AIRMEN'S ADVENTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18079, 2 May 1922, Page 7

AIRMEN'S ADVENTURE.

INCIDENT ON RAND.

FORCED TO LEAVE MACHINES

ESCAPE FROM THE ENEMY.

The use of aeroplanes in actual warfare was .seen by many thousands of the Johannesburg public during the recent disorders on the Rand, and a splendid ami thrilling sight it was, says a South African paper. The spectators—or most of them- were spared the grimmer aspect of theso operations from the air. The death-dealing and destruction wrought were too remote from most of the onlookers to be visible to them. They only saw the inspiring and spectacular aspect of (he business, and it is safe to say that only a proportion of those onlookers rea lised the deadly earnestness of it all.

It was a spectacle the like of which had been seen thousands of times, bv many cf the men who served in the Great, War. and it had a sequel in an episode, the like of which, no doubt, frequently occurred during that titanic struggle. it appears that owing to engine or other trouble one of the machines which had been carrying on operations agoinst the Reds in the vicinitv of Mulder's Drift Road, to the north-/, est of the high ground above Melville, found it necessary to lock for a landing place. At the moment the decision to land was come to. the machine was well up in the air between Vrededorp and Melville, and the landing was effected to the north, below Melville township, on some open ground at the south end of Parkview golf course. At the time of the landing there was a considerable number of Reds scattered about in the vicinity, and as soon as the aeroplane landed the airmen were at once made t'ne targets of some snipers on the west.

The dropping .. ut of this aeroplane was observed by the pilot of a second machine, Lieut. Hector Daniel, who at once went to the help of his comrade, and eventually landed close to the first nachine. In the meantime a third machine had arrived, landed, and taken off successfully two of the aviators from the first machine-, which had had its under carriage damaged. The situation was intensely critical, as a hot fire was pouring in from the Reds, and it was found imperative to abandon the machines. The fuses were taken out of the bombs and Lieut. Daniel and his observer, Lieut. Hammon, each carrying. a dismantled Lewis gun, dashed for a sluit about 200 yds. away. A third aviator made off in a different direction. The pilot and on their way to the sluit had to cross an open sjiace in pass--ing over which they ran the gauntlet of a heavy fire. They, however, safely reached the Shelter of the gully, and after they had remained there some time Lieut. Daniel set out and managed to reach a farm near Linden township, where.he was able to commandeer a trolley and two horses. He returned with these to tha sluit, and having loaded the Lewis guns on the trolley Lieuts. Daniel and Ham? mon mounted the vehicle and drove off toward Rosebank. They had not proceeded far on their way when they encountered a man on horseback armed with a rifle. He was an obvious enemy, so Lieut. Hammon promptly ordered him in English to drop the rifle, a command which Lieut. Daniel repeated in Dutch. The mounted Red was apparently complying, as he brought th 6 rifle down, but Lieut. Hammon saw that his finger was on the trigger, and promptly fired his own rifle. The bullet, however, .merely caused a scalp wound between the eyebrows of the Red, whose own rifle was simultaneously discharged, wounding Lieut. Hammon in the abdomen. The next moment Lieut. Daniel brought over the Lewis gun into action and the Red rolled off his horse onto the ground, dead. Lieut. Daniel's first thought was to get his wounded comrade to the hospital, so after dressing Lieuti Hammon's wound ;he drove to a house in the neighbour- . hood, where he succeeded in obtaining civilian clothes both fcr himself and his injured companion. He also secured the services of a private motor-car. and cventuallv Lieut. Hammon wis safely brought to the hospital, and the Lewis suns v ere securely deposited in the Drill Hah.