A NEW ZEALAND AVIATOR

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 248, 19 October 1915, Page 2

A NEW ZEALAND AVIATOR

MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES

WORK AND FATE OF LIEUT. A* W. BURN.

Some, weeks ago Lieutenant W. A.' Burn, a yqung New Zealand aviator engaged in the Persian Gulf opera-! tions, was, with his companion, ■ Lieut. Merz, declared to be missing after going fortii upon an aerial | reconnaissance. By the last mail. Lieutenant Burn's mother. Mrs j Burn, of Christehurch, received a | sympathetic letter from MajorGeneral G, V. Kemball, Chief of the General Staff, Indian Expeditionary. Force, enclosing a reconnaissance map made by Lieut. Burn shortly before his last flight, arid stating,.that Lieut. Burn Aiad Leon mentioned in despatches fo_r his splendid work. The letter, which is dated from Busrah. August 20th, is as follows: —

I am sending you by this mail a reconnaissance report pencilled on «. map by your son, LieuL. W; A. Burn, of tho N.Z. Staff Corps, who has been serving with the Flying Corps > in this force. On June 2nd, to tho best of my recollection, he went up as observer in an aeroplane piloted by Captain Petre, of tha Australian Flying Corps. They started in the' early morning from Bah ran, near Qurnah, and flew* up to Amarah. nearly eighy miles north, descoiuling near Ghamijah Gharbi, near the steamer on which general heaelquarters Avas conA^eyed, and deliveied this report. The""pencilling, on tho ! map, though now very faded, was i very useful to me as chief of tho. staff, as it showed'the position of our

own vessels and those of the enemy, which were then being pursued after the action at Qurnah, on May 31st. The- report also showed very dearly the inundated areas and where dry land existed. It was a very valuable report «.t the time, and I intended keeping it to show what useful intelligence can be obtained by flying officers. But 2iow that I fear that there can bo no longer any doubt that your gallant son lost his life when returning to Busrah, after the battle of Nasirijah, I feel you ought to have the miap as a memento of him. You have no doubt received all the news v/e, have of the occurrence. It cannot be absolutely verified till we catch the wandering marsh Arabs who killed the two missing officers (which we have hopes of doing), but there seems no hope that the officers are still alive, or the large I'ewards we have offered would have brought news of their where-, abouts had they been carried off as prisoners. I need hardly say that the Army Commander, myself, and all who knew them were deeply grieved at the untimely death of two such fine young officers as your son and Lieut.' Merz. But both of them died in the service of their country, and both their names are mentioned I in despatches which Sir John Nixon ] ir> to-<lay forwarding to India, and which in due course ought to be published in the London Gazette.