DEATH OF AUSTRALIAN AIR HERO

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 86, 4 January 1918, Page 3

DEATH OF AUSTRALIAN AIR HERO

FLIGHT-COMMA.\"DER YOUDALE. News lias been received of tiie death. in action of Flight-Coin-mander A. Youdale, 0110 of the foremost of Australia's Hying men. Ono August 20 last, Mr. W. Beach 'l'liomas, the correspondent ot' the London ''Daily Mail" in France, writing of the fighting north-east of Yprcs, in the neighbourhood of Poelcapclle Eoad, said: ''One young pilot Hew right among our barrage and emptied his drums when we were attaching the strong fortress of Au Bon Cite, between Langemarck and Yser Canal." The pilot was none other than FlightCommander Youdale, who know not l'ear. Again, 011 October 6, Mr. Beach Thomas, -writing of the fighting on Zonneheke llidge, along the Broodseinde Road (where the Australians wero engaged in hard fighting), said: "The hero of the day in the. central fighting was an Australian airman. Iu spite of rain and half a gale of wind, lie flow over the German lines for hours, and necessarily flow low. The enemy were both terrified and angered. They fired every explosive engine they possessed—rockets, rifles, machineguns. anti-aircraft and even field guns and heavies. Our man's 'plane was riddled, some of the controls wern shot" away, and'bits of metal lodged in the body of the machine.. It was tossed about by the force of the explosions, and at last, 'bent and battered by the stnnnpet wind,* _ his engine half out of action, he slid down behind our lines, crashing just at the end. He and his observer wore unhurt. They shared some, bruises, and he lnwl a broken nose, but this morning he asked leave to go 011 again."