eave the subject of air fighting without giving one or two
more examples. One which comes to mind is that of five British machines
attacking twenty-five of the enemy. One of ours gliding down with its
engine stopped and being attacked by two Germans was saved by another
British one attacking and driving off the two enemy. The result of the
combat was five German machines destroyed and four driven down out of
control, whilst all of ours returned safely. Another example, that of
Barker who, whilst destroying an enemy two-seater, was wounded from
below by another German machine and fell some distance in a spin.
Recovering, he found himself surrounded by fifteen Fokkers, two of which
he attacked indecisively but shot down a third in flames. Whilst doing
this he was again wounded, again fainted, again fell, again recovered
control and again, being attacked by a large formation, shot down an
enemy in flames. A bullet now shattered his left elbow and, fainting a
third time, he fell several thousand feet, where he was again attacked,
and thinking his machine had been set on fire he tried, as he thought in
a final effort, to ram a Fokker, but instead drove it down on fire!
Barker was by this time without the use of both legs and an arm. Diving
to a few thousand feet of the ground he again found his retreat barred
by eight of the enemy, but these he was able to shake off after short
bursts of fire and he returned a few feet above the ground to our lines.

Though at the beginning our machines were rather better than either the
French or German, it was the marked superiority of our pilots which gave
us the greatest advantage. We should have been superior even had the
machines been exchanged.

CO-OPERATION WITH THE NAVY.

We have seen that the functions of co-operation with the Navy--Coast
defence and Fleet assistance--were very complicated, and that at the
outbreak of war the splendid pilots and excellent equipment of the
R.N.A.S. were not so highly organized and were wanting in cohesion, but
that the R.N.A.S. had advanced further than the Royal Flying Corps in
specialized technical development. In the earlier part of the war, in
addition to its main duties, the R.N.A.S. ventured in many directions,
many of them of considerable value to the Army, as, for instance, at
Antwerp.

_Coast Defence, Patrol and Convoy Work._

Immediately war broke out a system of coastal patrols was established
between the Humber and the Thames Es