he technical skill of
the Navy, and the initiative, energy and dash inseparable from flying.
There were the inevitable accidents, but training had to be done. We
existed for war and war alone would show whether we had thought and
worked without respite aright. We had to prove our value to the other
arms, many of the leaders of which, owing to a long period of peace,
found difficulty in differentiating between the normal usages of peace
and war and in understanding the right use of aircraft. Somehow or other
time was found during 1912, 1913 and 1914 to write to reviews, to
lecture at army and other centres of training, to attend Staff rides,
and to endeavour in every way possible to learn how best to work in with
the army commands and to teach those commands the usefulness and
limitations of aircraft.

As Ruskin wrote:

"Man is the engine whose motive power is the soul and the largest
quantity of work will not be done by this curious engine for pay,
or under pressure, or by the help of any kind of fuel which may be
supplied by the cauldron. It will be done only when the will or
spirit of the creature is brought to its own greatest strength by
its own proper fuel, namely the affection."

I was intensely proud of my command and often thought of the time when,
as I had been promised, I should, in the event of war, command it in the
field. We worked at white heat believing that war was coming soon;
believing that our efforts would have a real effect on the result; and
determined that the new arm should rank second to none among the forces
of the Crown. _Esprit de Corps_ was of vital importance, but as officers
and non-commissioned officers were drawn from every branch and every
regiment of the army this was no easy matter and was only achieved by
the splendid example and precept of such men as Herbert, Becke,
Longcroft, Chinnery and Barrington-Kennett. We selected our motto: "Per
Ardua ad Astra." It was in this atmosphere that the Military Wing grew
in peace. It was in this atmosphere that the soul was formed which later
under the great strain of war impelled our pilots forward cheerfully to
face every duty and every danger in the true spirit of manliness and
fearless confidence.

As in framing the original scheme on paper, so in giving it life it was
our aim to organize the Corps, so that, whatever its future strength, it
would be sound and efficient, and its continuity of growth effected
withou