THRILLING AIR FIGHT.

Waikato Times, Volume 87, Issue 13275, 2 September 1916, Page 3 (Supplement)

THRILLING AIR FIGHT.

Two of the beneficiaries of the Hovvey .state (Flight-Lieutenant Jack Howey and .ieutenunt Richard llowey) have played nen's parts in the war, and the elder is 1 io\v a prisoner in Germany. They are .randsons of Captain llowey, who pur■hased largely at the first land sale in Melbourne. The estate until recently iwned the whole of the land extending rom Stewart, Dawson's corner half-way lown the "Block," and through to Little Jollins street. Lieutenant Jack Howey was acting as bserver for Lieutenant Bamber, and they ere Hying at a height of IO.OCOi't, "somehere in France," when they were .tacked by two German Taubes. Lieu.nant Howey disabled one of these with lis machine gun, patting a bullet through he radiator and petrol tank, when a shell nirst quite close to them. Lieutenant lowey, in writing to the attorney for the lowey estate (Mr Raynes Dickson), decribes what happened as follows : "I then heard a large piece of shell vhiz past my head, and our aeroplane tarted to come down head first, spinning ill the time. 1 looked round aj. once, and aw poor Bamber, with a terrible wound a his head. dead. The machine by this ime must have dropped about 5000 ft in wenty seconds. 1 then realised that the nly chance of saving my life was to step nto Bamber's seat and sit on his lap, vhero I could reach the controls, and hough I had never acted as a pilot I nanagec! to switch off the engine and get he machine out of that terrible death iliuige, and made a good landing on terra irma. though behind the German lines, i shall never forget it as long as I live. I'lie shock was so great that I could lardly remember anything of my former if-e for two or three days. Now lam getting better, and my mind is practically lormal again. "We must have been over 10,000 ft up vlien Bamber was killed, and it was this remendous height which gave me time to -hink and act. After 1 landed one of the >ilots of the German machines which atacked us came up, shook hands, and con;ratnlated me on my escape, and said it lad been a thrilling fight. lie then took ne to his own quarters, and gave me uneh, including a glass of champagne, aid really treated me like an honoured ,uest. 1 was subsequently taken by rain to Mainz, where I was confined by ivseh' for two days. I have now been .loved into a general room with eight ther English officers, and we are being reated verv well."

Lieutenant Richard Howey's company vas holding an important salient when .lie Germans began shelling the trenches, nd his company commander and another tan were badly hit. Lieutenant Howey mmediately sent for a doctor, and in the neantime bandaged them both. By this ime three other officers in the company iad come up, and while they were attending to the commander Lieutenant Howev vas- helping to get the other man to antther dugout. As lie was returning a .econd shell burst right in front of him n the trench, and some shrapnel went hrough his coat without injuring him. rfe ran on, and found that of the three

>fficers one was killed, one had been buried >y the explosion, and the other had been lit in the eye. He was the only officer it for duty. With picks and shovels hey got the earth and sandbags away rom the wounded officer, but by this time le was also dead. On going tovjjjjte tele'hone again Lieutenant Howey fount'that lie line had been cut by shells', and though 'ie at once despatched a man for help it was over an hour and a-half Before they