Heroic Airmen

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 980, 24 May 1930, Page 9

Heroic Airmen

KILLED IN INDIA FIGHTING Pilot Hit By Rifle-Shot MATE FLIES MACHINE AND CRASHES AX example of remarkable heroism is reported from India, where two air force officers were killed, while on a bombing expedition over hostile tribesmen’s areas. When the pilot was killed, control of the plane was taken over by the second officer, who had never previously handled a machine.

United P.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright Reed. 10.5 a.m. DELHI, Friday. The heroism of an Air Force observer is reported from Risalpur. where a plane crashed while returning from bombing hostile frontier tribesmen. Flying-Officer Stroud and Leading Aircraftsman Wiltshire left Risalpur in the evening and dropped bombs on the tribesmen’s stronghold, and swooped down to 600 ft to fire a machine-gun burst on them. Stroud was hit in the neck by a rifle bullet from a Mohmand sniper and slowly died, but before he collapsed he signalled Wiltshire to take over the control.

Wiltshire, who had no knowledge of piloting, took the machine 45 miles home, but when he was alighting at an emergency landing-ground at Risalpur the machine crashed. He was thrown out and injured, and died in the evening. Three trunk telegraph wires between Madras and Calcutta were cut yesterday near Nellore. Close by a notice was posted stating that unless the Press ordinance were repealed within a fortnight rail way lines would be damaged and bombs would be thrown at the patrol. The troops at Sholapur were again stoned, with the result that martial law has been resumed.