OUTSTANDING N.Z. AIRMEN

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23661, 11 June 1942, Page 6

OUTSTANDING N.Z. AIRMEN

♦ WORK WITH' R.A.F. AIR VICE-MARSHAL AND WING COMMANDER (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, June 9. The High Commissioner for New Zealand (Mr W. J. Jordan) met two outstanding New Zealanders during last week’s visit to Air Force stations. They are Air Vice-Marshal C. R. Carr, 0.8. E., D.F.C., A.F.C., of Palmerston North, and Wing Commander P. G. Jameson, D.F.C. and Bar, of Lower Hutt. Air Vice-Marshal Carr joined up with the Royal Air Force in the last war and served in France from 1915 to 1918. He then won the D.F.C. in North Russia. He accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton’s last expedition as flying officer. He was chosen in 1927 for an attempt to win the world’s non-stop flight record for Britain, but he was obliged to give up after three gallant attempts. He served as senior Air Force officer on H.M.S. Eagle on the China station from 1935 to 1937., Air Vice-Marshal Carr takes the greatest interest in the New Zealanders in his group. He told Mr Jordan that he intends to live in New Zealand after the war. Wing Commander Jameson is leading a Spitfire wing in sweeps over France. It included for a period the Rhodesian, Canadian, Belgian, English, Australian, and American Eagle squadrons. Wing Commander Jameson led the New Zealand Spitfire squadron in its first sweeps last year. Landed Hurricane on Glorious A group captain who holds the D.S.O. with two bars told Mr Jordan: “Jamey is one of the best you can set eyes on. His voice over the radio telephone during a sweep is worth five Germans for the confidence it gives. He has done a wonderful job of work.” Wing Commander Jameson has shot down six Germans, two during the Norwegian campaign, from which he was very lucky to escape. He was expecting that his squadron would go to France, where he had already met the late “Cobber” Kain, but it was suddenly posted to H.M.S. Glorious at Norway, where he flew Hurricanes for a fortnight. When the squadron left the pilots were faced with the alternative of burning their Hurricanes or attempting to land on the Glorious. Wing Commander Jameson and two others flew to the Glorious and landed safely. They sent a signal, upon which all the others arriven. At 5 p.m. the next day, when Wing . Commander Jameson was. sleeping in his cabin, two cruisers attacked and sank the Glorious and her escorting destroyers. The first salvo set the Glorious and the Hurricanes on fire, after which came orders to abandon ship. Ordeal at Sea Wing Commander Jameson jumped overboard and swam to a Cariey float, remaining on the float for three days. There were 29 men on the float tand as there was a rough sea, they were all wet through. Nineteen died ,of exposure the first night. Filially, the seven who survived were picked up by the merest chance by a Norwegian fishing boat which was escaping from the Germans. Wing Commander Jameson and the o..ier survivors were taken to the Faroe Islands, where two died, leaving five. Wing Commander Jameson spent three months in hospital, which was a very painful period. He is flying again, and since September, 1940, he has shot down a German in the big Coventry raid and another over -London; He also shot down a MessSetschmitt 109 over France and a Messerschmitt HO off the coast of Holland during a lone patrol. In common with other pilots he regards the Focke Wulf 190 as “harder to get” than the Messerschmitts.