FLOWN HOME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 5 June 1945, Page 5

FLOWN HOME

REPATRIATED AIRMEN ACROSS TASMAN IN SUNDERLANDS (R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service) Wellington, This Day. A draft of 103 R.N.Z.A.F. personud being repatriated from the United Kingdom were surprised to find on arrival in Australia that, instead of having to wait a month or six weeks for a ship to Lake them to New Zealand, arrangement* had been made to hurry them home by air. Sunderland* of the R.N.Z.A.F. flyingboat flight and Dakotas of the transport squadrons brought all the n.eu over inside a week. Stating that they were all surprised to find they would be home sooner thau expected, Squadron Leader W. L. Effingham. Auckland, who was put in charge of the draft, said the men immediately helped to unload their own luggage from the ship and reduced the quantity carried with them to 1001 b. The ship left from Scotland, and VEday was celebrated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Squadron Lender Effingham said. A signal was received from the Admiralty to “splice the main brace,” and all personnel received their tots. “Quite a number seemed to get a lot from other sources,” he commented. The returning airmen had a day at Perth, wherp the Red Cross provided transport to show them round, and at Sydney the New Zealand Services Club and other New Zealand organizations found transport for trips. They were a eeom mounted at an R.A.A.F. station near Sydney. All the time small parties were leaving by air for New Zealand, preference being given those who wanted to get home quickly on compassionate grounds. Squadron Lender Effingham came in the last party, which arrived at Auckland by an R.N.Z.A.F. Sunderland at the end of last wee*. Meals were provided eti route, and he described the service as excellent.^ A barrister and solicitor of Welffngron before the war. Squadron Leader Effingham was studyincr at Cambridge University. England, when hostffities started. He imtnpd : ately enlisted with the University Squadron, and in 1940 he was seriously injured. When he recovered be was employed on staff work and was an armament staff officer with the Allied expeditionary air force at SHAEF. Paris. Ilis service career was recognized by a mention in dispatches. Members of Famous Squadrons.

Several members of famous R.N.Z.A.F. squadrons that took part in the war iu Europe reached New Zealand in an R.N.Z.A.F. Sunderland from Australia at the end of last week. They included a flight commander from No. 75 Bomber Squadron and several members of No. 485 Fighter Squadron, one of whom was an original member of that unit. The flight commander from No. 75 Squadron was Squadron Leader J. R. Rodgers. D.F.C., D.F.M.. of Timaru. Many of the bombers in the squadron, which was recognized as one of the beat in Bomber Command, were brought down over Germany, but when asked to comment on his experiences Squadron Leader Rodgers said, “We used to get a few holes, that is about all.”

Before the draft left the United Kingdom. there was a suggestion that the bomber in 75 Squadron “M for Mike,” which had 100 operations to its credit, would be brought to New Zealand. It had been flown on tours by three different flight commanders. Flight Lieutenant I. J. McNeil. D.F.C., of Poverty Bay, who returned in the Sunderland, was an original member of No. 485 Fighter Squadron. He joined when it was formed in Yorkshire in April, 1941. Other early members of the squadron included Wing Commander CrawfordComnton. D.S.O. and Bar. D.F.C. and Bar. who joined it as a pilot officer. Wing Commander E. P. Wells. D. 5.0., D.F.C. and Bar. was another member. and so were Squadron Leader R. J. C. Grant, D.F.C. and Bar. D.F.M., and Wing Commander J. M. Checketts, D. 5.0., D.F.C., D.F.C. (U.S.). Photographic Flight. Flight Lieutenant McNeil left 485 Squadron to join one largely composed of Dutchmen, and he went back to the 'R.N.Z.A.F. fighter squadron in March. 1943, to do “daylight stuff” over France. After that, he went on to Fighter Reconnaissance and took pictures of “buz* bomb” sites. Discussing that photographic work he said that on D-day the Spitfires were below the fighter screen spotting for naval bombardments. He was a flight commander during his connexion with photographic reconnaissance. He was wounded iu October. 1941. after “a slight argument with a ME109.” He was wounded again durian his reconnaissance tour, and before he was repatrir ated had an operation for appendiQtis. In his photographic flight there was another New Zealander, Flight Lieutenant C. N. Gall, D.F.C.. of Rangiruri, Flight Lieutenant McNeil stated. He vividly remembered one picture he took from a low level over a “buzz bomb” site; it showed 16 anti-aircraft guns all firing at once. Flight Lieutenant Gall was forced to bale out three days after D-day, but he turned ,up at his base 48 hours later.

Flight Lieutenant W. T. H. Strachan, of Christchurch, another airman to return with th* Sunderland, was also a member of 485 Squadron. He was a teat pilot for a time, and was the first New Zealander to fly a Mark XIV Spitfire. He flew that aircraft for six weeks before the modifications were complete. He mentioned that a New Zealander. Squadron Leader I. P. McMaskill, D.F.C., flew the Mark XXI Spitfire, the latest to go into action. Jn April, 1944. Flight Lieutenant Strachan was dive-bombing “buzz bomb” sites and railway junctions. Commenting on his experiences, he said. “My tail plane and trims were shot away, that was all. Once or twice when dive-bombing I was hit by flak.” When 485 Squadron moved to France in August. Flight Lieutenant Strachan finished his tour. After that he was a test pilot in France and Holland. In the last Sunderland party No. 485 Squadron had a further representative in Flying Officer A. L. Shaw, of Giaborne. He joined when he first went to the United Kingdom, but later went to North Africa and joined an R.A.F. Fighter Squadron. He took part in the invasion of North Africa, and then after instructing in an air-gunner’s school he went to Khartoum in a meteorological flight. A particularly bright part of his flying career was piloting Wasps from an air-craft-carrier during the blitz on Malta.