N.Z. AIRMEN

Grey River Argus, 26 February 1943, Page 5

N.Z. AIRMEN

GOOD FOLLOWING UP

LONDON, Feb. 20. The Air Ministry quotes an exploit of Flight Officers L. Dayman and b. T. Thompson, both of Wellington, as an example of the determined manner in which the Army Co-opera-tion Command’s Mustang pilots pi ess home attacks against communications serving occupying forces in tne Low Countries and’ France. Dayman and Thompson attacked a gooas train in Holland. Dayman went in first and Thompson followed up closely, at an interval of a mere fraction of a second. He was directly over the locomotive at a height oi only a few feet when Daymans bomb blew up the locomotive. A cloud of steam and debris enveloped Thompson’s Mustang, but it safely returned to the base despite damage, including a huge dent near tne airscrew hub.

CASABLANCA PILOTS

LONDON, Feb. 24

Two New Zealanders had a minor, but important share in the Casablanca Conference. They flew ViceAdmiral Lord Louis Mountbatten and General Sir Alan Brooke to Casablanca and brought Lord Leathers back. They are Flight Lieutenant. C. W. Evans, of Wanganui, and Flying Officer T. J. W. Williams, of Otane, who were navigator and pilot, respectively, of a Liberator. Evans said: “We flew out to Casablanca from England, arriving at 10.30 a.m. It was a pleasant uneventful trip. We stayed at Casablanca for 12 days, messing with the Americans. We spent the time keeping the aircraft ready, surf bathing, sun bathing and trying out our schoolboy French on the local inhabitants. On the return trip we made another night trip to England. It was equally uneventful.”