he open, and the means of providing a regular supply of fuel, were all
studied and improved.

In another way these manoeuvres, which were witnessed by General Foch,
were a date in the progress of army aviation. No weapon, however good,
can be of much use in the hands of those who have not learned to trust
it. The progress of the aeroplane was so rapid that the education of
commanding officers in its use became a thing of the first importance.
Some of them, even when war broke out, had had but few opportunities of
testing the powers of aeroplanes.

After the manoeuvres No. 3 Squadron returned to Larkhill, to do battle
all the winter with the old difficulties. The officers were accommodated
at an inn called the 'Bustard', about two and a half miles to the west
of the Larkhill sheds; the men were at Bulford camp, three miles to the
east of the sheds. After a time the men were shifted to the cavalry
school at Netheravon, which, though it was a little farther off, gave
better quarters. Meantime a new aerodrome was being made, with sheds
complete, at Netheravon, for the use of the squadron. The winter was
passed in the old exercise of co-operation with the artillery and in new
experiments. At Easter a 'fly past' of aeroplanes took place at a review
of a territorial brigade on Perham Down. General Smith-Dorrien, who
reviewed the troops, took the salute from the aeroplanes. There was a
cross-wind, so that the symmetry of the spectacle was a little marred by
the crab-like motion of the aeroplanes, which had to keep their noses
some points into the wind to allow for drift.

Several officers joined during the winter, and the squadron began to be
better supplied with machines. For the manoeuvres of 1913 it was made up
to war strength both in aeroplanes and transport. These manoeuvres,
however, did not give much opportunity to aeroplanes; the idea was that
four divisions, and with them No. 3 Squadron, should operate against a
skeleton army. The squadron had next to nothing to observe; the other
side had plenty to observe, but could not get full value out of their
skeleton force. The tactics of the air had hardly reached the point at
which a theoretic trial of this kind might have been of value. Yet a
good deal was learnt by the Flying Corps from these manoeuvres. Major
Brooke-Popham drew up a very full report on them, and in the following
winter Lieutenant Barrington-Kennett, under the title 'What I learnt on
Manoeuvres, 1913', br