LIFE ON LAMPEDUSA

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 57, 4 September 1943, Page 7

LIFE ON LAMPEDUSA

N.Z. AIRMEN'S IMPRESSIONS

(Special P.A. Corrcsponccnt.)

LONDON, September 2. "Lampedusa is a dreary place, and we were not sorry to leave," said Flight Sergeants W. Type, of Wanganui, and D. Jackson, of Cheviot,. who have returned to England. "We were there for a month with Flight Lieutenant D. F. Watson, of Thames, Flight Sergeants J. S. Prentice, R. C. Shorthouse, R. Hayward, and W. H. Carter, of Auckland, and C. McDonald and R. Cammock, of Christchurch. We arrived a week before the Sicilian campaign began. "Our job was patrolling in fourcannon Hurricanes over convoys. There were many big convoys. One was 40 miles long and it took ten minutes to fly from end to end of it. It was a magnificent sight to see the ships of the fleet against the blue waters lit up by the sun. We never saw any Axis aircraft.

"At Lampedusa we \ lived under canvas in a small bay. About the only [bright spot in our lives was the fact that the beach was only fifty yards distant, so we had many good swims, but the food was poor. Most of us had mild dysentery, and while we could get a few, small thick-skinned tomatoes, we did not eat any grapes in case they made the dysentery worse. We found the islanders friendly, specially when they discovered that the Italian garrison had been removed »and they were allowed to return to their normal occupations." Previously the squadron was stationed at Philippeville, in Algeria, where it carried out patrols over convoys as far as Bone and AlgieVs. Fight Sergeants Jackson and Cammock (who has also returned to England) were among five pilots who attacked and shot down four Italian torpedo-bombers which were preparing to attack a convoy. '