EXCITING DUEL IN AIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16285, 19 July 1916, Page 9

EXCITING DUEL IN AIR.

AUSTRALIAN'S ADVENTURE.

CAPTURED BY GERMANS.

Ah Australian. Lieutenant F. E. Grim- ! wade, who early in the war enlisted in j the Royal Flying Corps, was captured by the Germans in April. Writing from the Municipal Hospital at Courtrai, Belgium, on April 10, to his parents, he stated My observer and I were moved into this place about five days ago. On Saturday, April 1, in the afternoon. I was on patrol duty near Ypres. We sighted a German machine, which we engaged at 3000 ft. I found him faster and much more mobile than my c'.d 8.E., but honours were easy until he got his machine-gun on to my leg, just below the thigh. This settled things for us. Then my observer got hit. My thigh bone was smashed by several bullets, and was pretty painful, and I felt I was going to faint. However, I struggled against this, and managed to land somehow behind the enemy's lines. The machine was a total wreck, but my observer was not killed in landing, so" I felt rather pleased at this, as they almost invariably get finished off in an accident of this kind.

j •■ Immediately after we crashed to | earth I fainted. They took us on to a j field dressing-station, and then on to a I sort of clearing hospital, then another i place, and, finally, here, where we are (very well cared for. The German Flying I Corps officers were very good to us both 5 j They paid us several visits, and asked if there was anything we wished for, and gave us books and cigarettes, etc. ' The Germans presented us each with a picture of the remains of our 8.E., which will be most interesting after the war."