“COBBER” KAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 July 1940, Page 10

“COBBER” KAIN

HIS EARLY CAREER. i The claim made that FlightI Lieutenant F. A. McNeill of the Royal I Air Force who has arrived in Sydney, taught the New Zealand air ace, the late Flying-Officer E. J. (“Cobber”) Kain how to fly is denied by FlyingOfficei’ Kain’s father, Mr Reginald G. Kain, of Wellington. “ ‘Cobber’ was taught to fly by Squadron-Leader G. L. Stedman at Wellington” “Mr Kain said. “He learned to fly at Rongotai and Wigram aerodromes in New -Zealand. He had gained his A licence before leaving for England. He joined a training school in England on December 21 1936 not in November. He went to the Blackburn Training School .in Lincolnshire and was never in Yorkshire.

“ ‘Cobber’ was educated at Croydon and Christ’s Colleges and always addressed his superiors as ‘sir.’ He trained in the'cadets of Christ’s College, and would never dream of using the expression ‘boss.’ Flight-Lieu-tenant McNeill has evidently let his imagination run away with hirp.

Flight-Lieutenant McNeill was never known to ‘Cobber’ Kain and certainly did not teach him to fly.”

Flight-Lieutenant McNeill in the interview referred to, said: “I first met Kain at an elementary training camp in Yorkshire. He came along with three others in November, 1936 —Hobbs of South Africa; Holmes, of Canada; and ‘Horrigan, an Irish Rugbv international. All have made names for themselves as wai’ pilots. The circumstances of that first meeting remain in my memory. With the four men standing before me, I called, ‘Kain.’ A lanky fellow stepped forward, saying:’ ‘Oh, hello, boss.’ I told him that Royal Air Force officers must be addressed as ‘sir.’ He replied ‘O.K. boss.’ He was a com-A petent pilot in three months. Stunt flying meant nothing to him.”