HERO’S IDENTITY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20111, 4 December 1939, Page 6

HERO’S IDENTITY

“NITWITS” AS CLUE PROOF NOT DEFINITE “SCHOOLMASTER” FLYER FLYING-OFFICER'GRAY The use of the term “nitwits” in an interview after he had brought his battered plane home to a safe landing in England has been a clue to the identity of the Gisborne schoolmaster, pilot who was in the news last week. • : - Although it was slender evidence on which to base the assumption that it was their son, Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Gray, Russell street, agree that the expression was a favourite one of Flying-Officer Kenneth Gray, who was-a school teacher before being accepted by the Royal Air Force. They are awaiting mail from their son to learn positive proof. Fabric Stripped From Wings In a cable message from London the two New Zealanders were described as being the heroes of an amazing feat of airmanship after a raid over the north-west of Germany last Monday. Their plane was flying at 2000 ft when there was a blinding yellow flash and a deafening report that resulted in the stripping of large sections of fabric from the wings. The machine went into a dizzy spiral dive and was dropping at an alarming rate before being checked by the pilot, who was quoted as having said later: “Anyhow we would have been nitwits to let her fall into the sea after pulling her out of that drop through space.” An exhaustive search by the Herald staff as to the identity of the unnamed hero has made it possible to divulge the fact that Flying-Officer Gray joined the air force two years ago while a member of the teaching staff of St. George’s School, Wanganui. Mrs. Gray said it would be natural for her son to give his profession as that of a school teacher and name his home town as Gisborne, the place of residence of his parents. That, would be how he was known as a Gisborne school-master. Twin Brother Also in R.A.F. At the time Kenneth, who was 25 years old, enlisted his twin brother, now Pilot-Officer Colin Gray, also made application to be drafted into the air force. Colin, who was in a mercantile house in Napier at the time, failed to pass the medical examination. He was so fired with ambition to follow his twin brother that he went on to a sheepfarm for six months to restore his health and fit himself for the career he intended to follow. About a year ago he was classed as fit and left for England. The two boys rapidly gained promotion, Kenneth being drafted into a bombing squadron and Colin to the fighter section of the service.

Her sons had always shown a keen interest in .aviation and Mrs. Gray said that their first inspiration to fly had followed one of the visits to the Dominion of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Both boys had been on a joy-ride flight with “Smithy” and had been impressed by his skill in handling the Southern Cross.