NEW ZEALAND AIRMAN AWARDED D.F.C.

Southland Times, Issue 24761, 4 June 1942, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND AIRMAN AWARDED D.F.C.

(Special Correspondent, N.Z.PA.)

LONDON, May 31. Flight-Lieutenant David Neville Milligan of Wellington, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation says: “He is a most courageous and determined pilot and has completed a large number of sorties. Three times when his flying-boat developed engine trouble his superb airmanship was responsible for the safe return of the plane. On the first occasion one engine and the propeller caught fire, and although the plane was vibrating badly, making it impossible to read the instrument panel, and in spite of bad weather, Flight-Lieutenant Milligan succeeded in landing his heavily laden plane safely. Two days later he experienced another engine failure, but succeeded in reaching the base where he made an emergency landing without the aid of the flare path. While taking off from Malta during a heavy raid in March, a large bomb burst close to his plane. The explosion apparently affected the port engine cowling and after an hour in the air the main cowling became partially adrift, causing the plane to lose height. Flight-Lieutenant Milligan regained control and completed his flight safely. On each of these occasions he magnificently overcame extremely severe tests.” Pilot Officers H. I. Thomas, of Auckland, and L. J. Frecklington, of Ohakea, former members of the New Zealand Spitfire Squadron, who went to Aden last October as instructors, have been posted to Royal Air Force headquarters in the Middle East. They expect to operate over the Western Desert.

Pilot Officer B. Ingram, of Dunedin, who "is operating from Malta, has definitely destroyed three enemy planes. Lieutenant J. J. Greer, R.A.N.V.R., of Auckland, is now commanding a trawler in which is also Sub-Lieutenant F. B. Hargreave, R.N.Z.N.V.R., of Auckland. Lieutenant Greer recently has been searching for German mines from Britain’s east coast. Sub-Lieuten-ant C. W. J. Parkinson, of Gisborne, is serving in the same trawler flotilla. Lieutenant Greer previously served for eight months on a corvette which rescued the members of the crews of three torpedoed ships in the North Atlantic.