Item 06: John D. Wilson diary, 17 May-19 September 1917 - Page 87
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[Page 87]
machine gun bullet from the enemy. I never saw so many observers floating in the air in parachoots before. The ballon next our camp escaped & the observers landed about half a mile away. Fritz knows his work, but always takes care not to come over when any fighting planes are about. They subsequent returned but kept high above the clouds.
"The Express" 22/5/17 in a leading article on "the war in the air", says. "The German aviators are afraid to fly over the British lines in France & Flanders" Question?
Just before going to tea our attention was drawn to our baloon by the guns at Steenwerck coming into action & we saw a German aeroplane falling rapidly nose first and twirling round as it fell in a field. Some of our boys ran away to see it, but they had a long way to go & came back in about an hour. It appears that the plane dived out of a cloud to attack our balloon, but dived too suddenly, lost control & before it could right itself, the guns had it, firing only 3 shots, one of the aviators was shot dead, & the other severly wounded. He could speak English, was taken to the Hospital but is not expected to recover. Some of the lads brought back pieces of the plane for souveniers. There was a great crowd around it, happly Fritz did not shell it.
A hit dump was also blown up in the enemy's lines just before the plane fell.