w any signs of fighting other than from the air. What we saw during
the advance confirmed our impressions from the air as to the
unspeakableness of the Hun in his methods of dealing with the civilian
population. I saw half a dozen villages on fire during the first day of
the battle, twenty miles west of Mons, where by no possible means could
there have been any armed resistance to the passage of the Huns. It was
simply frightfulness on the part of the Uhlans, and what we saw later on
the ground at Pezarches, Coulommiers, and La Fere was a clear indication
of wilful and unnecessary destruction of private property. The sight of
a draper's shop with every window smashed, every shelf emptied, and the
contents thrown into the street was quite a common one.'

Major F. G. Small says, speaking of the 27th of August: 'The retreat
continued to Compiegne Forest, Huns pressing our troops all the while.
On returning from late reconnaissances in the dusk, it was most
interesting to watch the local fighting in the roads between their
vanguards and our rearguards. The spreading of fires all over the
country around Compiegne Forest was a more curious sight than even the
later trench offensive, the fires spreading like long flaming worms
along the main road, as the Huns fired each village they went through.
The northern portion of Compiegne Forest was blazing at this date.'

The speed of the retreat caused some embarrassments. On the 31st of
August, while the Flying Corps occupied Senlis racecourse, two officers,
belonging to Nos. 4 and 5 Squadrons, motored to Paris to get some
aircraft spares, and returning in the evening found the Germans in
occupation. In the dusk they were mistaken for German officers and drove
their car right up to the cottages which a few hours earlier had been
the headquarters of the Flying Corps. Aviation teaches quick resource;
the officers managed to escape.

The pilots were not down-hearted. At Compiegne, where they were billeted
in a school, Major Baring records that they were in tearing spirits.
Besides their main duty of observation from the air, they rendered other
occasional services. 'The usual orders on the retreat', says Wing
Commander L. A. Strange, 'were dawn reconnaissances, dropping
hand-grenades and petrol bombs on the enemy, and when it was impossible
to notify pilots of the next aerodrome, the orders were to fly
approximately twenty miles south and look out for the remainder of the
machines on