KIWI PILOTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 31 August 1942, Page 2

KIWI PILOTS

PART IN EGYPTIAN BATTLE VARIED EXPERIENCES MET WITH (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) W e stern Desert, Aug. 28. New Zealand fighter pilots are flying with men of the Empire in the R.A.F.’s -battle against the Luftwaffe over Egypt. Day and night they are over the Western Desert flying Hurricanes, Spitfires and Kittyhawks in sweeps, bomber escorts and dive-bomb-ing raids. No New Zealand squadrons are operating in the Middle East but in almost every R.A.F. fighter and divebomber squadron there is at least one Kiwi pilot. Their flying experience varies as widely as their civil occupations. Some are sheepfarmers who left back country runs to fight in the battle of Britain. Others came from city offices and warehouses. They were trained under the Empire scheme in Canada and England, and have been posted to the Middle East for their first operational flights. A few have won “gongs,” as pilots call their flying crosses and medals, and many are waiting to get the first German plane in their sights.

During a lull on the El Alamein front I have spoken to several of these New Zealand pilots who fly from the dusty patches in the desert that' are the R.A.F.’s advanced landing grounds. They are all keen to be operating over a land battle in which New Zealanders are taking part. Their attitude is the same as the men of the division. They hate inactivity. “As soon as we get this job over the sooner we will be able to get out and tackle the Japanese,” they say. One of the most experienced New Zealand pilots now flying in the desert is Flight Lieut. Victor Verity, D.F.C., Timaru, a farmer who was with the fighter squadrons in France and in the Battle of Britain. He has been posted missing twice, once during the evacuation of Dunkirk, but he returned across the Channel on both occasions. A night-fighter pilot of long experience, he is now attached to a Hurricane squadron which searches for German night bombers over Egypt. Warrant Officer E. L. Joyce, D.F.M., of Hamilton, who has shot down three Junkers 88’s at night, is in the sarm> squadron. Four New Zealanders trained under the Empire scheme are now flying Kittybombers in the famous Shark Squadron. They are Sergeant Pilots T H. Morrison, Auckland. H. G. E. Thomas, Masterton, R. H. Newton. Wellington, and C. Young, Bulls. Earlier in this campaign their squadron made as many as six bombing and strafing raids a day, many of them over the New Zealand sector of the front line. Morrison, Thomas and Young trained in Canada last and Newton went directly to England from New Zealand last August. Pilot Officer J. S. Hepburn, MidCanterbury, and Sergeant Pilot K. G. Allington, Hastings, are the only New Zealanders in Hurricane squadrons at oresent on day operations over the desert. Allington flew Spitfires from stations on the south coast of England and in the Orkney Islands before he came to the Middle East in time for the hectic day of withdrawal from Libya. In twelve dr;*s he flew from 11 landing grounds.

“CAT'S EYES” JOYCE (Rec. 10.0 a.m.) Rugby, Aug. 30. Known throughout the Western Desert as “the man with cat’s eyes,” Warrant Officer Joyce, destroyed a Junkers 88 on the night of 29th August. His total is thus brought to eight enemy aircraft destroyed—four at night.— 8.0. W.