BATTLE FROM ABOVE.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 July 1918, Page 6

BATTLE FROM ABOVE.

X the AIRMAN’S VIEW.

(By a Pilot.) In July last year I saw for the first tfme a “push” from the air. I have seen many since, but it is the memory “1 of that first impression of the awe--inspiring splendour of the crashing to- - gether of mighty armies of Greater Britain and Germany which lingers - - most vividly in my mind. ash i had been through the Somme cami- paign as an infantry man, hut an in-

fantryman sees only the shell-tom

t & ground in his immediate neighbdur- - hood .knows only the forces of the furies surrounding him, and is ohliv--fiiious to happenings beyond his very -limited vision. It is the airman who ‘.dean see the whole battle in reasonable perspective, and realise to a greater degree the power of its united fury. *•- Clouds were low. There was no glimpse of sunshine to lighten the battle field, which someames I had seen looking peaceful as a quiet English countryside,"to he recognised as a battlefield only by the brown stretches of shelled areas winding from —north to south like some great unnat—liral desert in the midst Of a smiling, Verdant country. On that dull morning it looked dark, sullen and angry. -ao p> ar away in the distance, in the half light of early day, I could see, as we rose from the aerodrome, tiny pinpoints of light flashing out of the gloom like the twinkling lights of some huge straggling town stretching miles away to thenorth and south. We flew eastwards, approaching the battle area. The whole earth seemed 0 to be on fire. It was as if some strange and mighty volcanic action had suddenly burst forth in full fury. Flame ' .belched from the mouths of great gaping guns, s6me"sidden, others full out in the open, all defying the Hun at- ‘ "tempt to silence them. - We looked down upon this hell, our machine rocking and swaying in the concussion-torn air, I wondered if we should ever fly through such massed artillery fire. It seemed sb impossible to follow a path through those seemingly countless batteries. The great roar of the battle, pierced frequently by the bellow of a gjun firing immediately beneath us, rose far above what previously had been the deafening roar of our engine. We dived down well below a' thotrr. and feet and entered the tunnel of shells. It was hard to realise the presence of a roof of steel above us. I could not see'.the shells, except an ( occasional one which happened to be travelling in my line of sight. Below us were now clearly visible parties of our men moving up to the front. Great columns of brown earth heaved upwards as huge German “crumps’ ’hurst, and yet on and on they moved, apparently immune from the, erratic fire. Ahead the creeping barrage, clearly marked by a broad, belt of flashing shell bursts and an overhanging pall of grey smoke moving slowly and sullenly across the German lines, marked the limit of our easterly flight. • < ‘ We turned north and flew along our advanced lines. The ground seemed a smouldering, shapeless, shell-torn mass. The heavy smoke pall was pierced by rockets, green, red, and White, sometimes single and sometimes breaking into showers of flickering lights. Here, one behind our objective showed our men to have been held up by enemy machine-guns which had escaped the sweeping fire of our barrage; there, one far ahead showed a point where resistance had been less strong. The whole distorted line was a swaying uncertain thing until definite points could be reache:: and'held. Far over to the east dark woods belched fire from enemy guns, and great smoke clouds hung in the air where our gunners neutralised their fire. The whole country was smoke and fire.

We completed our task and returned to the aerodrome to rest with a ms. chine plentifully sprinkled with German machinc-gun bullets. The infantry held the line, I .have yet to meet the Flying Corps man who does not place in honour their work before Ills own.- ■' ■ : - ;r -'

CHARGES OF DISLOYALTY.

SYDNEY LABOUR LEADER

“bTOP THE WAR” SPEECHES,

On three charges of alleged disloyal-; ity, Ernest Edward Judd, one of the leaders of the extremist section of the Labour Council, was committed for trial on July 1, at Central Summons Court, Sydney, by Mr Clarke S.M. The informations were laid under the War Precautions Act and Regulations. Mr R_ Bathgate, instructed by the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor, appeared for the prosecution; Mr. A. C. Roberts for the defence. ; i) ■■ - - A j

The first charge was that accused, on May 16 last, made statements- conducive to disloyalty in an amendihent moved by him at a meeting of the Labour Council. The amendment i in question, inter alia, opposed prolongation of the war; demanded that tile allied governments should immediately initiate negotiations for peace; criticised the attitude of the allied governments towards Ireland and Russia, and their motives in continuing the war; opposed conscription, and urged labour to refuse to take part in any recruiting campaign. ...

Charles Arthur Lee and Edward Dow■j ney, of the literary staffs of the Daily Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald respectively, who were subpoenaed by the Crown, gave evidence as to the proceedings lat the Trades Hall on May 16. ; Jull, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial at tho next Quarter Sessions commencing on August I Bail was allowed,"self in £2OO and two sureties in £IOO, or one of £2OO. Accused was then charged with having made a statement prejudieal to recruiting when he said on May 23. :i — “As soon as the Russian working class realised how it was being used by the capitalist class one of the finest things in history occurred. Two regiments jumped out of the trenches and went home.

“Why should the working class . of the world go into shambles like’ an abattoirs in order to see if the English or tho Gorman manufacturer sells the cheapest?

“I. say this: One of the grandest things, the most inspiring things that tell you that if a brother of mine was to see the men on both sides stay their hands and thrOw ; .thpir-flrms down. The slaughter is going on, and it will continue to go on so long as the vultures of the human race can make profit out of it 4-S soon asjfhq; working cldss say it had tb stop ; it’will stop.

“That poem, /Fight On’ . . . I tel lyou that if a brother of mine was herd, and I wad- ih' the-'mud and gas in Flanders, and ho told me to fight

on, I wopld gqt.,leay.e c o %tq,.9Qmp;home and shoot him. v o .i

“I believe that the ruling class ,in Europe were quite willing for a spell of blood-letting in ; order to say e :: themselves. They realised that things .were getting very shaky when the, worlds were enjoying political and industrial rights they had never enjoyed, before,

“I say: Stop. tide. War! ” '' ; • After evidence, had been by Leo Vincent Armati, "of., the literary, staff of the Sun’ and Voltaire Molcsworth, of the literary staff of the. Evening News, 1 Judd agaiii' resferyed. 'his defence, find was 'committed ' for. trial;''bail being alloWed, self in' £IOO, and' two sureties' of £SO each' 'or one of £100; una \i:-vVna o:'a ~

The third chagre was that on June IG Judd-made the following statement likely to prejudice recruiting: “By what I Saved seen all-'these fellows who want so much fight have never sOeii the firing line: Most of the soldiers that I have seen who want so much fight are •men who got no further than Cairo and. Egyptian women.”

Sergeant George B'rown and Constables John Henry Smith and Robinson gave evidence. At the conclusion of the evidence Mr Roberts submitted that a prima facie case had not been made out. The words complained of in the information might at the worst form tho basis of a charge of insulting language addressed to particular individuals

iMr. Clarke, however, committed Judd for trial, bail being allowed, self in £IOO, and two sureties of- £SO each or one of £IOO .