NEW AIRFIELDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 August 1940, Page 7

NEW AIRFIELDS

SPRINGING UP IN BRITAIN STREAMS OF EAGER YOUNG PILOTS. PILOT-OFFICER LONG'S CAREER. In a recent issue of the Sydney “Daily Telegraph” a war correspondent had the following reference to the air force in Britain, with special mention of a well known Masterton aviator. Pilot-Officer Frank Long,, son of Mr and Mrs W. H. Long, of Church Street, Masterton: —

New airfields ■ are springing up everywhere in Britain. Streams of eager young pilots are flocking to them New planes are coming forward to make up losses and the withdrawal of planes for overhaul. At one of the largest bomber command airfields I met Pilot-Officer F. H. Long. D.F.C., of Masterton (N.Z.). He is 6ft. 6in., and is the double of Gary Cooper, film actor. Other New Zealand pilots at this field are Flying-Officers Effingham (Wanganui). Mack (Wellington), and Macray (Nelson). All were sound asleep after a raid ever Germany.

Pilot-Officer Long made his firs: flight over Germany on the third day of the war. when he was in a pamphlet raid. Since then he has dropped a lot of more dangerous stuff. He has been in raids on almost every one of the objectives in Germany mentioned in the official communiques: Essen, Hamburg, the Ruhr, Cassel and Borkum.

He has also taken part in flights ovei Poland and Austria, and the blowing up of Italian factories at Turin. One of Long's senior officers told me: “He's been over so often, he ought to be able to speak German.” Long is not eager to speak of his adventures. He admitted that he had had some hot times under fire from German anti-aircraft guns, in the glare of German searchlights.