AVIATOBS' ORDEAL

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 1, 1 July 1935, Page 14

AVIATOBS' ORDEAL

PICKED UP IN CHANNEL

After clinging for four hours to a wing of their aeroplane when it had been forced down into a rough sea, two British airmen were rescued by a French fishing-boat in the English Channel recently just as the machine sank. The airmen were Flight-Lieu-tenant J. B. ,V. Pugli, of Surrey (pilot), and Mr. R. F. Burgess, of Hove, Sussex (wir.elcss operator), says the "Nows-Chronicle."

I News of the accident was received in England when Mr. Burgess sent out i.he SOS of the air—"May day"—giving his height a'o 3000 ft and his position as north-west of Trcport, France. That was the last heas.-d from the machine, and for hours nearly a score of I mail and passenger aeroplanes and a I lifeboat circled the choppy sea in a 'fruitless . seai'ch. Hope .had .almost been given up when news came that the two men had been rescued by the little fishing-boat Aye Maria, and landed at Dieppe.

The sea was rough ami it was with difficulty that the French fishermen succeeded in rescuing the airmen and taking them aboard. They were Only just in time. The unfortunate men

were numbed with the cold . and so exhausted that they '■thought'*.that unless help came quickly they'would not be able to hold on much; longer.' The Aye Maria had^iio. wireless," so that it- was not until .they .reached Dieppe that - their' rescue • was known and the lifeboats and aeroplanes which went to search for them were called back. The machine., a freighter belonging to the Commercial Air Hire Company, of Croydon, was returning empty from Paris. : . Almost immediately the .report was received Captain' Hattor'sley, a. fellowpilot of Captain Pugh, left Croydon in a twin-engined liner and circled the Le Treporl district, both land and sea, for nearly' three hours. Among the other searching ; aircraft were two Imperial Airways machines ; and two French mail, liners.1 ." Flight-Lieutenant Pugh took part in making a British air-endurance i-e----cord of 54 hours 13 minutes with' Mrs. Victor Bruce and Flight-Sergeant W. It. McCleery over Felixstowe. ■ Born in Dublin, in. 1004,. he'served in the Royal Air Force from 1927 to 1932 and was awarded, the Air Force Cios* An aeroplane he was piloting at Llht>» hampton, in 1933, overturned ,and burst into flames as it was landing.' He pulled two women passengers to safety and when the flames were extinguished resumed his .flights. :

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