CANADIAN WEATHER IN TEXAS.
TOWED TARGET FOR AERIAL GUNNERY.
EVERMAN, TEXAS.
PORTION OF HICKS, TEXAS.
Commencing early in July, 1917, the brigade received for training from the U.S.S.C., about 1,400 enlisted men and cadets. A colonel of the Signal Corps describes them as under-officered, unorganized, unpaid, without records, and though one hesitates—practically without uniforms. The immediate result for the R.F.C. was administrative chaos, but, in due course, matters were smoothed out, and when they returned south in the fall, they were already assuming a semblance of entity as United States Aero Squadrons.
On September 24th, 1917, the advance party left for Texas, composed of 4 U.S. officers and 50 men and 4 R.F.C. officers and 34 men, constituting a wing headquarters and a fatigue party, who, arriving in Fort Worth on September 26th, immediately proceeded to their headquarters in that city. They found there were three fields located north, south and west of Fort Worth, named, locally, Hicks, Benbrook and Everman, but grouped under the Signal Corps title of Camp Taliaferro, Fields Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Construction had been delayed through various causes. Barracks and aerodromes were incomplete. At one field building had been barely started. Water and light supply and sewage disposal had not been finished. Thus, although every effort was made to complete construction, it was nearly three months before this was accomplished, entailing much delay, inconvenience and some hardship on the squadrons occupying camps and quarters not ready for them.
The first to arrive from Canada was the 17th Aero Squadron, U.S.S.C., which marched in to Hicks Field on October 17th. From that time on one squadron arrived weekly until November 17th when the 42nd and 43rd Wings R.F.C. and the balance of the Americans detrained, preceded only by a few days by advanced headquarters staff.
There were now in Texas two R.F.C. Wings, the 42nd at Everman and 43rd at Benbrook, the 17th, 22nd, 27th, 28th Aero Squadrons and the School of Aerial Gunnery at Hicks, advanced headquarters, R.F.C., headquarters U.S.S.C., Camp Taliaferro and the purchasing section of the I.M.B. in Fort Worth.