BODIES IN HARBOUR

Grey River Argus, 2 May 1942, Page 4

BODIES IN HARBOUR

INQUESTS ON SERVICEMEN. P.A. AUCKLAND, April 29. Inquests into the deaths of Able Seaman John William Bartlett, aged 45 years, and Stoker Alexander Hugh Graham, aged 26 years, _^' held before the Coroner (Mr F. K. Hunt). Their bodies were found in the Auckland Harbour on April I>. Able Seaman Bartlett was married, living in Auckland, and Stoker Graham’s home was in Dunedin. Both “men, it was stated, were last seen when they left a wet canteen Able Seaman Bartlett on the night of April 8, and Stoker Graham on the following night. Both were sober and were reporting for duty. Neither was seen again until tne bodies were found. The Coroner found that each ma.i was accidentally drowned and commented that there appeared to be insufficient lighting on the training wharf, where a total black-out was observed until recently. Mr Hunt also held inquests into the deaths of two members of the Roval New Zealand Air Force whose machine crashed into the sea off Muriwai beach on Febr u a *W 25. The victims were Sergeant Pilot Alfred William Todman, married, aged 22, whose wife is Mrs H. M. Todman, of Taneatua. and Leading Aircraftsman Edward James Mannell, single, aged 20 years, son of Mrs K. Manned. of Masterton. The third member of the crew, Leading Aircraftsman Geoffrey Hewson Tate, who broke his right leg, said that he had no idea of the cause of the crash. The machine was on a gunnerv training flight and crashed from two hundred feet into shallow water while making a turn. Todman was an experienced airman.

A verdict of death from injuries received when their machines accidentally crashed, was returned.