BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 300, 7 September 1918, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

the the War. Aviation lias placed and is playing so prominent and important a part in tho war that tlio greatest- interest naturally attaches to every detail of tlio airman's , work. A well-written new book on the subject is "Wing-Ad-jutant's" .. "With the Royal Flying Corps in-tho War' (Cassell and Co., per S. and W. Mackay), a collection of tales and sketches, many of which represent the actual experiences of tho author,and his comrades, whilst some few are.more or less imaginative and in lighter vein. All are most readable. Every. phase of aviation is reflected, from the humours and excitements—and dangers—of the training period to the luridly dramatic scenes in which the airman so often takes -part at"the , front. - - The daily-work of an airman is described in detail, and there a.ro interesting chapters on bombing, on photography, and general reconnaissance work. Instances are.quot-ed"'whero-the aeroplane has been successfully used to save life. ■ Thus, the author tells of an Australian trooper who.fell ill of typhoid whilst on duty with .liis troop with a desert column in. Egypt:

His condition was critical, and the medical officer reported .that unleES ho .reached hospital and received treatment within twenty-four-hours .-he had rio hope of the man's life being saved. As the nearest hospital was over 100 miles away, acrossbarren and waterless desert. , it seemed impossible that the man could bo Riven his chance. As it happened, an aeroplane , landed at .the spot to report on certain things seen on a reconnaissance. On hearing the condition of the sick man, the observer volunteered to remain with the desert column, and the pilot arranged to take the sick man as his passenger. The journey -was accomplished safely, the man reached hospital the same evening, and his life wa-B saved. ■

The Salonika, East African, and campaigns are also drawn .iipon for some curious and sensational .experiences. Tho author devotes several chapters to the splendid work of tho K.E.C. on the AVestern front. Especially interesting is his account of the coining of the Fokkers, the peculiar character of their operations,, and tho clever way in which the British airmen quickly perceived and countered their mischievous activities. As illustrating the ingenuity "with which certain British airmen revenged the death of a comrade, burned to death in his machine tfirough a shot from a Fbkkcr having pierced his tank, I (juote the author as follows:— 'the hostile pilot who had brought down tho machine was well known. Lieuteuant ■K— was not his first victim, and his method of attack was always the same tiic, only way possible to a Fokker. JIo Hid in tho clouds awaiting his opportunity every evening at duel;, and often pounced on a lonely machine, preferably ""a that had been winged by the German "Archies," but a scheme was ari singed to catch him. Next day, about the same hour of the evening, three British fighting aeroplanes set out on »atrol, Captain" I)—r- Hying comparatively .low, about 800 feet over the lines, 'while Oaptain L— and 2nd Lieutenant \V— flow at about twice the height, concealed in the clouds some little distance off. but keeping it watchful eye-on Captain J) —. it was. not lons before u Fokker appeared, it hovered about at about 2000 feet over. ! (jß.ptaiu' D—-', but did not venture to Utack. All this time Captain J) — wae being heavily "shelled. It was part of tho scheme for him actually to encourage gunllru and chance being' hit. Every timeho tuVnod towards the Fokker the latter Bhcorcd oil—wounded birds were his prey, not hawks with !plenty\ of fight in them. At last tho > shelling got closer and closer to Captßin D —, and suddenly he pretended to' bo badly hit, stalled hie machine, ! aud commenced, going down in circles, side-slipping <uid stalling from timu to timt. This had the desired effect, and .down shot tho Fokker to hio foe. When hu was about 500 feet above Captain !)—, the latter switched on his. engine and started fighting the Fokiier, who had to pull out of his headlong dive before engaging tho British machine. While tho Fokkor was thus engagod, Captain L— and 2nd Lieutenant W —-, who had watched everything, dived on him from above. The . Fokker ,saw them and realised tho trap laid for him. All three pilots poured in streams of bullets, 2nd Lieutenant \V-—■ lh'ing a drum from 30 yards range, and Captain h —, who was' above, pumping in a drum and a half from 50 yards. Tho Fokker noBC-dived vertically through tho clouds, and crashed in the German linos. Lieutenant It — and his observer were avenged.

But imagine the cool impudence of Captain D—, .waiting over the enemy guns, heavily shelled all the time by the antiaircraft batteries, and giving.the Fokker every chanco to attack the target ho loved. Imagine, at last, the long, steep dive of the Fokker , to. his seemingly wounded , prey, his realisation, too late, of the trap lie was caught in. his attempted escane from the ovenvheliniiin odds, and finally the long, sickening divo to earth of the uncontrolled machine, carrying its dead pilot to a second death. This is war as it iB waged in the air.

"AVing. Adjutant'6 ,5 final chapter deals with the "Future of Aviation," the author, puttjng forward many interesting speculations upon the more or .less- , extended employment of ■ nir machines for postal and other- oivil purposes. . The whole book is most readable and interesting. (N.Z. price, ■Is.). ■■ > \

"The Mud Larks." From.Messrs. Angus and Robertson, Sydney (per Messrs. S. ami W. Maekiiy), comes a very jolly little 'hook', "The Miul'.Larks," by Crosbic Cinrstin, a lieutenant in the Ist Kiu.g Edward's Horse' The author lias evidently seen a lot o'f lighting (luring the war, and has kept both his eyes and ears open to home purpose, not only.in the trenches and the field, but behind the lines, in camps, barracks, hospitals', and wherever tho British soldier is to be fouud. Ho has a keen sense of humour, but in oven the most rollicking of these sketches of Army life in France tore is an underlying vein of appreciation of the sterner, the dramatic, the tragic side of war. Mr. Garstin's sketches are agreeablv free from that rather too palpably deliberate, music-hall "fun" which certain writers on the ivav seem to consider essential to sketches of lifeXat the front. He is genuinely funny, and yet there is no trace of that strident coarseness which other writers have mistakenly imagined is the keynote of realism. His open-ing-sketch, "Ha/mony! Gents," is an amusing description of the weariness of the author and his English (South lintish) comrades with the too persistent affection'for, the pipes of a Scots brigade with, which the Southrons arc temporarily incorporated.' There are some capital character sketches in the book. "Otto" and "The Hiding Master" are specially good, and as for the reader who vfould not quietly clmckle and chortle over the little sketch entitled "The Padre," I would give him up as being hopelessly humourless. "Mud Larks" is commended as quite a notable contribution to tho literature of the war—the lighter side thereof. (Price Ls. (id.). An "Uplift" Book. The sub-titic of a little paper-backed booklet, "Backbone" (Angus and Robertson, per S. and W. Mackay), roads as follows: —"Hints for the Prevention of Jelly-Spine Curvature and Mental Squint. A Straight-Tip Antidote for the Blues, and a Straight-Ahead Sure Curo for Gvouoli," collected from various sources by S. ])e Witt Clougli, to which is added "A Message to Gar-

cia," by the lato Elberfc Hubbard. Tho moral of the book may be expressed in colloquial English as "Buck up." Ono Dr. George P. Butler, "Scholar, Author, Teacher," contributes a preface headed "Don't Bo a Human. Lobster." For the most part the book consists of extracts from the- writings of various , American authors —from Emerson down to James AVhitcomb lliley—all inculcating the virtues , of pluck, perseverance, enthusiasm, and optimism. Many of the extracts—especially those from' latter-clay authors —are written ■ in the great American language—the language of the aphorism concoctors and professional, "iiplifters" of tho Sunday supplements—but here and there one comes across' some, such old stagers in the ranks of the philosophers as Amiel, Thorian, or even Goethe, names which'arc'in somewhat curious juxtaposition to tliose say of William Jennings Bryan, Captain L. W. Billingsley (of Lincoln, Ne.br.), Buster Brown, and the editor of "System" !' it is a curious- collection, (vise and true _ sayings being jostled by the cheap-jack "get on or get out"' philosophy of well-known American'journalistic exponents of the "succeed at any price" persuasion. Samuel Smiles's "Self-Help." translated into American slang, would not be a bad description of the. book. But it is all very amusing. (Price Is; 6d.)