Brussels. Later he picked up his position at Ottignies, and soon found
Gembloux, where he could see only a small body of cavalry moving in a
south-easterly direction. After leaving Gembloux he was enveloped in
cloud for some miles, came down to 300 feet over Namur, followed the
Sambre, missed Maubeuge, and landed near Le Cateau, whence he flew back
to the aerodrome at Maubeuge. He had been away from 9.30 a.m. to 12.0
midday. Captain Joubert de la Ferte, whose machine was slower than
Lieutenant Mapplebeck's, attempted to steer by compass through the banks
of cloud, and after two hours of wandering landed at Tournai. He made
inquiries concerning the Belgian army, but nothing was known of them. He
left Tournai at 12.15 p.m., lost his way again, and at 2.0 p.m. landed
at Courtrai. Here he was told by the gendarmerie that the headquarters
of the Belgian flying corps was at Louvain. He left Courtrai at 3.0 p.m.
and passed over Ath, Hal, Braine l'Alleud, Nivelles, returning to
Maubeuge at 5.30 p.m. He reported occasional trains in the main stations
and pickets on the roads to Brussels.

On the 20th Major C. A. H. Longcroft, with Captain U. J. D. Bourke as
observer, reconnoitred as far as Louvain and reported a force of all
arms moving south-west through Tervueren, and another force moving into
Wavre. They also saw an aerodrome just east of Louvain with seven
machines on the ground. Lieutenant E. R. L. Corballis, who, with Captain
G. E. Todd, flew over the area Nivelles-Hal-Enghien, reported that there
was no sign of troops and that all bridges in the area appeared to be
intact. The German flood was spreading but was still some distance away.
On the following day (an important day of enemy movements) the weather
in the morning was too foggy for observation, and in the afternoon was
rainy and misty. Three reconnaissances which were made in the afternoon
showed that the country immediately in front of the British was very
quiet, but in the wood one mile south of Nivelles Lieutenant Corballis
reported a large body of cavalry with some guns and infantry (this was
later identified as the German 9th Cavalry Division), and another body
of infantry moving south on Charleroi. At Pont-a-Celles on the Charleroi
canal, south of Nivelles, three villages were seen to be burning.

On the 22nd there were twelve reconnaissances which revealed the
presence of large bodies of troops moving in the direction of the
British front, and did much to