War - Ww1 - Captain Leslie Holden, Australian Flying Corps1st Aif, The Other Red Baron Poem by Paul Warren

Leslie Holden came from East Adelaide a South Australia town
When on 26 May 1915 he enlisted in the 4th Light Horse of the AIF renown
He was a driver when the 4th left for Egypt and the war
Then volunteered for the Australian Flying Corps for flying and adventure for more
Just to get into these flimsy machines was heroic then
When a mistake would mean a crash and the pilot's end

So he flew in the Middle East then to the Western Front
With the AFC he was in the war at its brunt
Gaining his wings he was posted to Australian no 2 squadron in September 1917
On 2 October he was in the Squadron's first combat when a German fighter flew away clean
The Airco DH5 he was flying had limitations against the Germans
So his duties were ground support as his war would demand

On 20 November 1917 at the battle of Cambria hebombed a German trench line
From altitudes as low as 6 metresas they fired at him in their defensive design
He returned to his airfield flying his wrecked plane after the deadly refrain
With every part of it shot full of holes including the petrol tank of his plane
And part of his undercarriage and the elevator control was shot clean away
Taking all his skill as a pilot to land it on the runway

Two days later he repeated the exercise with similar consequences
Showing clear evidence of the danger and of his own good luck in being so offensive
This brace of close calls gained him the nicknames Lucky Les and the Homing Pigeon
He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery and flying precision

He claimed his first aerial victory while No.2 Squadron was still flying DH.5s
Before it began converting to SE 5s in December 1917 in a modernising drive
On 18 February 1918, he shared in one of the unit's first two victories in the S.E.5
As a German flying an Albatros went down in a spin and dive
He claimed another three aircraft shot down over the following month
That gave him a total of five victories in his ace fighter pilot crunch
Some battles took place during the German Spring Offensivedaring his warrior's chance
When all available Allied aircraft were thrown into battle to stem the German advance

Royal Air Force policy required pilots to be rotated to home establishment
So for rest and instructional duties to Blighty he was sent
Promoted to captain in March 1918, Holden was posted to England as a flying instructor
Introducing and training new pilots in the deadly air war

It was during this time he was awarded the Air Force Cross
That was promulgated on 3 June 1919, as his skill as an instructor was not lost
During his instruction with the new pilots he has some near misses in the air
Wanting to be sure these men could see him and take care
With this in mind he painted his aeroplane red
Becoming another Red Baron flying for the Allies instead.

© Paul Warren Poetry