MacNamara diary, 19 August 1916-29 May 1919 / John Patrick MacNamara - Page 142
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[Page 142]
The distances mostly were short & the weight very high - catch weight over 10 & 11 stone. The main race - Jaffa Cup was a distance of 2 miles.
About 6 pm a Hun came over to have a go at the balloon just behind us. Our anties put up a very heavy barrage round it but he was determined to get it & made 3 attacks on the balloon, the last being successful.
I never expected him to come out of the barrage again as shells were bursting all round & over him & his machine must have been riddled. Twas a miracle almost that he survived the barrage.
3 of our scouts came up as he attacked the balloon the 3rd time & one of them chased him home but could not catch him though he was gaining on him rapidly. The Hun flew very low & landed in a wadi a few miles inside his own lines the machine in all probability crashing. The pilot must have been wounded as the machine was wobbling a good deal going home.