Behind the flying strength of the R.A.F. is a vast ground army of craftsmen and tradesmen. Without their skill and craftsmanship, the great air attacks on enemy positions, from Nor way to the African deserts, would fail to find their mark.
Without their constant attention to every detail, the life of the pilot would be gravely imperilled.
These workmen have been recruited for the Air Force from all sorts of trades; there are carpenters and blacksmiths, painters and coppersmiths, electricians and motor mechan nies, instrument makers and meteor ro logical workers, butchers and cooks, storekeepers and tailors Among them are thousands of volunteers from the Dominions and Colonies Let us consider some of these men and the they are doing. Since all of them are essential to the maine of the ever-expanding R.A.F., take them in alphabetical First come the armourers—men who loa and prepare guns ior air firing men who know all about ammunition and bombs. They must also know about the construction and action of bombs, the installation and checking of bomb sights and gun sights, the method of working parachute flare—to name only a few of their duties.
Keeping the Guns Going Every day, for example, the armament officer and his armour ers wait on fighter aerodromes ready to do a rush job. Speeding out of the sky comes a fighter section—three Spitfires, perhaps, fresh from patrol, possibly from action.
The pilots hurry across the field to make their reports. The armourers go to the machines and while refuelling takes place, scrutinize the guns—one armoured and his mate to each wing of the aircraft. Each gun, if it has been fired, is stripped of its empty or half-empty belt. Its parts are swiftly examined for breaks or stoppages. Any replacements needed are made without delay.
The barrels are pulled through personnel who had taken up a position on the canal bank, also an armoured detachment of two light tanks and an armoured car.
It was now about 7 p.m. and orders were issued for Nieuport until it was dark. dark shouting could be heard fron the other side of the canal, the Gi man reinforcements having by this time forced our cars to the west of the bridge, and occupied the ware louses on the east bank. But in the ailing light they could not be seen definitely or located. Motor-cyclists could be heard coming and going. and it was not long before heavy mortar fire was put down in three areas on our side of the canal, but it proved possible to dodge this fire by constantly making small moves.
A trooper. with great coolness managed to shift an abandoned lorry full of ammunition which looked as if it might be set on fire at any moment.
A detachment of our artillery bad also arrived in the area, and a R. A.
and two sergeants very gal-tried to destroy the bridge with hand grenades. It was now and under cover of our machine gun fire, they crawled up to the bridge. but as they got to within throwing distance a green Verey light was sent up by the Germans. Heavy machine gun and mortar fire was opened from all along the German side of the canal and enemy grenades were thrown, unfortunately without damage to the bridge, and the two survivors of this gallant party returned. The third had been killed outright by a mortar shell.
Nieuport was now burning in As reinforcements arrived in the] several places and heavy artillery and "E"|mortar fire was falling on the town.
was useless to leave the armoured there in the dark, and they v n clear ith a cleaning rod, movable part re oiled and. finally, the full belts are fed into their chamber All this is done in a few minute:
Back goes the report: "Blue section refuelled and rearmed." The three Spitfires are ready to take off again The armament o responsible for this work is a specialist in hi job. He has taken an exhaustive course at an Air Armament School The armourer's job, and the job of pass through a rigorous course. One slip by an armoured might cause the death of a pilot and aircraft crew The armourer's job. and the job of the armament officer, dates back to the Retreat from Mons of 1914 for it was during that episode of the last Great War that the Royal Flying Corps first discovered the need for competent armament officers
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.