owing to engine trouble, played no effective part in the
manoeuvres, but during her journey from Farnborough to Dunchurch she
maintained wireless communication with Aldershot till she reached
Woodstock, when she called up Dunchurch and kept in communication for
the remainder of the voyage. Captain Lefroy in his report says: 'It
seems probable that H.M. Airships _Delta_ and _Eta_ can exchange
messages with each other when 100 miles apart in the air, which may
prove useful for organization purposes, &c. I received clear signals
from the North Foreland station (and a ship to which she was talking)
when 130 miles N.W. of it, and whilst H.M.A. _Eta_ was cruising
northwards at touring speed.'

Just before the 1913 army manoeuvres, Lieutenant B. T. James, piloting a
B.E. aeroplane, succeeded in receiving wireless signals with the engine
running at full power. To enable him to do this his machine was fitted
with Captain Lefroy's new receiving set in which magneto disturbances
were screened off and the signals strengthened by Brown relays, that is,
microphones invented by Mr. S. G. Brown. In June 1914 Lieutenants D. S.
Lewis and B. T. James flew from Netheravon to Bournemouth each in a B.E.
aeroplane equipped with sending and receiving apparatus; they flew about
ten miles apart, and kept in close communication with each other the
whole way.

Captain Lefroy continued to act as wireless expert to the Royal Flying
Corps up to the outbreak of the war. The work done by him and by
Lieutenant Fitzmaurice was of great value. When the war broke out
wireless sets had been fitted to sixteen seaplanes, as well as to the
two airships _Astra-Torres_ and _Parseval_, which did good service in
patrolling the Channel during the passage of the Expeditionary Force.

The development of wireless telegraphy for the uses of aircraft was
only one small part of the work which had to be arranged and supervised
by the headquarters staff at Farnborough. They had to recruit, organize,
and train the new force. Energy, faith, and self-sacrifice were asked
for, not in vain, from the officers and men who came into the corps. The
headquarters staff was small, but with the help of the officers
commanding the squadrons and the staff of the flying school at Upavon,
they inaugurated a great tradition. There were no precedents. The staff
had first to invent their work, and then to do it. The details of supply
and transport, the ordering of machines from the makers,