CREW KILLED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20275, 17 June 1940, Page 11

CREW KILLED

BOMBER CRASHES AKAROA SHOPS STRUCK FIERCE FIRE STARTED TWO GIRLS BURNED (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Two shops in the main street, of Akaroa were burned when a Royal New Zealand Air Force bomber crashed on them and burst into flames at 11.30 a.m. to-day. The members of the crew are dead.- They were Leading Aircraftsman John Lindsay McFadgen, of Blackball, West Coast, and Francis Morris McFarlane, of Nelson. Mr. McFarlane was married. As the machine was circling low over the township it burst into flames, and in striking the buildings, one of which was occupied by Mr. A. ,T. Brown, barber, and the other by Mr. \. E. Kingston, draper, considerable explosions, suggesting that the petrol tanks of the aeroplane were bursting, occurred and the buildings burned fiercely. A neighbouring shop occupied by Mr. R. F. C. Stewart, chemist, also caught fire, but the fire brigade saved the building. Valmai Dann, aged 11, and Natalie Ramsey, aged 13, who were near the scene suffered burns and shock. Valmai Dann was taken to hospital, but Natalie Ramsay was not so severely burned There were several men in the barbers shop at the time of the crash, and one man was even in a chair having a shave, but all escaped injury. “Awful Roaring Noise” Just before the crash the machine flew low over the golf house at Akaroa. where Mrs. J. Wright lives. “When I saw the plane I thought there was something wrong,” said Mrs. Wright. “It was very low indeed and was flying in a very steep bank. Then it appeared to turn on its back and dived down into the town. We thought it was making for the sea, butthe plane missed reaching the water by about 30yds. “We raced down to the main street and found two shops to be an inferno. The fire brigade was on the scene very smartly and after some time had the blaze in the chemist’s shop under control, but the barber’s shop continued to burn for two or three hours.

“When it flew low over our place the machine was making an awful roaring noise.”