ISOLATED BY STORMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22971, 24 February 1938, Page 15

ISOLATED BY STORMS

APPEAL FROM AN ISLAND AEROPLANE CARRIES FOOD [from our own correspondent] LONDON, Feb. 5 It is not generally realised that there are communities in the British Isles as remote from the world as any in New Zealand. This was vividly illustrated a few days ago when an S.O.S. was received from the island of Rathlin, off the coast of Northern Ireland. The inhabitants have not very frequent links with the outside world at any time, but for the past three weeks they have been completely cut off from the mainland by storms. Fears for their welfare were confirmed when a radio message was received from the island that the 300 residents were facing starvation. The appeal was quickly answered. Owing to rough seas it was impossible to reach the island by boat, so Viscount Craigavon, Premier of Northern Ireland, obtained permission from the British Air Ministry to send help by means of a Royal Air Fore® aeroplane. Aircraft had never landed on the island before, but a young Ulsterman, Flying-Officer D. E. Gillani, was chosen to make the flight because he knew Rathlin and the most likely landing ground well. Meat, flour, tea, oatmeal, sugar, lard and candles to the weight of 3oolb. were loaded into the aeroplane and two priests on the island were instructed by radio to have the landing ground prepared' as well as f possible. The pilot landed successfully. He brought back a tale of great privation. The islanders were practically without food, except meat, and parents had nearly starved themselves so that their children should not want. Fishing had been impossible because of the gales which had lashed the coasts continually. "The islanders, most of them old folk, ran up and cheered," said FlyingOfficer Gillain on his return. * "The children, about 20 of them,-had been given a half-day holiday from school for the occasion. The poor folk . clamoured round the machine, and all wanted to speak at once."