NEW ZEALAND AIRMAN DECORATED
(Received June 13,. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 12. Pilot Officer Alan Christopher Deere, a New Zealander, aged 22, has been awarded the D.F.C. During May Pilot Officer Deere was engaged in seven combats, often against superior numbers. He shot down five aeroplanes and assisted in the destruction of others. Once 12 Messerschmitts attacked a training aeroplane which was going to Calais to rescue a squadron leader who was shot down there. Pilot Officer Deere and another pilot escorting the training aeroplane immediately fought back. Three Messerschmitts were shot down and three were seriously damaged. Pilot Officer Deere displayed courage and determination in all encounters. He joined the Royal Air Force as a pupil pilot in 1938.
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Southland Times, Issue 24152, 14 June 1940, Page 5
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120NEW ZEALAND AIRMAN DECORATED Southland Times, Issue 24152, 14 June 1940, Page 5
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