FLYING- IN THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 242, 12 October 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

FLYING- IN THE WAR.

A BOOK OF FRANK CONFESSION. A war hero of remarkable and ■praiseworthy attainments, and of exceptional skill and courage as an aviator, has given us another fighting man's diary in "One Man's War , ' — illustrated in colour (John Hamilton). This hero is Mr. Bert Hall, who, with J. J. Niles, has issued the diary in one large volume. The pity of it is that, from an English point of view, the hero is unpleasantly vainglorious. His conquests over the enemy are almost belittled by his boasted conquests over women, and women of many nations. He says that he was as fair to them as they were to him, and demonstrates throughout that alt is fair in love and war. In egotistical fashion he justifies the title of the book, which is first and last biographical. He fought for the Bulgars against Turks and for Turks against Bulgare—it wae all one to him; in the slang of the day, in both cases he was "it." We are so accuetomed to modest heroes that we become impatient with the warrior of the "alone-I-did-it ,, type. The most pathetic incident in the book is the execution of Mata Hari, the famous and infamous woman *py. It is eaid that "ehe left the world in the same garb as whe'n she entered it," and to the last "did not expect the firing squad to use real bullets." Mr. Hall is by birth an American, and his affection for dollars at One time placed him in possession of millions of pounds. His favourite word of contempt is "bastard," and he uses it frequently. Hfe period of service for France added continental bombast to American self-praise, and one has to forgive this before his diary can be quite comfortably digested. The book, however, is deeply interesting and full of quaint and uncommon information. The language is polluted unnecessarily in many places, but literary taste and refinement cannot be expected in the circumstances. To each hte special gifts; Suzanne, Suzette, Mimi, and the rest, are frankly a bore to the reader, and the history of a etocking-top worn as a headdress under the helmet compares unfavourably with the love gages given long ago to amorous knrghts. "I've had Leon repaint my 'plane; he has put my name 'Bert* on the ship," and the same backwards on the reverse side; "pilots can now tell who I am, no matter how they pass me." - This sort of thing is characteristic. Having prepared you for the worst, we must do justice by saying there is no,t a dull page in the book. It lacks charm. It is crude and boastful but honestly, realistic, and has a drawing power which should ensure for it many readers. We dislike the method, but : are forced to acclaim the result. , ' \ ' : ,