SERVICE HONOUR TO GORE PILOT

Southland Times, Issue 24339, 21 January 1941, Page 4

SERVICE HONOUR TO GORE PILOT

KILLED IN ACTION IN SEPTEMBER SON OF MR S. B. PATERSON Advice has now been received by Mr S. B. Paterson, of East Chatton, that a posthumous award of the M.8.E., to his son, Acting Flight-Lieutenant James Alfred Paterson, who was killed in action in September, was included in the New Year service honours to members of the Royal Air Force born in New Zealand. When the service honours were officially announced on January 2 Acting Flight-Lieutenant Paterson was referred to as Pilot Officer J. A. Paterson, of Dunedin, and although Mr Paterson thought that the award had been made to his son, he could not make this claim as he had not been officially advised. However, inquiries were made by the secretary of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association, who advised Mr Paterson on Saturday morning that the award had been made to his son. Although referred to as pilot officer in the official list James Paterson held the rank of acting flight-lieuten-ant when he lost his life. He was born at East Chatton 21 years ago and was educated at the East Chatton and Gore High Schools. Matriculating at an early age, he applied for entrance to the Royal New Zealand Air Force and while waiting to be called up for service he worked on his father’s farm. He entered the Air Force in July 1938, when he was posted to Taieri, and after a period of training there he was transferred to Wigram, where he gained his wings. In March 1939 he went to England and joined the Royal Air Force, being posted to a bomber squadron, with which he remained until the outbreak of war. Immediately war was declared he was transferred to France and promoted to officer commanding two servicing flights. On returning to England he applied to the Air Ministry for a transfer, and was posted to a Spitfire fighter squadron, with which he was engaged up to the time of his death.