Series 01 Part 02: Hughes family correspondence, 3 April 1917-22 September 1918 - Page 133
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[Page 133]
[Note – Pages 132 to 138 are out of order – page 133 should be numbered page 134]
what I want. Not many hours afterwards I noticed a sudden burst of energy among the mechanics. There was much wiping scrubbing & polishing of machines – but it will take many weeks to produce a really smart effect on machines tarnished with the rust & mud & dust of ages! However it is a good start.
But there was a greater surprise in store for me and the following incident made me realise the almost incredible state of the local mind. Having made two attempts to leave the ground on a machine only to be thwarted by a sudden failure of the engine each time, I sent for the sergeant responsible for the engine and told him exactly what I thought about him and his methods. I then examined the engine carefully and found that it was in a most appalling state. I told the sergeant to have the engine taken out of the machine for overhaul and a new one put in. He assured me that he could put it right in a couple of hours and I told him to have a try. Just before
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