23 August 1914

RFC pilot Philip Joubert de la Fetre and his observer flew over the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914. His diary recorded that "...we had been told authoritatively in England that if we flew at 3000 feet we were unlikely to be hit by small arms fire and that gunfire was likely to be equally ineffective. We had hardly crossed the battle line at 4000 feet before my machine was hit five times, one shot ringing the bell on my steel seat...in the neighborhood of Tournai, fire from a German column that was moving to turn our position at Mons put a hole in my petrol tank..."