Crescent Heights High School - Bugle Yearbook (Calgary, Alberta Canada)

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26 THE CRESCENT BUGLE, 1929 ALBERTA SUNSET The sun is sinking in the west, The sky is blushing rose; This is the time that I love best, When day draws to a close. She bathes the stately mountains With red and blue gold haze, Her soul pours forth a fountain Of dancing, shimmering rays. Her fading beams like beacons Radiate the Western skies, And herald,—Welcome! Welcome! As Lady Moon mounts high. With rosy glowing lips She kisses the mountain tips, And on its snowy breast In peace she sinks to rest. Ivy Bentley—XC. SCHOOL PERIODS Sweet maid! I have no song to leave you, No lark could carol in periods like these; No whispered word of consolation greets you. You cannot laugh; You dare not sneeze! Sweet maid,—What periods are these ! ! ! Ivy Bentley—XC. ALL IN A DAY’S WORK The sun came up through the morning mists and presently scat¬ tered them aside, leaving but a few wisps floating about. Soon these disappeared with the increasing heat, and another day began. The hangar doors were drawn back and the men greeted the new day with satisfaction. The past week had been so “beastly” and now all was fine. The pilots awoke with the noise, and rose to find their planes run out into the bright sunshine. Soon a cluster of mechanics were work¬ ing hard on the machines, tightening up loose wires, fixing bolts and going carefully over the motors. While all this was being done, the men who were to go out on the morning patrol were having breakfast. As soon as this was finished,

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3 n M? m n r i a m JESSIE MacPHERSON Grade XIIC.

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THE CRESCENT BUGLE, 1929 27 they too went out to their respective machines and superintended the tuning up that was going on. In half an hour all was ready and the pilots climbed into the cock¬ pits. Carefully they looked over every detail. Had they a full tank? a full supply of “ammo?” a full ration of oil? Yes, everything was O.K. “Contact.” The ten motors broke into a roar. Slowly the planes began to move across the field until they were facing the slight breeze. Then one gathered up speed and took off. Then another and another, and soon all were in the air. Higher and higher they climbed; the squadron leader took his position in the lead and off the whole ten planes sailed in V formation. Farther and farther—until they were mere specks in the rising sun! After half an hour’s flying, the trenches spread out beneath them, mere zig-zag lines on a scar-slashed table. Dozens of small white puffs below told them of a heavy German bombardment that was going on. The Huns were breaking through. Ludendorf was smashing the Allies. Suddenly a cloud of Fokker D-7’s burst upon them from above. Instantly the air was filled with Spads, Fokkers, bullets and the roar of two dozen motors. The fight grew warmer, the German pilots kept pressing; two Fokker Triplanes dived from the sun to aid them. If their troops on the ground were going to break through, they must have command of the air, and these Huns certainly fought as if they meant to have it. The Spads were as determined that they would not, and, in ten minutes seven planes had crashed in flames, four Huns, three Britishers. Again the Germans were reinforced by more machines of the Maltese Cross, and in half an hour there were but three Fokkers and two Spads left. Five minutes more and two Spads and two Fokkers remained. In sixty seconds there was one Spad, with an exhausted pilot. The plane was full of bullet holes, but nothing of importance had been touched. “With our backs to the wall,” his infantry were fighting a losing fight. He must aid them. How? Then an idea struck him. Down he dived. The earth seemed to rush up to meet him with ever-increas¬ ing speed. The roar of his motor almost deafened him. The attack was now spread out before his eyes and pulling back on his stick, he flattened out. His twin Vickers spat fire through the propeller and the German infantrymen went down in heaps. Up the Spad zoomed, looped and then repeated the performance. The attack in that sector wavered. In the face of this new danger it seemed foolhardy to advance. The Huns broke and flattened themselves to the ground. The Tommies cheered their airman with enthusiasm.