CHANNEL RESCUE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 April 1943, Page 3

CHANNEL RESCUE

NEW ZEALAND STIRLING CREW. • EXCELLENT ORGANISATION PRAISED. (Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, April 12. A very high opinion is held of the air search and rescue organisation by a crew in the New Zealand Stirling squadron. It sent out a Walrus which picked them up almost immediately after they had made a crash landing in the Channel while returning from bombing Frankfurt. The crew included Flight Sergeant G. K. Samson, Wellington, Sergeants J. Richards, Methven, W. Hardy, Wanganui, and three Canadians. Samson said: “We bombed Frankfurt all right, but were shot up badly while returning, the petrol tanks being holed and the rear turret badly damaged. Our Canadian skipper tried to hang on and reach England, but just as dawn was breaking and the coast was four miles away, he had to make up his mind to ditch the kite. We had sent out a message and we were no sooner in the dinghy than an escort of Spitfires appeared over us to keep off any Huns who might look in. Then in a remarkably short time, the Walrus appeared 7 and landed so near us that the dinghy was capsized by the wash, but that did not worry us. We were soon aboard and flying home. It is certainly an evcellent organisation.”