A GREAT AIRMAN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 254, 15 July 1918, Page 6

A GREAT AIRMAN

CAPTAIN JAMES M'CUDDEN. Captain James M'Cudden, "tho Allies' greatest aviator," r reportetl killed in Franco last week, liad the blood of three generations of Irish ami Scottish soldiering families in his veins. Ho went; out at: an air mechanic with tho original British Expeditionary Forco. In ■ the strass of the German rush through Belgium, Air Mechanic M'Cudden, having liaU some experience in tho air, .was pressed into service at Mons as an observer, and was a member of a small reconnaissance party that gave information of the Hun effort which led to the historic fighting retreat. M'Cudden went all through that stage of the war. Promoted officially to be an obsorvor, no won renown for his handling of the guns in several stiff fights, and in the first year of the war as a non-commissioned officer he was awarded tho Croix do Guerre and the Military Med.il. His pilot—a major, sinco killed—said on muro than one occasion:—"But for M'Cudden we should never have got our machino back safely. He fought with real genius." a

After he became si pilot in charge of a single-seater scout, in which he conti oiled the gun us well as tlio aeroplane, M'Cudden had well over 100 fights nnd sonio wonderful escapes without sustaining a scratch. He hail three duels with Inimelniaun, tlio crack Gorman airnmn. and ou each occasion the fight was broken off before either could claim a decisive advantage. He paid some generous tributes to Immelmann. Jl'Cudden lived lof (lyine;. Ho had 'the reputation of being the quickest sputter of enemy machines.

His,father, Sir. W. H. M'Cudden, long u warrant officer in the Royal Engineer?, was born at Cnrlow, Irelnud—a typica) Irishman whose father anil grandfather had been soldiers before him The yonii" airman's mother, whose maiden name of Byford ho bore, comes of Pcottisli lishtin'jr stock. Both h»r father and grandfather were in the Itoyal Marines.

Captain M.'Cmiden, of the Air Service, was 22 years of ago. He was horn in barracks a 1 Chatham, educated nt the nnnisnn schoo' there, and lived most of l-ic life in barrn4:s. His older brother, hliirht-Hercreant W. T. J. M'Cudden. was killed while Hyi"« a' f!o=nirt in Hay. 1fl!5. He had two other brothers, one of whom, S"onr.rt Lieivtenunt .T. AnHiony M'Cudden, 'R.F.C.. lias already brought down several Gorman machines in France. The youngest wirher of the family, Mnurco Vincent M'C'iidd<m, nwd IG, is' already in the R.F.C., and pining to be a pilot.