Farnborough,
At the Royal Aircraft Factory,
In the evening of Thursday
Fifth November,
A terrible Incident occurred.
The factory was staffed
By those undertaking
Development of aircraft.
Mr Busk being one
Of the staff, decided
To take a flight during
The late
afternoon, into dusk.
Standing at the aerodrome,
A colleague observed
His progress - when he saw
A stream of sparks coming
From the rear of the craft.
At this point it was realised
The pilot had shut down
The engine - from about
700 feet, he took a steep
Volplane, to the ground.
With the craft falling swiftly
In this flight, the sparks turned
Quickly to flames - when still
At height the plane fell, tumbling
In a ball of fire crashing,
In the midst of Laffan’s Plain,
A mile or so away.
At once, an ambulance,
Fire extinguisher and
Emergency breakdown car,
Raced out to the plain -
To find, on reaching the spot,
There was nothing
They could do but watch.
The burning machine,
Was impossible to get near,
Until it was almost reduced
To ash – the body of Mr Busk
Being found terribly charred.
A cordon was made about
The scene, by military Police.
The aviator's sad remains,
Taken to Connaught Hospital.
While the debris of the craft,
Was gathered and moved
To the factory, to be examined,
For what had gone wrong.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1914. Airman Burnt to Death. The Daily Telegraph. [online]
6 Nov. p.8. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11208699/Daily-Telegraph-November-6-1914.html
[Accessed: 6 November 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 6 November 2014).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered
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