D.F.M. WINNER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 188, 11 August 1941, Page 6

D.F.M. WINNER

SGT.-PILOT GRANT

AUCKLANDER'S SUCCESS

Sergeant-Pilot Reginald Joseph Cowan Grant, who has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, according to official advice from London, is a son of Mr. W. E. Grant, proprietor of the Ponsonby Club Hotel. Aged 27, ne was born in Auckland and educated at the Mount Albert Grammar School. He was well known in sporting circles in the city. In view of the short time he has been overseas, Sergeant-Pilot Grant s record is a formidable one. He left for England, after preliminary training at Ohakea, Levin, New Plymouth and Blenheim, last January, and did not join his squadron until May. Since then he has shot down two Messerschmitts and taken part in 22 operations over occupied France and Germanv. In addition, the official citation " states that he has damaged two other enemy planes. At Mount Albert Grammar School. Sergeant-Pilot Grant was in the first football eleven. After leaving school he was captain of the Technical Old Boys' senior Rugby team, and was also successful in amateur boxing and wrestling. Swimming was another sport in which he took a keen interest.

During his training in New Zealand Sergeant-Pilot Grant was in-1 volved in a minor air crash at New Plymouth and injured his foot. The injury was not serious, however, and] did not interrupt his training for any length of time. A brother. Sergeant-Pilot I. A. C. Grant, is also in the R.A.F. He volunteered for service before the war and was with one of the first trained detachments to leave New Zealand. I).F.M. a Rare Award j Experience has shown that the Distinguished Flying Medal, though in theory the non-commissioned officers' equivalent of the Distinguished Flying Cross (which is given only to commissioned officers), is awarded more rarely than the cross. An official list of the 100 decorations awarded to New Zealanders serving in the air force revealed that since the declaration of war in September. 1939. Jill June 1. 1911. there had been 7~> recipients of the D.F.C., three of whom had also been awarded a b? r to their cross, and only seven non-commissioned officers had been awarded the D.F.M. Since the official list was issued on .Tune 27 there have been only two or three additions to the list of New Zealanders awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. The most notable addition was that of Sergeant-Gunner A. Box. of Otahuhu. who was rear gunner in the bomber with Sergeant-Pilot James A. Ward, of Wanganui, when he won the Victoria Cross. Indeed, so i rarely are n.c.o.'s awarded decora- [ tions for distinguished flying, despite their comparatively large numbers, that there has been a certain amount of adverse comment on the matter, especially in Australia. Early in the war one of the leading English aviation journals devoted some space to a controversy regarding the propriety of differentiating ; between officers and n.c.o.'s in the I matter of decorations, in view of i the fact ranker pilots and observers perform exactly -similar I duties to those assigned commisI sioned officers.