BACK IN LONDON

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 17, 15 October 1943, Page 6

BACK IN LONDON

N.Z. Pilot Who Dropped Leaflets On Rome (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) (Received October 14, 7 p.m.) LONDON. October 13. The New Zealander who took part in the leaflet raid warning Rome it was going to be bombed has now returned to England. He received the D.F.M. from His Majesty at a recent investiture just a year after winning the decoration. He was Flight Lieutenant P. H. otewavc, AVhakatane, who has carried out b* operations —26 from England over Germany and 38 in the Middle East. - Stewart said: "It was clear moonlight when we were over Rome and we could see the Vatican tittup brilliantly, fie dropped leaflets and then earned on and bombed Lido di Roma, the aeroplane base at the mouth of the. Tiber, from 2000 ft. Stewart, whose captain was I'ligb. Lieutenant T. O. Allen, Auckland, was iu eight raids on Pantelleria and also bombed Sicily, Sardinia, Salerno and Naples. He was awarded the D.i! .Al. iu October, 1942. He was observer in a .AVellingtou which bombed the Pnnz Eugen when it made its Channel dasii with the Scharnhorst and the Gnciseuau. On February 12,1942, he was commended “for admirable conduct” iu giving firstaid to a wounded pilot during a raid ° n p?k> e t S Officers AV. L. Harvey, AVedderbifrn, B. A. Gumblcy, Hastings, and I-A-Blaikie, Napier, also received D.l'.si. s from His Majesty at the same investiture. Harvey did 30 operations m a Stirling captained by Flight Lieutenant L. J. Drummond, D.F.C., Auckland. _ Gumblcy also took part in 30 operations in a Lancaster, including three raids on Berlin and also raids on Genoa, Turin and Spezia. _________