ISLAND ATTACKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25049, 13 November 1944, Page 4

ISLAND ATTACKS

THE FLEET AIR ARM NEW ZEALAND PSLOTB ' (Official News Service) . ■ ' ' LONDON, Ko» Several New Zealand Fleet Air £ pilots took part in the Royal NaV? ' recent attack cn_ the island of Car Nicobar. between Co, 1 and Malaya. \ OO , Sub-Lieutenant (A) A. \V ni. R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Timaru/aged ' tacked landing barges, military w" and a jetty. In spite of heavy an r 1 aircraft fire two barges were left W„ i uig. Before the war Sub-LieuteS Direcn was a clerk in a New Zeal2 Government department. a Sub-Lieutenant (A) F. H. S. Wrioh* R.N.Z.N.V.R., aged 22. ofTimSffl one of the flights during the raid Di'Jn < down from 4000 ft to almost >ro3 level, ho peppered military huts xrifi more than 500 rounds of ammunition Truckload of Japanese After the raid Sub-Lieutenant (k\ n W. Wiley, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Well L,' ton, said: "I was flying around at i 3000 ft when I netlccl a Japanese soldiers on one of the feLi airfields. I went into a deep dive and ' after a few sharp bursts I had ' the satisfaction of seeing the truck go nv«V A few survivors emerged in confusion and scattered, but they were a lon way from cover and I managed to 3 several more before the rest $ appeared. I then tired on a iettr *5 some landing barges.?' Sub-Lieu&£2 Wiley, who is 22, was a clerk with.™ insurance company in Wellington befow the war.

Sub-Lieutenant (A) A. J. West R.N.Z.N.V.11., a former farmer from Woodville, aged 22, attacked several targets during the raid, his most suecessful being a group of Japanese soldiers near the runway of one of the airfields. He also hit military huts, tiro anti-aircraft gun posts some landing barges and a jetty. When he reported back to his ship his description of i most successful raid was "target sprayed." A young pilot from Kangitikei, SubLieutenant (A) J. H. A. Rhodes, R.N.Z.N.V.R.,. made three individual attacks on the Japanese-held island of Nancowry, in the Nicobar group. He hit three small landing craft and an observation post. Sub-Lieutenant Rhodes epent three months in the New Zealand Territorial Force before joining the Fleet Air Arm Rotorua Pilot's Part

Sub-Lieutenant (A) P. Coltman, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Rotorua, fired more than 1500 rounds of ammunition in two additional attacks on Nancowry, strafing military huts, landing craft and a machine-gun nest. Sub-Lieutenant Coltman, who is 23, attended the Takapuna Grammar School. He was a tea taster before he joined flip Fleet Air Arm. After three additional attacks on Nancowry, during which he set fire to some landing craft and an observation post, Sub-Lieutenant (A) J. T. Richards, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Wellington, was ordered, with other aircraft, to intercept a force of Japanese fighters over Car Nicobar. The flight 5 made contact with ten enemy aircraft, SubLieutenant Richards at once attacked two of them, but his already hardworked guns ceased firing and he had to pull out from an exciting dogfightThe rest of the flight shot down four enemy aircraft and two others were badly damaged. None of our planes was lost. Sub-Lieutenant Richards, who is 23, was educated at the Hamilton High School and Wellington College. Before the war he worked,with a book publishing firm in Wellington. He is married and his wife Jives in London. LOCAL AND GENERAL Hurt Looking lor a Penny Partial amputation of the thumb and index finger of the left hand was suffered by Walter Burt, aged serea years, son of Mrs C. JBurt, of Valentine's Lane, City, when a stone fell on him while he was looking for a. penny in a monumental mason's yard in Victoria Street West yesterday afternbon. He was taken to the Auckland Hospital. Australian Doctors' Visit

Concluding a month's tour of the chief centres of New Zealand, Dr J. «■ Hunter, secretary of the New Soutn Wales branch of the British Medical Association, and Dr C. H. Dickson, secretary of the Victoria branch, were visitors to Rotorua daring the weesend. As delegates of their respective branches, they have been investigating the results of social security legislation in New Zealand in relation to medical and hospital treatment. The Goat Menace

A 20-mile stretch of coastline betse^ l Whangaroa and Mangonui harbours, where the forest is regenerating, a" been overrun with wild goats, says » correspondent of the Forest and Eir Protection Society. As many as 50 goat have been seen in one herd, and tne hundreds present are rapidly destroying every vestige of young growth. Trees are being barked in places and even »n hardy pohutukawas are being destroye . Tennis Popular A larger allocation of balls has resulted in a marked " increase in tjj popularity of tennis in Auckland tn year and" the membership of a n"® l '® of clubs is higher than in any season since the outbreak of war. The re ation of the blackout restrictions n facilitated tennis at night on. cotiru which are equipped with floodlights, a there is to be a revival of mter-cl competitions which have lapsed owing to war conditions. Armistice Day ~ The Armistice Day gun signal boo out loud and clear from Albert 1 at 11 a.m. on Saturday, but the si ness of the public to note its sign cance marred the impressiveness t the observance of two minutes sii would have had. In Queen Street tramcar after another came slowly , a halt and by degrees pedestrians drivers of other vehicles began to notice and /stop until the siience ot_ street became marked. At the e .j° n , a in the Domain rosemary was lam , tribute by the president of the \ic League, Mrs J. B. Macfarlane. Observant Constable ~ . Thanks to an observant constable, cyclist whose bicycle was removeiu outside a dance hall at Avonda Saturday night recovered it » minutes after reporting his loss ' police. The owner was required to out the usual routine statement a police station, giving a full rneiiof the missing bicycle. W r tioned that it could be distiiJK_ i„gby a wooden box screwed oil t , j ]o gage carrier, the constable [Mi b, statement was able to tell, hl "V- ec ) it to find the cycle, as he had n°_ a outside a shop in Great. r^ o . on lii» few minutes earlier while hs K as beat,