We came in for lots of other special work, s
uch as escorting our own bombers, low strafing, and a little bombing on our own account, for our Camels could carry four 20-lb. Bombs.
A certain relationship of humanity existed between the Germans and ourselves which was, as far as I could
ascertain, peculiar to the flying services. On 4 September 1917, Jerry dropped a message almost on the aerodrome at St. Eloi, which was typewritten and read:
"To the British Flying corps.
The Squadron of the part of Vimy is politely begged to give news of the observer and of the pilots, who are landed near Willerval the 5th August. Are they dead or not.
Thanking before,
The German Flying Corps.”
This is an exact copy of the message, and on the back was written in ink some details of English pilots who had been captured or killed on their side.
No. 16 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was our immediate neighbour. It was commanded by Major Portal who afterwards became Chief of the Air Staff, and is now Viscount 
Portal of Hungerford, K.C., G.C.B, O.M., D.S.O., M.C., and a Marshal of the R.A.F. In a letter to me dated 15 October 1947, he wrote: “I well remember your Squadron being neighbours of mine in 1917/18 and looking after our R.E.8s very well. I enjoyed that war much more than this last one.”
Naval Eight had quite a spell of balloon strafing. The business started on September 27 when a D.F.W. shot down one of ours. Flight Commander Booker was in the vicinity at the time and joining company with an R.F.C. Nieuport, they shot the enemy machine down in our lines. The next move was to retaliate by bagging a German balloon.
Balloons were tricky targets, invariably being guarded by very alert anti-aircraft gunners. But it galled our chaps to see them hanging in the sky with their observers minutely mapping out our lines. In retaliation for the loss of our balloon, another of my Flight Commanders, Munday, decided to even the honours in an unusual way - attack it by night.
