FIGHT WITH ARAB BANDITS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 59, 2 December 1933, Page 18

FIGHT WITH ARAB BANDITS

Man Shot in Struggle

Tn an heroic attempt to defend an English girl friend and himself from armed Arab bandits, Leading Aircraftsman John Adam Howard was murdered at Heliopolis, near Cairo, in the presence of the girl, Miss M. Tippett, who was described in the reports;as his fiancee.

Mr. Howard, who belonged to No. 216 Bomber Transport Squadron, R.A.F., Heliopolis, had his home in London, and his mother said that she received the news of her son’s tragic death early one morning. “It was a terrible shock to me.” she said, “because I had always believed that my son was engaged to a girl in this country, and I cannot understand the report that the girl who was with him was described as -bis fiancee. The girl to whom he was engaged in this country is Miss Eileeu Robertson. She had been in constant touch with him. and only the other day wrote to him.”

According to the story told by the British Consulate in Cairo, the aircraftsman and Miss Tippett had been walking on the Heliopolis golf course when they were approached by three armed men in native costume. Two of them were armed, one with a revolver and the other with a shot gun. Thrusting the weapons in the faces of the couple they demanded money. Mr Howard refused their demands, and pushing them aside attempted to walk on. The three men. however, became more threatening.

Seeing that they were determined to cause trouble'.'’ Mr; Howard suddenly closed with the man who had-the revolver. and a fierce struggle ensued. Howard succeeded in securing the revolver. and swung around to face the three. At that instant, however, the bandit who had the shot gun fired at him point blank. The aircraftsman

fell mortallv wounded, and the girl rushed to bis side. The bandits took to their heels. Mr Howard was still able to speak, and gasped to Miss Tippett: “They got me.” adding that the pistol would be found inside his jacket. With it was also found a man’s headgear, which Mr. Howard had clutched iu the struggle In a few minutes the screams of the frantic English girl had attracted the attention of the police, but they arrived too late to pursue the murderer and his companions. Mr. Howard died in hospital two hours later and the police began a thorough search for clues to the bandits.

Foosteps were found at the scene of the struggle, and these were followed until the trackers came upon a bloodstained garment and a shotgun lying in the garden of the house of a British Cavalry officer. The assailants had apparently robbed the dying man, as 40 piastres which lie had on him were missing and this sum was found later near the gun in the officer’s garden. Further investigations led to the ar rest of the British officer’s two gardeners and a third man. They were confronted with Miss Tippett, who is staled to have identified one of them as tlie man with whom Mr. Howard struggled. Miss Robertson spent the whole of the day endeavouring to console Mr. Howard’s grief-stricken mother. ’’lVc expected him home for Christmas.” she said, “and were making preparation for his home-coming. His service period was due to expire then. He had not been home for four years.”

Miss Muriel Tippett is the daughter of a naval officer, and her people are at present living in Plymouth. She is greatly upset by the tragedy, which has profoundly shocked the British community in Cairo.