NEW ZEALAND AVIATOR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2733, 30 March 1916, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND AVIATOR

RETURNS FROM MESOPOTAMIA';

Lieut. J. W. H. Scotland, who left New Zealand.a year ago to take up airwork with the British forces, and has been employed for tho greater part of the time, ill Mesopotamia, returned. to Wellington yesterday by the Maitai on six months' furlough, having contracted fever during the operations in the valley of the Euphrates and Tigris'. Lieut. Scotland first-'enteral the service as an aviator under the Indian Government, which at that 'time had charge of the military operations in Mesopotamia, but which had subsequently been taken over by the British War Office, when the Indian lUying Corps had corns under the control .of the Royal Flying Corps. Li Mesopotamia he was striokon with fever, having taken ill whilst flying up the river just'after" the Forces under General Townshend had met with the reverse at Ctesiphon, about 14 inile3 from Bagdad. At that point the British forces were attacked by a force sixtimes its number, and had to retreat about a hundred wiles to Kut-el-Amara, after sustaining heavy casualties. British reinforcements had crowded in sinoe, and the position was much more favourable, particularly, since the Russians had scored so heavily in the Caucasus. '

The worst enemy the British forces had to contend witli in' Mesopotamia was the awful climate, which was in* tolerably hot, and was responsible ktt the great amount of sickness amongst the men. To point the horror of this climate. Lieut. Scotland said that of 35} aviation mechanics who were sent out from England on one occasion, 23 were down within three days from the time they arrived.' For part of the time Lieut. Scotland was engaged in testing and fitting up at Basra. The Firman 'plane was the one favoured at first, but later- a consignment of more modern machines arrived. These had to be fitted up, und afterwards, taken up the river to the base of opera■tions, which was one of Lieut. Scot-* land's duties. From the base they were taken up to the front on steamers. To demonstrate the difficulties, and re* scurcefulness .of the authorities, monii tors were built at town where the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's works were situated, and so shallow was the water at Shat-el-Arab that they were built, with'a draught of only 2ft. Gin.