FLYING CROSS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24386, 23 September 1942, Page 2

FLYING CROSS

AIRMEN DECORATED ' PART IN DIEPPE ACTION SUCCESS GN VITAL MISSION i (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday Official advice of the first award to a New Zealand airman for outstanding services in air support of the Dieppe action has been received. g e is Flying-Officer Renton Stewart Rutherford, R.N.Z.A.F., of Opotiki who has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation says Flying-Office,. Rutherford displayed courage, skill and devotion to duty of the highest order in successfully accomplishing most dangerous, risky and vital work. On the night of August 19 he was navigator in the leading aircraft of a bombing formation, whose mission was to release smoke bombs to screen troops landing on beaches near Dieppe. Upon the i accuracy of this initial smoke sortie j depended the success of subsequent smoke-laving operations and in a great measure the success and safety of the entire combined operation. In spite of many disadvantages and hazards, Flying-Officer Rutherford sue. cessfully furnished his pilot with accu. rate navigational guidance and thus' led the whole formation right through the operation without mishap. Born in Edinburgh in 1909, Flying-Officer Rutherford came to New Zealand in 1928 and engaged in farming. He wag educated at Daniel Stewart's College, Edinburgh, and the Hertfordshire Agricultural College. He was farm manager at Toatoa, Opotiki, before he began training as an observer toward the end of 1940. He was promoted to flying, officer in July. 1942. His wife is Mrs. F. K. E. Rutherford, of Toatoa. Official advice, has been received of the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Squadron-Leader Donald Carlson, R.A.F., who has destroyed at least three enemy aircraft and has a large list of operational sorties to his credit. The citation says he is a skilful and energetic squadron commander, who, bv his outstanding personal example, "has brought his squadron to thi highest pitch of fighting efficiency. Squadron-Leader Carlson was born at Owhango in 1912 and educated at the Owhango Primary School and Wellington Boys' College, where he establishe a good' sporting record. He learned tu flv with the Waikato branch of the Auckland Aero Club at_Hamilton. He left New Zealand in 1937 to undertake a short-service commission in the Royal Air Force. His father is Mr. A. Carlson, of Okoroire. Waikato. WARDER ASSAULTED CONDITION SERIOUS ESCAPE OF TWO YOUJHS (P.A.) INVERCARGILL, Tuesday Between 9.30 and 10 o'clock last night, Mr. George Stee'a, warder at the Borstal Institute, was locking two inmates in their cells when they attacked him, hitting him over the"head with a heavy instrument which knocked him unconscious. The youths then escaped. Mr. Steele is now an inmate of the . Southland Hospital and his condition is fairly serious. The youths are aged 17 and 18 and the younger one is a Maori. Both were wearing regulation attire when thev escaped. It was subsequently reported that two motor-cars are missing from different parts of the city. A widespread search for the youths by police and prison officials is. now in progress. LOCAL AND GENERAL Imported Tomatoes on Market A good supply of imported tomatoes offered at the City Markets yesterday ' affected the price of local hothouse crops, which so far this season has ! been fairly high. However, the present consignment is not sufficient to have any lasting effect. Only 1-500 case* were available for the Auckland district, and in general the fruit was in good condition. Front-gate Milk Delivery A request by the Auckland Suburban Local Bodies' Association to support 1 its protest against the front-gate delivery of milk, met with no support when it was considered by the Manukau County Council yesterday. Members ■ were in agreement with the opinion of ; Mr. A. E. Trayes, who stated that, in view of present war conditions, frontgate delivery presented ,no actual hardships. Blood Transfusion Service There are 1200 anonymous donore now on the list of the Wellington Blood Transfusion Service. More than 800 of them are women, a feature which has obtruded itself during the past two years, as fewer men have been available to give their blood in a hospital emergency. The donors range in age from 18 to 70. One man has given blood 33 times in the last nine yean for transfusions. L Pukekohe Potatoes Buyers at the City Markets yesterday welcomed the appearance of the first main crop of potatoes this season from Pukekohe. Only 50 sacks, dug from an early maturing patch, were offered, and realised the maximum fixed price of od per lb. It is not expected that any appreciable quantity will be dug in this district for another two or three weeks, but, should the present favourable weather continue, better supplies will | then be available, j Essential Industries i "Among essential industries ther* I does not appear to be a rational dis* 1 tribution of the important work required to be done," said Mr. J. P. PClouston, secretary of the Auckland Manpower (Industrial) Committee, when giving evidence before the No. 1 (Auckland) Armed Forces Appeal Board yesterday. "I recently visited » cabinetmaking establishment which had been declared essential, and found the men making coat-hangers pencilcases," said the speaker. "Not far away a similar firm was overloaded with essential work." Gardeners in Freezing Works In connection with the employment :of 40 Chinese, former market garI deners. at a freezing works, it | learned yesterday that the men *ere I engaged at the height of the slaughterJ ing season, when labour was urgently required, and were given jobs in a boxmaking department. For various re* 1 soiis, 18 ot them were subsequently paid off, but eight were drafted bacK by the manpower authorities. As tn§ box-making section of the freezing industry remains busy, there is no means, short of voluntary application by the Chinese, of their being returned to the market gardens. It was stated yesterday that if such applications wer made the manpower authorities would facilitate them, even though niarket gardening, unlike meat-processing. 18 not an essential industry. Cyclist in Blackout Reports on the last blackout i® Christchurch showed that some cyclist® did not understand the lighting requirements yet, sa'd the chairman or the Emergency Precautions Service organising committee, Mr. W. a . c ?' During the blackout a girl on a bICJ"C without a light rode into a rope us®** to cordon off an "incident, »?" tunately without suffering serious injury. She said she had been told to she could not ride her machine witn light in a blackout, and other re P9 r j showed that a number of persons fi the same impression. Mr. Machin sai the girl was not an Emergency "r cautions Services worker,- and not have been riding her bicycle at a In any case, a bicycle. should have front light, masked with the e 1 of two sheets of paper, and a ta , light, and then could only be ridden an authorised person.