AN AIRMAN'S STORY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15338, 23 July 1915, Page 8

AN AIRMAN'S STORY.

"WE MUST FIGHT TO A FINISH.' , A crood many Christchurch and Rojleston people will remember very well the French aviator, M. Claude Oontourier, who for some time -was stationed at Rolleston, trying to get an ancient Bleriot monoplane into flying condition. The Bleriot is still at Rolleston. but M. Coutourier, on tie outbreak of war ,at once loft New Zealand for France to offer his services. Writing under date of May 29th, to a Christcnurch friend, from the fronthe is in the Verdun district—M. Coutourier Bays:-"How kmg will the war last? 1 cannot toll, but no doubt the enemy must start to feel the strain, and as soon as that, they will be on the run. and it will mean the end. There are about two houses left in the whole town and the same thing for fifteen miies around. It must be the same along the whole line. We pass over tlie firine-lme at various altitudes, usually between* 10,000 to 12,000 feetr It is always hot, as they can shell ua at 20,000 feet high. We jneb.keep the rifle-shots at a good distance, but must take the medicine with shells of all sizes. Th*> least number of shots amount to 25 to 35 for one reconnoitring, but he can go as ranch as 256, as one of the boys had it!- Yet we stands the strain easily. 'They' come over tho line with a powerful machine with two machine-guns on board One of our boys had ago at them.'accoptinsr the fight nine times at 10,000 feet. Then tho German machine'came down on fire; our boy came back with his machine full of bulletin another "escadrille" in the North one of our pilots had a foot cut clean off, the shell also cutting his controls at 10,000 feet. Passing tuo part of the control cut off to the observers, the aviator said "Take this away, as I don't need it now." Hβ managed to hold the wires with his hands, and brought the man safely down, but ho fainted on landing. „ . "It is hell on earth! let we must fight, it to a. finish or it would be worse still. 'They are entrenched tho same as rats: mining under our trenches, but nearly every time 'they' have the worst of it*. Here in tho front tho boys were mining 30ft deep, under 'their' trenches, when they noticed that the Germans were doing the same loit lower nnd 18ft ahead. The boys blew the mine very quickly, and all the Germans were burned or blown tip in their trenches for 150 yds in length. It will be a good thing when this is over, but it will take some time to see the end."