ROYAL NAVAL AIR SERVICE - WINGS OVER GHENT

1915 in the RNAS he flew

When a Zeppelin came into view

In the skies over Ghent

So, in hot pursuit he went

Taking heavy machine gun fire

Warneford quickly climbed higher

To take up position over head

Where soon the sky turned red

Where the bombs he dropped

Saw the Zeppelin stopped

Exploding in a ball of fire

Blowing Warneford up higher

Overturning the attacking plane

Stopping its engine, which wouldn’t start again

So, he had to land on enemy soil

And in the darkness quickly toil

To restart the engines and get on his way

So, he could fight another day

 

Flt Lt Reginald Alexander John Warneford VC

(15 October 1891 – 17 June 1915)