THE PARACHUTE FATALITY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 31 March 1936, Page 9

THE PARACHUTE FATALITY

FEARS OF “SCOTTY” FRASER’S WIDOW (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, 30th. March. The fatal parachute jump of Flight Lieutenant J. (-“Scotty’/) Fraser, at the McGregor appeal air pageant aRongotai Aerodrome on Saturday afternoon, has brought tragedy to a house at Howe street, Ponsonby, Tiie home of his widow and two youngs children. “I canont realise that Scotty has been killed,” Mrs Fraser said to-night “Time and again I pleaded with him to give up jumping from an aeroplane. I hated and feared it, but his heart was in parachuting. He laughed at my fear; lie knew no fear himself, but lie always said he would rather die with a ‘chute on his back,’ and now he has done it. He was always so .confident and took so much care before going up that I cannot believe sometimes that he is dead. Fie always said it was so safe and lulled “me into a false sense of security, but that is what all flying men say. ‘Scotty’ had a comparatively new parachute on Saturday, which might have had something to do with the accident. I hated his stunting, which sometimes led to words between us, and I was never allowed to watch him jump. Now the children andl I are left practically penniless. We never picked up since our house in Hamilton was burned to the ground some time ago.”

Mrs Fraser added that her husband had been in busienss as a commercial traveller at Palmerston North for a time. “He had just written to me telling me that he was getting a better position and that he wanted me to go to Palmerston North to make a permanent home,” said Mrs Fraser, “but that is all over now. He thought Palmerston North was a central place for his aviation activities.”

The funeral will be held in Auckland to-morrow afternoon and the interment will take place at Waikumete cemetery. Representatives of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the Auckland Aero Club and other bodies will attend.