US Cavalry Scout

The famous Cavalry Scouts of the United States Army first came to the notice of the general public through newspaper accounts of their daring exploits during the raids into Mexico against the bandit forces of Pancho Villa in 1911.

Although lightly armed and poorly protected, the Scouts would dart back and forth across the battlefield harrying enemy troops and targeting the exposed engine blocks at the rear of the slow and bulky Mexican mechanical walkers. The Scouts' cavalier attitude to danger became something of a calling card with recruits expected to display almost foolhardy bravery in battle.

This picture shows one of the earliest models of the Cavalry Scout's "Apache". It's maximum altitude was limited to only two feet above the ground, but it boasted a top speed of nearly 30knots and was highly maneuverable. The Apache was to go on to become a mainstay of the Cavalry Scouts for nearly three decades, although later incarnations bore little resemblance to their bulkier forebears.

Interested readers are invited to view further images of the Apache here.

Antipodean War of Independence

The Australian Territories' unilateral declaration of independence in 1891, closely followed by that of New Zealand, prompted a swift and merciless response from Imperial military forces stationed in the Pacific.

The short-lived rebellion saw the formation of the Republican Defence Force, including the Air Corps. Pictured above is Captain Shaun Heyes at the controls of a "Dingo" fighter aircraft, one of the few that could be cobbled-together from limited supplies by the Sydney Airworks Company in the face of Imperial blockade.

Captain Heyes became the first Australian "ace", downing twelve Imperial aircraft before disappearing over the Pacific. Tales of his exploits were to become an inspirational rallying point for the Australian Insurgency which continued the armed struggle against Imperial rule following the suppression of the rebellion in the Summer of 1892.

With victory in the second Antipodean War, the town of Victoria was renamed "Heyesville" in honour of this legendary flyer.

A rare colour image of the "Dingo" in flight can be viewed here.