nt
second or two and fly "cabre"; I can see Hubert now anxiously forcing
his front elevator downwards and shouting to me to lean forward in order
to help to bring the nose to a more comfortable bearing!

Many pages could be filled with the difficulties and exploits of the
first British aviators, but enough has been said to show that, compared
with that of aeroplanes in France and of airships in Germany,
development in this country started late, progressed slowly and excited
little public interest. The work of the pioneers was, however, not in
vain, since it opened the eyes of our military authorities to the value
of aviation and led to the formation of that small but highly efficient
flying corps which during the war expanded into an organization without
rival. Let us now turn to the inception of the air forces of the Crown
and the position with regard to these and to air tactics at the outbreak
of war.

THE INCEPTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF AIRCRAFT AS PART OF THE FORCES OF THE
CROWN.

Nations have tended to regard flight as a prerogative of war. A balloon
school was formed in the early days of the French revolutionary wars;
the French victory at Fleurus in 1794 was ascribed to balloon
reconnaissance; balloons were used by the Federal Army in the American
Civil War, and during the Siege of Paris Gambetta effected his escape by
balloon in 1871.

_The Balloon Factory._

In England experiments were begun at Woolwich Arsenal in 1878, and in
1883 a Balloon Factory, a Depot and a School of Instruction were
established at Chatham. The expedition to Bechuanaland in 1884, under
the command of Sir Charles Warren, was accompanied by a detachment of
three balloons, and the following year balloons co-operated with the
Sudan Expeditionary Force, when Major Elsdale carried out some
photographic experiments from the air.

In 1890 a balloon section was introduced into the Army as a unit of the
Royal Engineers, and not long afterwards, the Balloon Factory was
established at South Farnborough, where in 1912 it was transformed into
the Royal Aircraft Factory. Four balloon sections took part in the South
African War and were used during the Siege of Ladysmith, at
Magersfontein and Paardeburg. Colonel Lynch, who served in the Boer
Army, stated at a lecture delivered in Paris after the war that "the
Boers took a dislike to balloons. All other instruments of war were at
their command; they had artillery superior for the most part to, a