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Upon an initial hostile message Westgate would switch The Look Out on to what was known as "The Fighting Board" by which method he could deliver his signal simultaneously to
Westgate Seaplane Base
Air Station, Manston.
Foreness War Signal Station.
C in C, The Nore.
Admiralty, London.
Whilst stationed at North Foreland Light House Leading Seamen Hughes & Haggard left the crew, the former to take up a commission & the latter to go into "The Ministry of Munitions." Their places were taken by Leading seamen Maple & Ware of the Westgate Look Out Post & Aircraftsman Coles- all splendid workers.
Additional telephones were run from the gallery of the Lighthouse to the North Foreland W/T Station below with whom we worked in the closest harmony & beneficial result & for a period with an AA gun battery nearby commanded by a very zealous officer-Lieutenant Parker Jones.
This latter was a voluntary effort upon our part with the consent of our C.O.
Most fortunately when the great enemy attack came it found this area under the command of Wing Captain H. P. Smythe Osborne R. N. Officer Commanding H. M. Air Station Manston, an officer of outstanding ability & with that greatest of all gifts in war- the ability to get the last ounce out of his men when necessary.
Small wonder then that with such leadership & such opportunity this Look Out Post was quickly recognised as wholly efficient.
All hands obtained their good conduct stripes & rose to the rank of Leading Seamen, whilst Leading Seaman Boucher & the C. P. O. in charge were mentioned in Dispatches in the London Gazette of 1st May 19l8.
17th May 1915 RAID ON RAMSGATE & ST MARGARET'S BAY.
The watches of the l6th May had passed as had the watches of the last four & a half months-an eager searching of the skies seaward with still no enemy viewed.
Movements of moment however had been taking place that afternoon, for three Military Airships had left their sheds in Belgium & taken the air:- LZ 37,38 & 39. At 12 oc midnight The Look Out observed heavy gunfire bearing eastward, followed by flashes in the air.
LZ 38, commanded by Hauptmann Linnarz, was eastward of Ramsgate, poised for the attack, but had at once been met by such fire as our ships could then bring to bear.
In order, apparently, to avoid the fire from the water Linnarz turned his Airship about & made for The Tongue Light Vessel, keeping seaward of the coast line.
Over The Tongue Light Vessel he turned & crossing the coast line at Margate attacked Ramsgate from the rear.
Passing out seaward he made The Gull Light Vessel, crossing the coast line once more at Deal he was short of Dover at 2.25 a.m. turned & heading eastward he bombed Oxney, near St Margaret 's Bay, in passing.
At 3 a.m. LZ 38 was over The North Goodwin Light Vessel & was visible from our Station up to 3.25 a.m. as a somewhat shapeless balloon in the "grey" preceding dawn.
Ten minutes later Flight Sub-Lieutenant R. H. Mulock, who had risen from Westgate in an Avro, was visible making The North Goodwin-would he-could he catch Linnarz & take his toll?
Mulock caught up with him at 2.000 ft-opened fire-when his gun jammed & before he could clear it LZ 38 passed out of sight-crossed the British lines at Armentieres & so home to his Belgian base. Back to his Belgian base but with this lesson learned-that never again would he dare raid so low-&
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