AIRMEN MISSING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21469, 18 April 1933, Page 9

AIRMEN MISSING

ANXIETY FOR ITALIAN NO NEWS SINCE FRIDAY FALL INTO SEA FEARED STORMS AT THE WEEK-END By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received April 17, 5.5 p.m.) SINGAPORE, April 1G Grave fears are entertained for the safety of tho Italian airman Captain Leonida Robbiano who has not been heard from since he left Calcutta on Friday, the seventh day of his attempted record flight from England to Australia. A message from Calcutta says great anxiety is felt there for Captain Robbiano. When he left Calcutta at 10.15 p.m. on Friday ho was bound for Victoria Point, but he has not arrived there. Neither at Akyab nor Victoria Point is there any knowledge of the Italian's whereabouts. It is feared that he met with an accident in the extremely heavy storms at the week-end in the Bay of Bengal and Burma, and that he fell into tho bay. LANCASTER'S FATE LOOK-OUT BEING KEPT INTENSIVE FRENCH SEARCH (Received April 17, 5.5 p.m.) Times Cable LONDON, April 16 Tho Algiers correspondent of the Times says that the authorities have advised all Army and Air Force jjosts to maintain a look-out for Captain W. N. Lancaster, the British airman who is missing between Reggan and Gao in the course of an attempted flight from England to Capetown. Captain Lancaster received permission to fly across French territory and was insured against any expenses incurred in tho event of a possiblo mishap. This permission slip he apparently lost at Barcelona, but the Oran authorities allowed him to proceed at his own risk. A sirocco, or dry wind, afterwards prevailed. French military aeroplanes have commenced an intensive search for Captain Lancaster. This news stopped Mrs. Keith Miller from completing plans for au organised search. The airman carried sufficient food and water for 10 days. - PROUD OF HER SON LOST FLIER'S MOTHER REASON FOR THE VENTURE LONDON, April 11 " I am proud of my son, and I want the world to be proud of him, too," said Mrs. Lancaster, as lier son, Captain Lancaster, took off, in his attempt to beat Mrs. Mollison's record Capetown flight. "T want him to forget Miami, and that is why we bought the aeroplane," Mrs. Lancaster added. " I am praying that he will take his rightful place among famous men." Captain Lancaster, who flew to Australia with Mrs. Keith Miller, was acquitted of the murder of another airman, Haydn Clarke, at Miami last year. He had hoped to reach Oran, from London, in one hop, and then to cross 400 miles of sea off the Cameroons to break tho record.