THRILLING STORY OF THE AIR

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15289, 27 May 1915, Page 5

THRILLING STORY OF THE AIR

EXCITING EXPERIENCE OF AN AYIATOB.

THE RAID ON HOBOKEN

(sraCIAl. TO "«— TRESS .'*)

PALMERSTON, May 26

The Rev. H. G. Kosher, of Palmerston North, has just received a letter written b- his nephew, Flight-Lieuten-ant H. Bosher, who has proved himself an intrepid aviator. The letter contains a thrilling story of tho air, the narrative being connected with the British airmen's raid on Hoboken, a riverside suburb of Antwerp. His account is dated March 21th. Five aviators were chosen to go, but only two reached tho objective, the other three having to como back owing to engine troubles and to their losing their way in the clouds. The narrative is a very modest one considering that several German submarines were destroyed and much damage done to the enemy's stores and works. Lieutenant Rosher says :— OA"ER, THE CLOUDS. '•This morning we got up at about 2.30. thank goodness the weather was warm. Breakfast followed, and it's mighty hard to get down to eggs anil bread and butter at that hour. AYe cut for the order of starting, but decided to keep as near one another as possible. I went off last but bn e at 0.30 a.m. and streaked off straight across the sea. AA'e were pretty heavily loaded, but my 'bus' would not climb much. I saw one machine go ahead of mc but lost it almost immediately in the clouds, which were very low (2500 ft), and it was also very misty. Our course was right up th'e coast past Zeebrugge, and then in across the land at the mouth of the Scheldt. I got clear of some of the clouds and saw behind and 200 ft above mc, my machine then being about 5000 ft only. He rapidly overtook mc (we were all on Avrns, but his was faster), and from then on I followed him over the clouds. Unfortunately over Antwerp there wero no clouds. wa-s about 5 or 6 minutes in front of mc and I saw him volplane out of sight. I had to go on some little way before I spotted the yards myself. HOT AVITH SHRAPNEL. "I next saw very low down, flying away to the coast with shrapnel bursting around him. He came down to under 500 ft and dropped his bombs before ho was fired on, being there first. As the wind was dead against mc I decided to come round in a semicircle to cross the yards with the wind so as to attain a greater speed. I was only s*sooffc up, and they opened firo on mc with shrapnel. As soon as I got within range it began to get a bit hot, so before I got quite round I shut off my petrol, and came down with a steep volplane until 1 was 2500 ft, when I turned on my petrol again and continued my descent at a rate \vell over a hundred miles an hour. I pa-ssed over the yards at about 1000 ft only, and loosed all my bombs over the place. Tho whole way down I was under firo from two anti-aircraft guns in the yard, guns from the forts on either side, rifle fire and mitrailleuses or ma-chine-guns, and, most weird of all, great bunches ("15 to 20) of-what looked like green rockets, but I think they were flaming bullets. ' Tlie excitement of the moment was terrific. I have never travelled so fast before in mv life. AMID FLAMING BULLETS. "My chief impressions were—the great speed, the flaming bullets streaking by, the incessant rattle of the ma-chine-guns and rifle fire, and one or two shells bursting close by, knocking my machine all sicleways and pretty near deafening mc. On my return, I found my machine was only hit twice—rather wonderful—one bullet hole through the tail, and a piece of shrapnel buried in the main spar of one wing (I have- now got it out). I found myself across the yards and felt a mild sort of surprise. EYES STICKING OUT LIKE SHRIMPS. •'•My eyes must havp been sticking out of my head like a shrimp's—l know 'I. was gasping for breath, and crouching down iv the fusillade. I was. however, by no means clear—shrapnel was still bursting around mc. I jammed the rudder first one way and then the other-. I banked, first on to one wing tip and then on the other, now clipping outwards, and now up and now down. I was literally hedged in by forts (and only 1000 ft up), and had to run the gauntlet before getting awn v. I was under rifle fire right up to the frontier, and even then the Dutch potted at mc.

A SURPRISE FOR THE GERMANS

'■'My return journey was trying, as most of the time J had to rly at under SOOi't, as I van into thick clouds and mist. I pottered, gaily right over Flushing and within a few hundred yards oi' a Dutch cruiser and nvo torpedo boats. I got bark home in about a quarter of an hour, after having been very- nearly iouj- hours in the air. and. having covered, 1 suppose, getting on for 2-30 miles. I have not heard whnt damage was done. Tiie CO. "was awfully 'braced.' Mv engine gave mc several anxious moments: for some reason it was 'right out' over the Scheldt, but it picked up again. It was pretty risky work flying several miles out to sep. only just in sight of land too. but our surprise of the Germans, or I should \s, wa.s certainly complete."