WWI Gamesmanship

Aircraft were a  rarity in the battle arena in 1914, all soldiers on the ground tending to have a go at shooting it down with their rifles. Most attempts were in vain.....
In August of that year, a B.E.F. column was marching towards Mons when a German plane overflew, Immediately, everyone began firing at it. Eventually, puffs of smoke were seen coming from the plane and it was brought crashing to the ground. Everyone was cheering their success when a French territorial soldier in a tattered uniform emerged from behind a hedge, wiping his long rifle in a business-like fashion. As he passed the jubilant soldiers, he was heard to say, "Not a bad shot, eh?"