GORE AIRMAN IS SAFE

Southland Times, Issue 24153, 15 June 1940, Page 4

GORE AIRMAN IS SAFE

Flying Officer Fisher In Hospital

CABLE FROM BRITISH AIR MINISTRY Flying Officer R. R. P. Fisher, only son of Mr and Mrs Robert Fisher, of Gore, who was reported missing at the end of last month, is now stated to be in Margate divisional hospital, England. Cabled advice of his son’s safety was received last night by Mr Fisher from the British Air Ministry. Pilot Officer Fisher, who joined the Royal’ Air Force about three years ago, is well known at Gore where he lived up to the time he joined the Air Force. He was born at Gore on March 17, 1917, and he was educated at the Gore Public School and Gore High School, where he matriculated. He was one of the most popular pupils while attending the High

School and he took his full share in the various activities of the school. He was a member of the first fifteen, and played in the wing three-quarter position. When he left school, Pilot Officer Fisher joined the staff of Reid and Gray, Ltd., Gore, and was employed there for some time before he entered the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was stationed first at Taieri and was later transferred to Wigram, where he completed his training as a pilot officer - . He left for England early in 1938 on a short-service commission with the Royal Air Force and was posted to the Hurricane Fighter squadron at the Uxbridge Training School.

KILLED IN ACTION PILOT OFFICER LAWRY (Special to The Times) WELLINGTON June 14. News that his son, Pilot Officer Ronald Owen Lawry, had died gallantly as the result of enemy air operations on April 24, has been received from England by Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., Palmerston North. Information that his son had been posted as missing was received by Mr Lawry last month. Pilot Officer Lawry was 20 years of age, and he left New Zealand to join the Royal Air Force when he was 18. He had been engaged in Air Force activities since the outbreak of war, and he was in the aeroplane that spotted the German ship Altmark, which had some hundreds of British seamen aboard, while the vessel was trying, to reach Germany through Norwegian waters. The report of the presence of the Altmark led to the famous Cossack incident.

Pilot Officer Lawry was born on the West Coast, and was educated at Timaru High School. He intended to entex - the legal profession, but the urge to enter the Royal Air Force prevailed. Mrs G. E. Mathieson, Duke street, Invercargill, is a sister of Pilot Officer Lawry. N.Z. PILOT KILLED OVER NORTH SEA (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 14. Another New Zealand airman reported missing towards the end of April is now known to have been killed in action. He was Flying Officer Murray Charles Petrie, aged 21, youngest son of Mr and Mrs W. Petrie, Coromandel street, Wellington. He was killed over the North Sea. He left New Zealand in September 1938 to join the Royal Air Force and soon became Flying Officer. He had been flying a bomber before and since the outbreak of war.