GREAT DIFFICULTIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 May 1942, Page 4

GREAT DIFFICULTIES

OVERCOME BY POLICEMEN & SOLDIERS IN BRINGING BACK BODIES FROM MT. RICHMOND. INQUEST OPENED AT NELSON. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.) NELSON, This Day. A remarkable exploit, made difficult by adverse weather and exceedingly rough, mountainous country, flooded rivers, hunger and cold, was completed by the return to Nelson last evening of the police party with the bodies of the victims of the Lockheed ail’ liner crash on Mt. Richmond. “Heroes all,” was the description of the policemen and soldiers concerned given by Sergeant T. Matthews, of the Nelson Police Force, who was in charge of operations. The party left at 6 o’clock yesterday morning to complete the job of bringing the bodies of the victims out of the bush. Among these men were Detective Tripney, Constables Ancell, Bourke and Shea, of Nelson; Constables Bourke and Wilson of Blenheim, and some of the soldiers who had seen the journey right through, at first under Lieutenant Denham and later under Lieutenant Griffiths. Constable Wells had caught a chill and returned on Saturday as also had Mr R. Moore, who suffered a slight leg injury. The final expedition went •up the Timms Valley again to pick up a local guide, Mr T. Fowler and then, the Timms Creek being still rather high, they were forced to walk around the valley skirting the river and arrived in good time at the place vyhere the bodies had been left. Making another forced march, they conveyed the bodies back some considerable distance. Ey this time Sergeant Matthews had arranged for another settler, Mr G. A. Mortimer, to ford the river with a horse and returned to where he had abandoned a dray on Friday. The river was receding quickly, but was still fairly high and fast. Mr Mortimer managed to negotiate the stream and to get back to the dray, three miles upstream. Soon afterwards the parly arrived at the dray with the bodies, which were transported from there in the cart to Mr Fowler’s residence, the river being forded eight times on the way. The house was reached at 1.15 o’clock. A return was made to the base camp at LangleyDale and the party got back to Nelson at 6.15 o’clock last evening. A warm tribute to the men who carried through this task was paid today by Sergeant Matthews. “These men went over the most difficult country you could find,” he said. “There were steep, precipitous cliffs, rugged rock country and big boulders, and for miles they had to cut a way through bush to make a track to carry the bodies through. It was an almost impossible task to bring the bodies down that mountain. The policemen and soldiers of the party stuck to it like heroes.” Having paid a further’ tribute to the grit and tenacity of the young soldiers included in the party, Sergeant Matthews added that it was a very- trying time for everyone. The local settlers gave wonderful assistance in providing .provisions and facilities in every way. An inquest for purposes of identification was opened before the District Coroner, Mr T. E. Maunsell, at the Nelson Public Hospital this morning and was then adjourned.