SECOND N.Z. FIGHTER SQUADRON

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 175, 21 April 1942, Page 6

SECOND N.Z. FIGHTER SQUADRON

Flying In Hurricanes INTENSIVE TRAINING IN BRITAIN (Special I’.A. Correspondent) LONDON, April IS. A second New Zealand lighter squadron has now been formed, Hying Hurricanes which will probably become night lighters. It is led. by an English commanding officer who fought in the Battle of Franco, where he shot down three Huns. He is very popular with the boys. Flight Lieutenant H. N. Sweetinan, Auckland, and Flight Lieutenant J. Cloustor, Wellington, are the flight commanders. Flight Lieutenant Sweetman was formerly with the first New Zealand fighter squadron and Flight Lieutenant (Houston belonged to.au “unofficial” New Zealand squadron led by his D.F.C. brother, who is believed to be a prisoner of war.

After being formed, the squadron changed stations, and has now begun training in earnest. One of its first acts when it arrived at the new station was Io buy 2cwt. of distemper to clean out the huts. The squadron’s adjutant is Flving Officer Tom Ness, Dunedin, who'served in the last war in Egypt. He jovially fathers the squadron. “They are a grand bunch of youngsters, most eager to get. cracking,” he said. “We are hoping Dunedin will adopt the squadron.” Others in the squadron include Pilot Officers I. 11. Irvine. D.F.M., Auckland. A. E. Umbers, Dunedin. A. 11. Smith, Auckland. L. V. Weir, Wlmngarei. V. U. Fittal, Taumarunui. and A, J. Woodgate, address unstated. Three Famous Pilots. Three famous New Zealand fighter pilots at the same station are Wing iTniniander I’. G. Jameson, D.F.C. and bar. Lower Hutt, who was lending a wing in recent sweeps over France, Squadron Leader Colin Grey, D.F.C., and bar, Gisborne, who has snot down nearly 20 Huns, and .Squadron Leader 1. S. Smith, D.F.C., Auckland. Two New Zealanders who have experienced violent changes of climate are Pilot Officer W. J. Wakeiin, Wellington, and Sergeant Observer D. Shakes. Wellington. They flew Sunderlands in the Iceland patrols last year, and were then transferred to Bathurst, West Africa, where they spent 10 months. Sergeant Shakes, who is on leave in London, carried out 1500 operational hours’ flying in Sunderiands. . “We do patrols over convoys, which is dull work,” he said. “Once, however, we ran out of petrol and made a forced landing, so we rigged up a sail. For a joke we wirelessed Io the base we expected to arrive at in three days’ time, and which we would have done, but a destroyer towed us for a time, and then another Sunderland landed and refuelled us. Another time a British plane made a forced landing in the French desert, two miles inland. We landed on the sea and picked them up. Our chief _ recreations were shooting hippos, springboks am! crocodiles, and visiting native villages ami bargaining for fruit. It is good to be in London on leave. ■■ prefer Iceland to West Africa.”