Aleck A. MacKinlay
March 19, 1916

Harrity dropped out of formation with engine trouble so Chris and I flew on alone to the recon area. Ahead we saw two dots in the sky ... Davis and Buckminster clearing our way as usual. But then there were two more dots, Higher and to the right. One pair would be Davis and Buckminster, but we had two mystery visitors that were likely to be German. I turned our BE2 towards the south and we waited and watched from a distance as the two upper aircraft swooped down on the the two lower. Our Bristols were obviously in a fight so i turned back towards them with some idea to assist. We arrived as the fight swirled ever downward and we had another ringside seat from our perch above. Two Fokker monoplanes in tan, each with a Bristol glued to its tail. Our boys were having it all over the Hun fliers. The fight spiraled away to the south but we did not try to follow, as we were over enemy trenches and beginning to attract some flak.

Arrived back at Abeele and reported the fight immediately. Everyone was anxious, waiting for the arrival of Davis and Buckminster, with fear gripping deeper and deeper each minute they did not appear. Finally two Bristols began to circle the field and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Each Captain reported downing their adversary and Buckminster's kill was confirmed later in the day based on a report from a forward observation post. The next morning, Buckminster received word from St. Omer that we is being promoted to Major. Despite my general dislike for the man, I have to admit that he is a good pilot and deserves the promotion.

Last edited by 77_Scout; 03/23/19 12:07 AM.