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Show VICTORIA CROSS IS AIRED AVIATORS Two Members of Royal Aviation Force Perform Valorous Deeds. LONPON, Wednesday, May 1. The Victoria cross has been awarded to Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Allan Gerrard and Alan Arnet Mc-Leod Mc-Leod of the Royal air force for deeds which eta.nd out, even, among the exploits ex-ploits in this branch of the service. Gerrard, when on an offensive patrol with two others, attacked five enemy airplanes, air-planes, shooting one down in flames. He then attacked an enemy airdrome, engaging en-gaging single-handed some nineteen machines, ma-chines, which either were landing or starting off, and crashed one of them against the airdrome. A large number of machines then attacked Gerrard, but, seeing one of his companions In difficulty, diffi-culty, he "went to his assistance and destroyed de-stroyed a third enemy machine. Fresh enemy machines were rising from the airdrome and he attacked them one after another and only retreated when ordered to do so. Five machines pursued pur-sued him, but he turned, although apparently appar-ently wounded, and repeatedly attacked them until, overwhelmed by numbers, he was driven down. McLeod, while flying at an altitude of 5000 feet, was attacked by eight enemy machines, which dived at him from all directions, firing from their front guns. By skillful maneuvers, he enabled his observer to fire bursts at each machine tn turn, shooting three down. By this time both McLeod and his observer ob-server were wounded and their machine was in flames. McLeod climbed out on the plane, controlling the machine from the side, and by side-slipping steeply he kept the flames confined to one side, thus enabling the observer to keep on firing until the ground was reached. McLeod dragged the observer from the flaming machine and, although again wounded by a bomb, persevered until he had placed his companion in safety, when he fell from exhaustion due to loss of blood. |