Obituary

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28491, 22 January 1958, Page 7

Obituary

MR E. D. CROSSLEY {New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 21. Mr Edmund Douglas Crossley, of Lower Hutt, who was killed in a fall from a scaffolding on a city building yesterday, had a distinguished and adventurous career with the Royal Air Force in the Far East. He was one of three officers who escaped from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Hong Kong and reached India two months later after crossing China to Chungking. They got away under Japanese fire from Hong Kong island and swam to the mainland. They then faced a journey of 1200 miles to Chungking and on the third day they were attacked by bandits and one of the officers was severely wounded. Two days later, another band of robbers ambushed them and robbed them but allowed them to retain their maps. From then on they were helped by the Chinese and eventually a party of guerrillas assisted them. At Chungking, they joined up with a British party who had escaped from another camp. DEAN P. J. O’NEILL (New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL. January 21. The death occurred at Winton early today of the Very Reverend Dean Patrick James O’Neill, one of the best-known priests in the Diocese of Dunedin. Born at Naseby, he was educated at the Christian Brothers School in Dunedin and studied for the priesthood at Manly College. Sydney. He was ordained in St. Joseph’s Cathedral. Dunedin. on January 18. 1902 and was appointed a dean in. 1948. He served as a chaplain with the First N.Z.EF. and during the Second World War played a prominent part in patriotic work He is survived by a brother. Dr Eugene O’Neill, of Wellington, and a sister, Mother M. Alexius, of Teschemakers.