IN ENEMY ZONE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24971, 14 August 1944, Page 4

IN ENEMY ZONE

AIRMAN'S BRAVE ESCAPE PUT TO SEA IN DINGHY (R.N.Z.'A.F. Official News Service) BOUGAINVILLE, Aug. 2 Parachuting to earth when his aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire in tho Rabaul area, Flight-Ser-goant M. S. Aitchison, of Woodsido, East Taieri, pilot of an H.N.Z.A.I 1 ", torpedo-bomber, spent two days and a night in enemy country and three nights and two days at sea in a rubber dinghy. He was picked up north of Gazelle Peninsula by a United States gunboat, not seriously the worse tor his adventures. Two other members ol , his crew have been posted missing. Flight-Sergeant Aitchison and his 1 crew were engaged in an attack on ■ Japanese anti-aircraft positions protecting an airfield near Rabaul. With the last of his four 5001b bombs away and his aircraft at 7000 ft, a burst of fire from the ground hit the machine 1 behind the bomb bay. Almost immedi- ' ately a second burst blew off tho star- ! hoard wing. The pilot gave the order • to bail out and undid his safety belt. i Down below the Japanese were shoot- : ing well, for tho Now Zealand aircraft, : which was now spinning wildly, was 1 struck by a third burst, which dazed tho pilot and threw him out of the 1 cockpit. Flight - Sergeant Aitchison , landed among trees, his parachute . catching in the branches and leaving i him dangling 2ft from the ground. Trek to the Coast ! Obeying first instincts, the pilot immediately set out for tho cover of the densest trees near by, but retraced his steps after going 100 yards and col- ' lectcd his dinghy from his parachute. ; Subsequent events were to prove that j this action was his salvation. The New Zealander had lost the greater part of his survival equipment, but still had a knife and a revolver. Taking a rough bearing from the sun, he set out to the southward with tho intention of reaching the sea. He had gone only a short distance when he had to flatten himself : on tho ground because of bombs falling , from another attack. Setting himself a programme of ■ roughly ten minutes' rest for every < half-hour walking, Flight-Sergeant Ait--1 chison soon found himself traversing - steep hills and gullies. W r here water- ) courses ran in the right direction he - took advantage of them. Most of the time tho going- was difficult, with vines and low, dense jungle growth impeding his progress; Struggle Through Surl Onco he heard voices in tho jungle and gave the area a wide berth. He slept the first night on the ground after drinking coconut milk, opening tne nuts with his knife. Next morning he kept on southward, still hoping to strike ; a sizable river. 3 On two or three occasions iMightl Sergeant Aitchison found edible fruit, * and ultimately found the river he was - looking for. It took him through enemy 3 country. Ho saw a number of them, r but was not observed. Reaching the coast, he had the forethought to tie 1 his dinghy to him with the lanyard of 1 his revolver. Then began a long, hard 2 struggle to get through the surf, but t eventually he found himself beyond the r breakers. Climbing on board his dinghy, - he hoisted the sail and set out to sea. t Daylight found him between five and , seven miles from the coast, .but ho 1 made little headway that day. He saw t a formation of fighter-bombers going i over to attack New Britain. He fired 3 two star cartridges in an effort to f attract their attention, but the effort I was unsuccessful. He was chary of 3 using more cartridges for fear tho \ wrong people saw them. Gunboats Sighted j Flight-Sergeant Aitchison's second 3 night at sea was fairly rough. He hoisted the sail and put out a sea-anchor. On 1 the third night he drifted round to the , north of Gazelle Peninsula. About 10 1 a.m. next day two United States gun--5 boats hove in sight and spotted his . and soon he was in good hands. He came through the ordeal feeling fairly' 1 strong, but suffering from immersion. , sores and chafing of the skin against . tho sido of the dinghy. There was < always water in the bottom of- the 5 dinghv and at times he had to do a - lot of bailing; When rescued ho still . had half a tin of rations and plenty of . water, having used both sparingly. The story of his escape is tho story I of a man who kept his head in a dan- . rrorous situation and by common sense > camo through to safety. His conduct is being quoted as an example for others to follow should they find themselves in , a like predicament. WARTIME CHANGES !FUTURE EFFECT IN BRITAIN f I Changes brought about in Britain ! during the war, which are likely to be permanent, ivere referred to in a I nroadcast last night by Mr G. a. bumj mors, Conservative M.P. jor North- ! ampton, who visited New Zealand re- . cently as one of the United Kingdom Parliamentary delegates. Mr Summers said ono of the most i marked changes in Britain during the l war was the place now held by agri--5 culture. Whereas before tho war British farmers fed the people for only two days of the week, they were now , feeding them for five days, and it was I realised in England that, while the country could not live without the towns, neither could the towns live ' without the country. In industry, relations between management and I labour hnd been increasingly cordial, uul general conditions of labour had oeen improved. Tho trade unions had ihown themselves well capable _ of shouldering the various responsibilities i that had been entrusted to them. Mr Summers considered that privilege ' would bo less predominant after the . war, and disparity in incomo would be i nothing like it was before tho war. A i { better understanding had also been j brought about between those of widely j livergent interests. In the spheres of i education, science, and health, there had been great advances and changes, and these would have a direct effect on the future life of Britain.