ILL-FATED AIRMEN

Northern Advocate, 21 December 1929, Page 9

ILL-FATED AIRMEN

DARKNESS AND STORM TERRIBLE TERMINATION. CRASH INTO MOUNTAIN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, December 19. Mr F. Montague, Under-Secretary for Air, stated; that he was not yet in a position to add materially to th<3 information already published regarding the most regrettable disaster on the long-distance flight to Capetown. Reports so far. received from the'British Consul-General at Tunis stated that the machine crashed in the hills some 30 miles south of Tunis, the weather at times being both cloudy and stormy.

A military guard had been placed over the machine and the Consul-General left at dawn this morning for, the scene of the accident with a view to obtaining the fullest possible information and bringing the bodies to the military hospital at Tunis. The Ministry had already dispatched a technical adviser to Tunis in order that the fullest expert inquiry practicable might be made on the spot. Pending the receipt of a report by the technical adviser no cause could' be assigned for the accident. Mr Montague added that the , responsible French authorities had given the greatest possible assistance. He was sure the-whole House would join with him in deploring the loss of the lives of two gallant officers of such ■ outstanding promise and in conveying to their relatives an expression of the most profound sympathy of the House.

It is stated at the Air Ministry that while a representative of the Ministry has already left for Tunis to investigate the cause of the disaster, it is, not likely that a formal Service Court of Inquiry will be held, in view 6f the special circumstances in which the disaster occurred.

In regard to . the removal of the machine and the , engine, no decision can be 'taken until further details are. received. _ ;

Among air experts little doubt is felt that the disaster occurred some time before 8 o’clock on Tuesday, evening. This calculation is 'based on the facts that the airmen, reported their position .by wireless .at .4 ,0 ’clock when they were 60 miles off Sardinia'? and should, have sent out pnother. tpes* sage four hours later. They /pra4)&& : before the four hours* had but meanwhile had covered some- 400 miles. v -- •> , | Darkness would have fallen before 8 o’clock and all the point to the machine getting off.; its course in the storm that was raging and crashing into -the mountains without the pilots .being able to. see Jthe high ground in front of them. ■ . The King has' sent the following message to Lord Thomson, Secretary for:'Air:, “It is with much regret that ,1 learned of the disaster to the mono J < plane near Tunis resulting in the death of two pilots, Squadron-Leader JohesWilliams and Flight-Lieutenant Jenkins, and I join the Boyal Air Force in mourning the loss of two distinguished and gallant officers. 1 Please convey to their families my sincere sympathy.”

DRAWN DOWN BY CURRENTS.

HORSEMAN FINDS WRECKAGE.

ARDUOUS TRAIL TO TUNIS.

(Times Cable.) • - (Received 3.30 p.m.) LGNDON, December 1 19. There is still no connected ,st6ry of the RiA.P. disaster!

French officials express the opiinoli that the airmen lost theif why in a storm and were making; for one of the few patches of open ground when they were sucked down by mountain currents and ran into the side of Ejebelvit Mountain, at a height iof 2500 feet. '

A lonely horseman saw the wreckage at dawn and thought the airmen might be still alive. He tried to extricate them, but saw that they wore dead. 1

A preliminary commission of inquiry found a watch from, an-instru-ment on board which had stopped at 9.4 p,m. The bodies of Jones-Williams and Jenkiiis were brought to Tunis this afternoon aboard a military aeroplane. French soldiers stood on guard all night by the bodies. Sometimes the bodies had to be lowered by ropes in order to traverse narrow rooky paths. At other, times they were swung in rough cradles on the shoulders of gigantic Soudanese riflemen.

INTERMENT IN' ENGLAND. (Received 2.40 p.m.), TUNIS, December 20. The bodies of Squadron-Leader JonesWilliams and Flight-Lieufenant Jenkins will be -sent to England for burial. The French commander of Tunis placed wreaths on the flag-draped coffins. , GERMAN DISASTER. TWO PILOTS KILLED. FOG ACCOUNTABLE. (Received 9 a.m.) BERLIN, December 19. Two German aviators were killed by crashing in a Lufthansa postal

aeroplane when returning from'a trial mail scry ice flight to.Tenbriffe.

A r big public reception, had been arranged’in Berlin-for. a welcome home, but the machine; crashed when they were tryibg. to Idnd in, a fog at Ncuruppcn, SO- miles from the city. The pilots, Von Sehroeder and Albrecht, Were and the mechanic, Eichentoff, was seriously injured.

INSTANT DEATH.

CONGRESSMAN INCLUDED,

SAD HOMES AT GHEIBTMAS,

i* : I (Received 9 a,m.) WASHINGTON; December 20.

A joyful for Christmas at home which lor one man also meant seeing a neyr-bornfbaby, ended tragieally,when ah crashed'in -he Bolling Field, HUihg : five; men, including a Massachusetts Congressman, Mr William Kaynor.

The plane had, gained an altitude of about--300 -feet; when; the motor failed and the macliine crashed swiftly to earth. AlLiour passengers and the pilot, died instantly.

The dead included Mr Kaynor’s secretary, Captain Harry Dinger, an army pilot. .