Hill 60 Secured for The Empire.
THE YPRES TIMES
in
south; there, coming up fast and heading straight for us, was a huge bunch, the
usual circus of thirty to forty, of enemy machines. We were outnumbered three
to one and at a tremendous disadvantage. Here were we, loaded with bombs,
miles over the lines, the enemy had the advantage of height, a very considerable
strategic advantage in aerial fighting. We were faced with two alternativesI
could signal for all bombs to be dropped just where we were, which meant they
would be wasted, and turn back in an endeavour to climb above our opponents and
then fight; or, I judged we could just reach our objective with our bombs but we
should have to trust to luck in the scrap. I chose the latter course and immediately
dived towards the junction; all the pilots tailed out into single line formation and
came after, we sweeped over the junction and loosed our bombs with deadly effect
just as the enemy came down on us like a cloud of locusts.
Pulling the machine into a terrific climbing turn in order to shake off the
enemy machine that had singled me out, a black camouflaged machine passed
across the gun-sights and instinctively I pressed the gun-triggers and was rewarded
by seeing a burst of smoke issue from his fuselage; No. i was finished. There
was no time for self-congratulation as a sudden tearing sound in my wing told me
that another machine had only just missed a vital part with a well-aimed burst
from his machine guns. For what seemed like hours, but was in reality only a few
minutes, I seemed to be the centre of a whirling mass of crazy stunters, alternately
getting into position on an enemy and being driven off by another, the only
warning being the well-known rattle of machine guns and the tracer bullets
shooting past, far too near to be pleasant. At last, getting clear from the pressing
attentions of any immediate enemy, I was able to sum up the situation. Owing to a
fairly strong west wind we had, in those few minutes, drifted far over the enemy
territory, petrol supplies were bound to be getting low, so I fired the recall signal
from my Very light pistol to draw back the hot-heads who were chasing the now
discomfited enemy still further east.
Upon comparing notes on our return and from reports received from other
sources, we found that not only had we successfully blocked the junction, our
main objective, but had destroyed eight enemy machines. Our own casualties
were, under the circumstances, lightone pilot was killed and one taken
prisoner.
So ended a memorable morning. September 28th will remain unforgettable to
those of us who have survived.
E. S.
Late Flight-Commander, 210 Squadron, R.A.F.
Protection from Vandalism.
The following statement is issued by the Imperial War Graves Commission
Referring to public statements which have recently appeared as to the excavation of old
trenches and dugouts on Hill 60, Sir Fabian Ware (vice-chairman of the Imperial War Graves
Commission) has personally investigated this matter, and is now able to state that the excavations in
question are not taking place on the area of Hill 60, but upon neighbouring land belonging to a
Belgian farmer.
The representative of the Commission has been and is in touch with the farmer, and the
discovery of any bodies will at once be known to that representative
As to Hill 60 itself, the site has now, through the generosity of Mr. J.J. Calder, been secured in its
entirety, and will shortly be transferred to the Imperial War Graves Commission as a gift to the
nations of the Empire. The Commission have authority to take in the meantime, and will shortly
be taking such steps as are necessary to protect the site from vandalism.
By courtesy of The Times."
