Canada’s “Mad Major’ of the Western Front

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7200, 24 April 1930, Page 9

Canada’s “Mad Major’ of the Western Front

biographers active qse exploits of the “Mad Major” on the Western Front have been the subject of many articles in the Cana* dian pross recently. According to the writers, ho first made his appearance in 1915 in the Armentieres-Pleurbaix section of the Yprcs salient, which became known as the “Bull Ring” from the fact that Australians and New Zealanders got their first expericnco of the Flanders front line there. The “Mad Major” commanded a battery of 18-poundcrs and, owning his own aeroplane, did his own observing for his guns. How he got his aeroplano to France his biographers do not explain; it is said, however, that each member of his battery carried a part of it in his kit. He flow low over tho trenches in No Man’s Land, and his machino was roadily recognised by hundreds of platoons in tho salient. The “Mad Major” gave his troops many a thrill by his stunts. The sobriquot “Mad” was givon to him when .ho returned with a prisoner in the cockpit. Tho most thrilling episode ef the “Mad Major’s” career is described by “Hook, Line and Sinker” in the last issue of the Canadian Defence Quarterly. It was somewhorc about tho qnd of 1915, just before tho Australians and New Zealanders came into tho “Bull Ring,” that tho “Mad Major” entertained British and German troops to an exhibition of solitairo air polo. He took off with a soccer football tied to his joy-stick, says the writer, dropped it to earth and swooped down, catching it on the bounce._ He repeated this performance many times in No Man's Land, and then approached the German front line. A minnenworfer blast caught the ball in mid-air and drove it higher, but the “Mad Major” suddenly zoomed and banked till he caught it again, in spite of cries of “Offside!” from tho British trenches. Tho Germans threw helmets, stick bombs, dixies, black bread _aud weinors when tho “Mad Major” bounced the ball and dribbled it along their parapet. “Then something happened,” says tho chronicler. “The major glided to earth in No Man’s Land. We manned every fire-step and kept up a steady tire on tho opposite trenches till we could send assistance to him. The Bochc artillery, silont until now, laid down a wall of shrapnel around his plane. Our hearts sank. It was the end. The hero of a million Tommies was gone. “But we did not count on the ‘Mad Major.’ When the smoke and dust be-gan-to clear, we rubbed our eyes again and again as we saw his plane, gaps of daylight showing through it, rise from the ground like a heliocoptcr. He waved the punctured ball aloft as he plied thq stick and’ brought his old bus homo.”

In 1919 it was rumoured that one of tho airmen in tho first trans-Atlantic flight then projected was to bo the “Mad Major.” Then a disappointing revelation was made in a prominent English flying journal. It read: “Astonishing stories were current among infantrymen and gunners, chief among which was the celebrated myth of the ‘Mad Major.’ This officer appeared early in 1915, flew steadily on every part of tho .front, performing continued deeds of gallantry, and was still going strong in October, 1918. He was popularly supposed to be a flying gunner and brought his own machino out with his battery. Every Hun shot down near the lino and every stunt over tho front lino trenches was credited to the intrepid ‘Mad Major.’ Needless to say, no such person existed, though doubtless his exploits will live for ever.”