N.Z. BOMBER SQUADRON

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 133, 8 June 1942, Page 6

N.Z. BOMBER SQUADRON

SOME NEW ARRIVALS

(Rec. 1 'p.m.)

LONDON, June 7.

- Newcomers to the New Zealand bomber squadron include Pilot Officers E. Grant (Gisborrie), A. S.,Brown and J. C. Monk (Auckland), t. Smith (Wairarapa), R. J. Smith (Wellington), P. Gunning (Shannon), and 'G. Home (Masterton), and Sergeants L. E.'Ford (Auckland), C. Smith (Auckland), G. Caitcheon (Morrinsville), also E. Hayden, W. R. Ramsay" (West Coast), A. Campbell' (Hawera),: and L. Chambers (Westport). ' ■■:,:.'■ (/

The armourers include D. Pdttinger (Westport), J. Ghemis, (Dunedin), W. (Mason (Napier), J. E. Gray (Auckland),* also G.Carty.. ■ New Zealanders flying heavy •bombI ers who took part in the big and Essen raids included Squadron Leaders P. B. Robertson (Auckland), D.F.C., and K. Thiele, Flying Officers B. Openshaw (Marion) ', V. E. Sutherland '■■■ (Wellington}, Pilot Officers J. C. Murray (Dunedin), and M. Lee (Wellington) , Sergeants H. Alcock (Napier), R. Powell (Auckland), r:. E. Stone (Te Arbha)! K. McGregoi: (Masterton), A. Arnold (Tapanui),. and N. Bryson (Christctiurch). They all'met Mr. W. J. Jordan, High Commissioner for New; Zealand, as did Sergeants G: Dormer' (Auckland), I. Culpar (Auckland), R. Thornton. (Masterton), and:J; A. Wilson (Takapuna), at the" Halifax operational training unit \ ■". WELLINGTONIAN LUCKY. The Wellingtoniari, Pilot Officer G. Ej Murdoch* Avas lucky when returning from the raid on Essen. He was flying over a low cloudbank against Which he was probably silhouetted >by the moon, ;for an aircraft began to fol:low, him and attacked, so; Murdoch 'dived under the clouds only to see searchlights and.flak ahead. Pilot Officer Murdoch said: "The gunners, were keen to have a crack, so we dived and shot .up the "searchlights. A member, of the crew later reported, that;the ; starboard engine, was on fire. I thought it was the exhaust, so throttled back and dived, which put the fire out. "We discovered when we landed that machine-gun fire from a night fighter nad pierced, the petrol tank, the petrol from • which was '. dripping on to the red-hot exhaust pipe.

"If the fire had kept up it would probably have set the wing aligiitt"