BRITISH AIRMAN'S GALLANTRY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3199, 25 September 1917, Page 9

BRITISH AIRMAN'S GALLANTRY

ENGAGES SQUADRON 05,.-TWENTY-TWO.

A thrilling story of the death of Second Lieutenant J. E. it. Young, E.T.C., a daring British airman, m n recent raid, is- told in a 'letter from his officer to the deceased's father. "Ho had absolutely the heart a lion, and wns a very good pilot,' says the officer. " Your son has Deert up on every raid of late, and has always managed to got in contact- with the enemy machines. Tho last raid, .which unfortunately resulted in his death, shows what a. veiy gallant officer we have lost. Almost single-handed ho flow straight into the middle of tho 22 machines, ana both himself and his observer at once opened firo. All the enemy .machines opened fire also, so ho was horribly outnumbered. The volumo of fire to vluch he was subjected was too awful for words. (To give you a rough idea. There were 'Si machines. Each machine had four guns. Each igun was firing about 400 rounds nor minute.) Your son novel hesitated in the slightest. He flew straight o'i until as I should imagine, ho must havo been riddled with bullets. The machine then put its nose right up in the air and fell over, and went spinning down into the sea from 11,000 feet., I -unfortunately had to witness the whole ghastly affair. The machine; sank so quickly that it wan, 1 regret, impossible to eavo your son's body, ho was so badly entangled in the wires, etc. H.M.b. — rushed to the spot as soon as possible, but only arrived in time to pick up your son's observer, who, I regret to state, is also dead. He was wounded six limes, and hafl a double fracture in the skull. I cannot speak too highly of the mag-nificent-behaviour of 'your son; all that I can say is that he was a most'gallant officer, and that I am proud to think that he was in my command.'