THREE AIRMEN KILLED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1940, Page 6

THREE AIRMEN KILLED

LOSS OF BAFFIN BOMBER NEAR WAIMAIRI

MACHINE CRASHES INTO SEA AT HIGH SPEED. VALIANT ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 5. Three young airmen of the Royal New Zealand Air Force lost their lives in the sea this morning, when their Baffin bomber, failing to come out of a turn, dived steeply into the surf, a few hundred yards from the shore at Waimairi. Speedy efforts to rescue the crew failed, and at dark only one of the bodies had been recovered. Those killed were:— Flight Lieutenant A. D. Poulton. Aircraftman (First Class) R. Strachan. Aircraftman (First Class) I. Burbank. Airmen, groundsmen and relief workers along the shore were horrified to see the Baffin, when turning at a height, of less than 800 feet, turn its nose down and dive at terriffic speed into the water, obviously out of control. Realising that disaster was unavoidable, airmen on the ground dashed along the beach, stripped and were alongside the sinking aeroplane before it had settled in deep water, but their efforts to find the crew were fruitless, particularly in the choppy surf. Courageous efforts were made by these men and later by beach patrolmen to locate the crew, but it was generally believed that the Baffin hit the sea with such an impact that members of the crew would be either killed instantly or knocked unconscious and so unable to help themselves. The Baffin was one of several, training machines engaged in dropping and picking up messages over the sea and shore and in wireless training. i Flight Lieutenant Poulton was the pilot and had made his last turn at a point just off Spencer Park before returning to Wigram. The plane was only 400 or 500 yards from the shore and struck the sea so close in that even at full tide it was in no more than 12 to 14 feet of water. Persons in the neighbourhood state that they heard a loud explosion at the moment of impact, but the official version of the accident indicates that there was little likelihood of an explosion and that the noise was caused by the terrific force with which the Baffin landed in the surf. MACHINE WRECKED. The aeroplane was very badly damaged. and in a few minutes after the crash hundreds of piecbs of wreckage of all sizes and from various parts of the machine started to drift ashore. It was not long before this debris, pieces of fuselage, fabric and even a substantial part of the undercarriage littered the shore for more than half -a mile, nor was it long before some of the big crowd of people who gathered on the beach were selecting some of the wreckage as souvenirs. The first men to reach the wreck were from the air force, but at the same time more than a mile down the beach toward Waimairi workers employed by the Waimairi County Council had also seen the crash, and they rushed to the scene.

The patrolman at North Beach, Mr A. T. Dalton, accompanied by other members of the North Beach Surf Club, had been advised by a small boy of what had happened, and made for the scene. These men took with, them the Waimairi Surf Club's reel, and the line was taken out to the wreck. A heavy coating of oil on the surface oi the sea hindered these efforts. The life-savers, in nearly 15 feet of water, dived, repeatedly to find the bodies of the men. but the heavy swell, movement of the wrecked machine, and the oil as well as the floating debris, were against them. It was then believed that one of the airmen had been thrown clear, but that his heavy flying clothes would have kept the body below the surface. Though, nothing definite could be discovered, it was presumed that the other two men were pinned in the wreckage, the aeroplane having turned over while sinking. SALVAGE ATTEMPTS. Attempts to salvage the wreck by using the life-line having failed, it was decided to secure a stronger rope. One was brought from a nearby farm, and soon attached to the aeroplane by Mr Dalton, who tied it round the wreckage. Two horses were brought, but were not used for fear of snapping the rope. In the meantime the Sumner life-boat had been communicated with and efforts were also made to secure other assistance from owners of suitable vessels.

First to arrive was the fishing launch Molly, of Lyttelton, in charge of Mr J. Scott. She was fishing off the heads. A signalman climbed down the rocks and gave the alarm and the Molly was quickly taken to the'scene. The Sumner lifeboat arrived soon after and, with swimmers on board, helped materially in efforts at salvage. Later the 40ft launch Seabird, owned by Mr R. Sargent. Riccarton, joined the other two vessels, but though the Seabird stood by for some time such a big boat was not safe so close to the stir! and she was taken away.

Three vessels, however, and another from Lyttelton, which arrived later, made a thorough search for the bodies before returning to harbour. The shore part,? meanwhile had continued attempts to haul the wreckage nearer the shore, but these were abandoned on the decision of the air force authorities till more suitable gear was brought from the Royal Air Force station at Wigram. This included material for floating the wreck-age nearer to the shore, so that an examination could be made. A salvage party left Wigram during the afternoon to undertake that work.

A great deal of praise was given to the beach patrolmen, particularly to Mr Dalton, who took the first line out and was continually in the water in cold conditions for some hours. They did everything humanly possible to find the trapped airmen. Help was also given by the St John Ambulance skill' in providing blankets and coffee for the men in the waler, sumo of whom suffered severely from cold.