PILOT'S FATE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 170, 21 July 1941, Page 5

PILOT'S FATE

"JUST BAD LUCK" —— 7 N.Z. FIGHTER SQUADRON (0.C.) LONDON, June 30. "It was just bad luck. Poor old Bullen didn't" know what had hit him. . . Thus Sergeant-Pilot Griffith, of the New Zealand Fighter Squadron, described the shooting down of Sergeant-Pilot Ft. J. Bullen, of New Plymouth, the first pilot of the squadron to be lost in an offensive action. Bullen, nicknamed (at 30 years) "the oldest inhabitant," was shot down by a Messerschmitt which dived out of the sun when the New Zealanders were engaged on their first daylight patrol over a:i enemy-occupied coast, waiting to cover the withdrawal of a bombing squadron on one of the recent sweeps over enerni"-occupied territory. The squadron was patrolling in formation, and anti-aircraft ••flak" was bursting about them when the Messerschmitt flashed down at about 400 m.p.h. across the top of the squadron, firing tracer bullets in a continuous burst as he came. He was wne too quickly towards the coa.-t for any of the New Zealand-manned Spitfires to get him—a:.u he l-'U Bullen. Sergeant-Pilot Thomas, who r<.» a few of the shots in hi> own n aetitr'*, saw Bullen go down in a .-p.n with smoke pouring from his Sj> f.re. Two other members of the squadron, Brinsden ard Sweetman. loifow«d him down. "They ju-t saw a gr»-fin-ish patch in the water." it was stated, "and. ihoueh they .lev round for a bit, that wa- ali th'-y could see." Bullen wa- *he sir n - sc-nnd ea-uait- . Svp.-eui.t-i:•! 1 • Han. . n •- ; : iu v.. «. c. Uelt-u'.vc* a'.'.ion.