SCATTERED AIRMEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 1 July 1943, Page 5

SCATTERED AIRMEN

NEW ZEALANDERS ABROAD WING COMMANDER McKAY, OF NELSON PROMINENT IN MIDDLE EAST (Rec 11.35 a.m.) London, June 30. Members of the R.N.Z.A.F. are serving not only in New Zealand, Pacific, Canada and Britain, but also in North Africa, Egypt, Palestine, the NorthWest Frontier. India, Ceylon, and Chittagong. Comparatively little is heard of New Zealand airmen in the Middle East, still less of those in India and Ceylon. R.N.Z.A.F. headquarters recently sent a liaison officer to meet New Zealanders in these spheres. His visit was followed up by the appointment in Egypt of Flight Lieutenant E. L. Gray, of Wellington, who carried out a tour of operations in bombers and will be liaison officer for the Middle East and North Africa. A liaison officer will also be appointed for India and Ceylon. Among prominent New Zealanders in the Middle East is Wing Commander J. J. McKay, D.F.C., of Nelson, who was recently awarded the U.S.A.A.F. D.F.C. Wing Commander McKay went to England before the w'ar. He piloted the third aircraft to bomb Sylt in the famous raid which Mr Chamberlain announced while it was still in progress. He commanded one of the two Whitleys which dropped pamphlets in Vienna early in 1940. After a period of training Wing Commander McKay went to the Middle East and flew Liberators. He is now taking a commander’s course. Then there is Wing Commander J. E. S. Morton, D.F.C., of Merivale, who has now carried out seventy bombing raids. He did the first tour with the 75th Squadron, then after training Poles went to India. He is now at a staff college at Haifa. In charge of flying training at Middle East headquarters is Wing Commander S. W. R. Hughes, O. of Auckland, famous for his flying-boat escape. He carried out much good air-sea rescue work, also good work in delivering aircraft on the ferry route across Africa. Squadron Leader Derek Kain, of Dunedin, who fought in France in the same squadron as Cobber Kain, commands a fighter squadron in the Middle East. Other prominent airmen there include Squadron Leader Earle, D.F C of Wanganui. H. H. Beale, D.F.C., of Gisborne, and Flying Officer Desmond Rolph-Smith, D.F.C., of Epsom, who won a Yugoslav decoration. In India there are New Zealanders scattered from the North-West Frontier to the jungle aerodromes of Ceylon, from Bombay to Delhi and to Chittagong At Calcutta there is a fighter squadron which is New Zealand in all but name, the entire personnel being New Zealanders save the English commandmg officer and one Australian.— P. Special Correspondent