NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN

Southland Times, Issue 24879, 20 October 1942, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN

Squadron On Daylight Work (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, October 18. The High Commissioner (Mr W. J. Jordan), the New Zealand Air Secretary (Mr T. A. Barrow), and Commodore L. M. Isitt, liaison officer in London, accompanied by Dr J. Garfield Stewart, of Auckland, who is senior medical officer for the famous No. 11 Group of Fighter Command, visited a squadron of former Hurricane night fighters, which recently moved to a new station and is now flying the latest type of fighter on daylight patrols. The visitors went to the dispersal huts and saw the pilots returning from uneventful south coast patrols. They stood chatting in the sunshine, and learned that the squadron had participated in last week’s big fighter-bomber sweep, when the Americans claimed over 40 Germans. The New Zealanders’ role was to carry out a diversion sweep over Le Havre. The visitors heard from Pilot Officer G. G. Thomas and Sergeant K. Taylor Cannon how they recently sighted two Focke-Wulfs 109’s while on patrol. One Focke-Wulf had just dropped a bomb in a sneak raid when the New Zealanders appeared. There was a low cloud base, for which the Germans made off, but Pilot Officer Thomas opened up fire at 800 yards range, closing to 400 yards before the enemy entered the clouds. The squadron’s pilots at present include Squadron Leader C. L. C. Roberts, Flight-Lieutenants J. G. Clouston and H. N. Sweetman, Pilot Officers A. E. Umbers, V. C. Fittall, A. H. Smith, L. V. Weir, I. D. Waddy, R. J. Dall and J. H. McCaw, Warrant Officer J. G. Wilson, Flight-Sergeants J. Pearse, W. B. Tyerman, C. N. Gall, F. Murphy and N. E. Preston, Sergeants B. Fitzgibbon, A. H. James, R. Walker, D. S. Clark, M. O. Jorgensen, W. K. Mawson, R. W. Penny, I. B. Matheson, D. Macalister and D. Bennett, and the following ground crew: Corporals R. K. Bartlett, N. S. Parkers, D. Ramsay, Leading Aircraftmen M. J. Hallett and MacKinnon and Aircraftman G. Goward.