FAMOUS AIRMAN

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23322, 4 October 1945, Page 3

FAMOUS AIRMAN

Return To Dominion (N.Z.P.A.I AUCKLAND, Oct 2. The masterly capacity for reticence and understatement which is characteristic of New Zealanders who have won fame in the air was again demonstrated this morning by Wing Commander J. M. Checkers’ D. 5.0., D.F.C., United States Silver Star, of Invercargill. who arrived at Auckland after an absence from the Dominion of five years Wing Commander Checketts commanded the New Zealand Spitfire Squadron and also a wing consisting of English. Canadian and Polish pilots. He shot down at least 11 planes and was himself shot down over France. Of his personal achievements Wing Commander Checketts to-day steadfastly refused to talk. He characterised the Poles as magnificent fighters. They were men, he said, who fought as if for a lost cause. Always ready to sacrifice their own lives, they sometimes allowed their tenacity to get the better of their judgment. The New Zealanders, he said, were the best of all. Their outstanding ability was due to the excellence of their training. Wing Commander Checketts is expected to leave for the south tomorrow.