FLYING LOW, THEY SCATTER GERMANS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14703, 7 September 1918, Page 3

FLYING LOW, THEY SCATTER GERMANS.

BRITISH AIRMEN ARE EXPERT IN THIS WARFARE. VANCOUVER,, July 31. L>nexcelled; proficiency m low-flying has made British supreniacy m the air an undisputed fact, according to the testimony of Australian "officers of the Royal Air Forces i*eoexitry'* m the city on their way to the Antipodes. The party includes Capt.;, H. A. Rigby, MIC.; Capt. Bush,' and Lieut. Lansell, „ll of theni 1914 men, who have seen service on several fighting fronts. The objects of low flying consisted m swooping over advancing enemy transports, wreaking their. ammunition supplies, and shooting down the infantry. Tlie fliers, said Capt. Rigby, have; m this way prevented many an enemy onslaught, resulting m u v demoralising ef-j feet on the Hun; . The value of these methods was first demonstrated at Cambrai, followed with equal success at Armentieres and Amiens, where the morale of the enemy' was broken, and a great deal of its ammunition and transport supplies destroyed. Captain Rigby was enthusiastic over the Allied aerial,successes, and pointed out that about 50 ,per cent, of the British Air Forces were recruited from the colonies. About 30 per cent, of .these were Canadians. Tlie "Aussies," aa the Australians are affectionately termed-'in; England,' were reluctant to speak of their, doings at the front. It took considerable persuasion to induce them to talk until they wei*o convinced 'that Canadians were truly interested m -the part played by their comrades from the, Antipodes. They preferred much to eulogise the nurses at the hospitals, characterising them as "simply marvellous;;''' Describing the, bombing; of the base hospital at Etaples, Capt. Rigby, who was an inmate at? the time, said that as the shells burst about the warcls with the crash of t'mbers and the rattle of shrapnel on the roof, these brave women hastened to remove their patients under the beds as some measure of protection,, with no thought of their own exposure. They talked cheerfully all the while, and sat by the nervous cases, distracting 'their attention from'the at-1 tack and calming them with their own sang froid. Four of these nursing sisters were killed and others died of wounds. Tlie higrh esteem m which the YYM.C.A. is held was revealed when, m the course of general conversation, the visitors a were asked what they thought of the association. "Wluit do I think of it?" exclaimed Capt. Bush, to whom the question was addressed. "Thank God, it was there, is what I say." The young officers told.of many occasions when they saw evidences "of the comforts the association has brought to the men. The Church Arm v. huts made similar provision, and one of the party told of arrivinor late at nijrht m a desertedl town with no prospect of shelter when he came utornv a notice with a direction to a building. There he found beds with cleati sheets and blankets, soap and towels. He slept until morning, when, nobody being about, he went on his way, leaving a note of appreciation. This was apparently one of the Church Army huts left' ready for anyone m need of a wight's.shelter. HUNS ONLY SOUGHT "CHEAP IRISH BLOOD." ' DUBLIN, July 25. The press censor has issued for publication m to-day's papers important documents containing tlie original detailed reports of various Irish volunteer leaders m Cork, Kerry, and Limerick, explaining to the Irjsh volunteer executive their actions during the (rebellion. The reports are dated September, 1917, and show "the utter futility of-.the rising' Jirid the treachery and cai'lousness of tlie Germans toward their unfortunate dupes."' The documents were seized by the police during a search m May last of the offices of the Association for Affording Aid k>.Rebellion Sufferers. .They rarrate the confusion of plans, following on the failure to land an army and Sir Rogjer Casement's arrest. \ Colonel Viet, of the Limerick volunteers, concluding his repovl. says: "On Monday anorning Lieut.. Whelaii return.-' ed from his second trip to Tralee, having seen Manteitli '(Obtain Robert Monteith, of the German army, who was landed m Ireland from a German • submarine) and brought word from him .th-.it no men were coming: that ivhe arinsfsent to us were gonK\ that the Germans were out for cheap Irish blood, a.nd that the best fhing."-"! could do iwa-s to try to bluff through."