TRAGIC FATE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22540, 3 October 1936, Page 13

TRAGIC FATE

RACING AIRMEN. CRASH IN RHODESIA (WAITER'S AEROPLANE TWO COLLEAGUES BEAD COLLISION WITH TREES jy Telegraph—Tress Association—Copyright •TO HA X NT'S BURG, Oct, 1 The Portsoouth-Johsnnesburg air race, which has been 'nil of thrills since the start on Tuesday, was marred within a few hours of the arrival o' the winners, Messrs. C. \V. A. Sott and Giles Guthrie, by ' R douHe tragedy at Abercorn, Xorthcn Rhodesia. Mr. acii Waller, Flight-Lieutenant Hax - indlay (eo j>ilot), Mr. Morgan operator), and Mr. Pea-hey, mechanic, crashed in their ■' Envoy aeroplane and Mssrs. Findlay and Morgan were tiled. Messrs. Waller and Pea-hcy struggled o their feet, both suffering from broken ribs and with their legs iniured. but. their enndition is not serious. They arc now in Abercorn Hospital- . Mr. Waller experienced difficulty in starting the engines when he tried to take" off at Abercorn, and was delayed an hour and a quarter. Then he was again obliged to descend. An eye-witness says: ' The wind immediately changed and the airmen were advised not to leave, especially as the ■machine had to run up hill. Mr. Waller, however, was determined not to wait, for he thought l? had a good (thnnee of catching Scott and Guthrie. "Accordingly,' Waller began the fatal , The aeroplane lifted front the ground but could not clear the trees at the end of the aerodrome and •crashed straight into th?m. It fell to 'earth, broken into hundreds of pieces. "The four occupants ay among the <tiebris. Messrs. Findlay and Morgan, terribly injured,' lived only a few ■minutes." Since the Great War Mr. I'indlay lad been examiner to the Guild of Air Pilots. Mr. Morgan was 28 years old and had been married only three months. His wife-is empoyed at Croydon aerodrome. It is recalled that the wrecked taachine was No. 13 in the race, lhe question of changing th ? number was raised before the start, but the fliers lefubed to have this don 3. Flight-Lieutenant May Findlay was nieflnstructor to the > ational Flying Services at Ranworth. He was born in February, IS9S. He se-ved with the F.oval Air Force during the Great War. He was a member of the technical committee of the British Gliding Association and an examiner ;or instructors to the Guild of Air Pilot i. DONOR, OF PRIZES / grief over tragedy AID FOR DEPENDANTS JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 1 Mr. L. W. Schlesinger, donor of the '£lo,ooo prize money for the air race, said hi:i grief at the tragic end of two gallant airmen,/was intensified by the news that one had a wif-j and two children and the other a wi e. "It is not my intention, however, that these dependants should suffer further," said Mr. Schlesinger. "If no other competitors arrne within the scheduled time (120 hours after the start! 1 nin of opinion that the £6OOO balance of the prize money should go to the dependants of the two victims In addition, I have instructed my representatives in London fo make all investigations possible and to express my flesire suitably to aid t ie widows and children." / Scott, when told of the disaster, said: "I am immeasurably distressed. I knew loth these boys well." SECOND MISHAP VICTOR SMITH CRASHES RETURNING TO LONDON fimfs Cabin . , LONDON. Oct. 1 The Vienna correspondent of the Times says a .message !rom Salonika states that Mr. Victor Smith, the second South African competitor in the ftir race, who mado n for -cd landing at Skoplje, Yugoslavia, tool; off for Loni don but crashed near the village of Tugnri. He sustained only minor injurbut his machine was badly damaged. CAPTAIN lIVLSE FUND BEING RAISED APPRECIATION OF- EFFORT CA I'ETOWN, Oct. 1 A fund has been opered at the suggestion of Mr. 0. Piroiv, Minister of Defence, with the approval of General Bertzog, Prime Minister, and Mr. N. C. Havenga, Minister of Finance, to mark the country's appreciation of the effort of the South Afric; n competitor, Captain S S. Malse. in the air race up the time he crashed. WINNER'S FEAT SCOTT CONGRATULATED MINISTER'S TELEGRAM &»tish Wilder I!I'OTtY, Oct. 1 The Secretary of Slate for Air, Viscount Sfvinton, sent a telegram of congratulations to Mr. C. W. A. Scott, as t ®" 0,v s:—"lt is a great tribute to your • *' r "ianship and endurance that you I would have repeated your success in I ho Melbourne centenary air race of I years ago. The result is a striking justification, also, of the intentions of e donor ami of the organisers of the hi demonstrating the excellence M British aircraft design."