DOUBLE AIR TRAGEDY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17640, 2 December 1931, Page 11

DOUBLE AIR TRAGEDY

NEW ZEALANDERS KILLED CRASH NEAR WOMEN GOLFERS LONDON, Oct. 50. A crash resulting in the death of two Royal Air Force officers occurred near Nottingham, as briefly reported in tho cable messages. Roth were New Zea-landers—Flying-Officer J. E. Markby (Dunedin) %nd Flying-Officer L. Mellardy.

The aeroplane in which the two airmen were flying crashed on Bulwell Hall golf links, near Nottingham. The machine had looped the loop, and apparently the pilot was preparing to repeat the performance when lie found something wrong, and before lie could right the machine it nose-dived to the earth within 30yds of some women golfers.

Miss Bluthenviek, one of the golfers, said they were watching the stunts when the airplane came straight- down. "We, 1 bought it was coming on top of us," she said, “but- we could not move. Wo vere simply paralysed with fear. I went to the machine after the crash, but I could not move the pilot, as lie was strapped in. The other man was buried in the wreckage.

“A woman doctor who was on the course found that one of tho men had his neck broken."

Flying-Officer .Markby joined the Royal Air Force in April. 1927. He was promoted to the rank of flyingofficer in March, .1929. Flying-Officer McHardy joined in April, 1929, and obtained promotion in October, 1930. They were both members of the 504 County of Nottingham Bomber Squadron. and were attached to No. 3 Flying Training School ■at Grantham.-—Auck-land Herald.