MOTH PLANE CRASH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21033, 23 May 1930, Page 9

MOTH PLANE CRASH.

DEATH OF CAPTAIN SAUNDERS. DISTINGUISHED CAREER ENDED. (Peb United Press Association.) TE AWAMUTU, May 22. Captain A. W. Saunders, the pilot of the plane which crashed yesterday afternoon, died at 10 o’clock this morning. Captain Saunders Was a distinguished pilot. He served in France with the 60th Squadron, among his colleagues being the famous aviators Ball, M'Cudden, and Bishop. His "bag” included 10 German aeroplanes, and he was awarded the Bistiuguished Flying Cross. At the cessation of activities he was. King’s Courier for a time, bearing despatches from Great Britain to Berlin. For a year he was engaged by the Lithuanian Government on special air service. He then saw three years’ service with the Air Force in India. From 1923 to 1928 Captain Saunders was engaged in commercial flying. He was a pilot with the Imperial Airways, later coming to Australia, where he served with the West Australian Airways," Ltd. He was the pioneer pilot in the Sydney-Adelaide air mail service. He arrived at Auckland in May. ' ( • The machine concerned in the tragedy was a De Haviland Gipsy Moth, which was purchased three months ago in Auckland from Mr Chalmers, of Fiji. The Moth was one of a‘fleet of machines purchased by Mr D. V. Bryant, of Hamilton, on behalf of the Bryant House Air Service, an organisation formed for the purpose of raising funds with which to finance Bryant House and other philanthropic schemes originated by Mr Bryant.