February 25, 1915
Dear Sister,
Iāve been busier than the devil lately, but Iāve managed to tear myself away for a bit to pen you this quick note.
First of all I have to tell you that Iāve done it: Iām not only the proud possessor of one Hun scalps ā but two! I really canāt go into detail, but I must say that Iāve well and gotten my ears cropped back for the Good Old Hun, and The Great Observer and I have become quite the team. Say want you want about Haileyberry, but if T.G.O. is any indication, they know how to cultivate marksmen (if not languages ā his Latin is ghastly.)
The missions in which I bagged my āducksā were the usual lot of nonsense, but the Hun has been making more and more of an appearance later, and Iāve been taking care to keep my altitude up and my eyes open. The first was another Avatik bus, which I had the distinct sight of seeing going down in flames after a timely squirt from T.G.O. The other was less spectacular, but I kept my eyes on him all the way down as well ā as did my wingman. Two claims, two confirms!
About claims; there is certainly something dodgy about the whole scheme. I was wingman on my last flight, and by Jove was the weather completely dreadfulā¦ in fact, itās been through no small effort that Iām keeping water drops off this very page! Anyway, as usual, the leader seemed to be more interested in getting soaked than with getting on with the job, so I somehow managed to āloseā him in the weather, and preceded on my own to the front. Donāt worry, Dear Sister, this happens all the time, and as long as there are results, the CO doesnāt mind in the slightest. My plans were simply to drop the feeble lot of bombs my bus can carry somewhere over the Hun lines, then make it back. I certainly wasnāt expecting any Huns to be the airā¦ Iāve observed that their delicate constitutions prevent any manly conduct during foul weather. But, lo and behold! What did I spy above me but not only another dratted Avatik, but one that I recognizedā¦ in fact, it had the same number as the first Hun kite that skipped away from me, described in my previous missive!
Well, I was not to be denied this time. In order to squeeze what little revs I could from my bus, I somewhat randomly dropped my bombs over the front, and the pursuit was on! I wonāt bore you with the details ā just let it be said that it was the usual Dance the Pensioners ā but this time, I clearly espied his propeller stop moving! The T.G.O. had adroitly laid his shots true, and another Hun fell before our gun!
Unfortunately, there was no one else to spot the crash, so my subsequent claim was denied. But nevertheless, I feel the world is in balance now that Iāve brought my first target conclusively back to terra firma, where he belongs!
Well, the lads are all howling that I join them with another round, and who am I to deny them? Iāll be going for now, and, as always, I remain,
Your Loving Brother,
2nd Lt. Lewis Roald Warsham
P.S. Donāt let all that Emily Pankhurst rot go to your head! Whilst I admit that she is indeed a formidable woman with strong qualities, her opinions on the war are insufferably naive. Let those who understand what weāre fighting for make the decisions, and leave it to them!
