ABSTRACT
Sykes' enthusiasm to engage the enemy matched his belief in the offensive doctrine. He knew that Britain's air service was outnumbered yet he was convinced that the R F C ' s superior organization and efficiency would provide a counterbalance. He wrote to his sister that the war he had expected for years had arrived and reminded her that he was an experienced soldier who knew the war would mean death and destruction - something excited civilians did not appreciate. He was content, however, with the government 's decision to fight and confident that the struggle would be quick.1 As for the R F C , he said that the most difficult time of peacetime preparation was over. It would be easier during the glamor of war.2
