“AND SO HOME”
BRITISH PILOT’S ADVENTURE SHOT DOWN BEHIND ENEMY LINES. CHEWING GUM AS REPAIR MATERIAL. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.45 a.m.) RUGBY, May 27. A story has been told of how a British pilot, shot down over enemy territory, was able to make his way back to his base. Over East Belgium in the early days of the German push, a flight-lieutenant was returning after engaging enemy bombers. Fie was attacked by air fighters, but managed to get away, but his engine had been holed and it became evident that he would not be able to reach home. He landed in a field, and with the help of peasants working nearby, pulled branches to cover the aircraft. He had just time to hide in a ditch when German bombers came over. “I thought they had spotted my aircraft for certain,” said the pilot. “They kept cruising around for about 10 minutes, coming quite low, and all the time I expected them to open up with machine-gun fire, but the camouflage must have been quite good, for they finally flew away.” The pilot dodged from the ditch, examined the plane’s engine and found two small holes, but the aircraft otherwise was undamaged. Walking to the nearest town he obtained a motor-car and petrol and oil from a garage and persuaded several men to act as bearers. He bought a packet of chewing gum at a grocers. The airman continued his story thus: “I chewed the gum a bit. to get' it tacky, then plugged the holes. It set very well. I got petrol and oil. put them in and then took off and so home.”
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 May 1940, Page 5
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277“AND SO HOME” Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 May 1940, Page 5
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