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Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 December 1941, Page 5

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IN DESERT ENCOUNTER BRITISH SOLDIER’S FEAT. ESCAPE FROM ENEMY PARTY. (British Official -Wireless.) RUGBY, November 30. A Royal Air Force corporal from Yorkshire shot a German officer with his revolver and escaped from eight Germans who were within 15 yards. He has just returned to his squadron bringing back a bullet-riddled lorry, its injured driver and 200 gallons of precious water. The corporal, with the driver, had been sent to a source 20 miles away to fetch the water. He left the advance landing-ground from which his squadron was operating at 11 a.m., and he returned with the load nearly five hours later. During his absence a quickly-moving tank battle approached the area, and the squadron changed quarters. In one of four cars on a high ridge someone was standing up and beckon-; ing. With no thought of danger, he turned the truck in that direction, and had approached to within 15 yards before he realised that the cars belonged to the enemy. They were small armoured trucks, with two men in each. A German officer stood in the nearest vehicle, and the corporal could see details of the uniform, a revolverholster and a cap with prominent buttons and the badge of the African Corps. An order was shouted in German and the officer turned to a soldier’ by his side and reached for his tommygun. The corporal saw the move and he drew his revolver and fired twice in the officer’s face. Before the startled Germans realised what had happened the R.A.F. lorry had swung round and rattled away in a cloud of du?t, but fire from tommy-guns cracked into the side of the vehicle during a three-mile pursuit.