instances of; aeroplanes Kitting balloon barrages, the effect of which was. chiefly moral arid preventive.'.;/ V.. ././. . :" .'//■.• ."' .'..■' ; ''■■' •;./'.

The British'airman who is qualified is an ex-officer of. the Air Force 'and is now in a responsible': City position. The incident in which he was concern-, ed was one of the. most thrilling in the war. ,: "- -. ■-,'■■'■' ■'. ' -."-"■' ■'" ■ '-'■/■■■ "

He was the observer in an F.E2b bomber sent out on a night expedition. The pilot was Flight-Lieutenant W.-G. Brind. -The machine-was one of the "pusher" class/: the \ observer seated in front and -the, engine arid propeller behind "'the pilot.-/; -, ... -

In the course ■'of the flight a region occupied by-the French was reached, and suddenly, at a height of about 5000 feet, the _nose. of the machine struck a cable. It cut through the

fabric .■ arid-/' touched -the /observer's hand, but'two metal hooks'.Strengtheri;ing the -structure' then stopped it.,'. ■ ';■;

'/The' 7 pilot- throttled down,, and : the obseryeiv jumped:.up . and seized: the cable! '.'lt slipped at such' a. rate,- however, that his .thick gldves'iw'ere/rcut, and he had^ to-relinquish this hold; : -

Both pilot ■ and observer.,, were con-, vinced. that nothing could save them.* The ' cable ; slipped round the curve ofthe fuselage of the. machine, and embedded .itself'in; the left-wing. It cut into the wing a lew inches and then deflected, so that the cut became "L" shaped. ,:'..'■■'■.

'•'. Meanwhile the machine/ caught in the cable, was descending spirally, its occupants expecting the wing to break off at any moment.. They .were helpless. The ;.observer,.. .could hear the scratch of' the,., slipping'...cable-.' and thought "that through 'the earphone.:he could also hear the pilot praying! ..

■ The machine broke'clear wherrfewer than 1000. feet/up,".and the.pilot- immediately regained' control. ■; "■'_'. '....'■;

They decided ..to . land; but .were nearer the. ground.than they thought and when.they..droppe.d"\'a.flare .it only dazzled them.- ■ A landing was. effectr ed by :.the aid of their "wihg : tip-.lights. They fired Very lights, promptly ,-beqame the, objective.'of an "artillery demonstration, and ran for it. -.. /'-'"

Finally they .had/a job to convince the French soldiers'that they were "not Germans. •'- ■■■ : '.-'; ■■■ -. •: /-v/

The sudden .release of the .machine was , never explained.' The balloon cable .had not broken," and; it'was ascertained that no French balloon .was missing that night. . . .