A LUCKY ESCAPE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24627, 7 June 1941, Page 3

A LUCKY ESCAPE

INVERCARGILL PILOT SPITFIRE BLEW UP OVER SEA CO.C.) LONDON, May 21. A good recovery has been made by Pilot Officer K. A. Lawrence (Invercargill), whose legs were badly injured when he was shot down by three ME 109's a few miles off Ramsgate five months ago. Previously he had shot down four Germans himself, including three ME 109's. The New Zealander had .a lucky escape. He was patrolling on reconnaissance in his Spitfire off the coast of England when he sighted the three Germans. He immediately attacked with the intention of shooting at one Nazi and then making for the clouds for cover before he made a second " I got too interested in following the Nazi I was after, and kept chasing him a bit too long," he said. " This allowed the other two chaps to tighten up on me. They hit my 'Spit' with cannon shells, and it blew up. I found myself dropping into the sea, and so I pulled the ring of my parachute. " I landed in the sea about five miles off Ramsgate, and, fortunately for me, there was a trawler about a-quarter of a mile away. It made over to me immediately and nicked me up." Pilot Officer Lawrence is still using sticks to get about, but his recovery has been good, and he hopes to be flying again before long.