DEATH OF PILOT

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21372, 17 March 1941, Page 6

DEATH OF PILOT

DISTINGUISHED RECORD ESCAPE FROM BELGIUM AUCKLAND, Monday Advice has been received in Auckland on the death of Flying-Officer W. H. Hodgson, D.F.C., son ol Mr and Mrs H. Hodgson, Macandrew Road, South Dunedin. Flying-Officer Hodgson had a distinguished record with the Air Force. While on service in Flanders he attracted much attention by his defiance of the demons of bad luck by painting their symbols on his machine. In Belgium he was on patrol with two other fighters when they were all attacked by 50 enemy machines. He was shot down in flames behind the German lines, but managed to obtain civilian clothes, and after hiding lor eight days joined a refugee column. At the end of 12 days FlyingOfficer Hodgson reached the coast and returned to his station. With his squadron he reached Britain, and was kept constantly engaged in helping to beat off the attacking Germans. When official confirmation of the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Flying Officer Hodgson was received at the end of December, it was disclosed that he was the previously unnamed hero of a very gallant episode. In charge of a Hurricane that had caught fire, he refrained from baling out of his blazing machine because he realised that it would crash in a thickly-populated London suburb. He stuck to his machine and by skilful manoeuvring managed to keep the flames away from the fuselage until he had landed it in open country.

It was thought probable that it was for this act that he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Subsequently he had been taking part in engagements in which his squadron of 12 had been called on to break up enemy formations of as many as 300 raiders.