1940-02-17 — Page 3

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 17, 1940

R-A-F. OFFICER'S DRAMATIC RESCUE

The survivors of the Imperial Air-1so that their combined shouts would ways liner that made a forced land-help to direct the rescue party. In the ing on the sea near Sicily on Decem- | meantime, the ship had made consi- ber 21 owe their lives to the scaman- |derable leeway, and her skipper, Cap- ship of the captain and crew of a tain Romano, got her under way again small sailing ship, the Giuseppe Padre. to bring her nearer. The Giuseppe The full story is now available from | Padre is an old and unwieldy ship the report of a Royal Air Force Wing | and not capable of sailing Commander who was one of the res- near the wind, but in a cued. When the captain of the air-series of short tacks, her craft realised that he was in trouble, skipper brought her back to the scene re circled round the ship several times, of the disaster, where the survivors of firing Verey lights, and as the result the aircraft, rapidly becoming weaker, of brilliant manoeuvring, came down were drifting apart. on the sea 200 yards ahead of her. Passengers and crew climbed out of "Eventually, I realised that the cabin on to the wings, but weather Gluseppe Padre had achieved the conditions were bad for rescue work. almost impossible,” continues the Wing There was a high wind and moun-

Commander's report, "and that her tainous seas, and before a small boat next tack would bring her within hall- from the schooner could reach them, ing distance of us. Some idea of the whole party were swept off the sea conditions may be gained from my plane, which settled down by the head.

very vivid recollections of looking The boat had great difficulty in reach-

down on the deck one moment and the ing the people struggling in the water, next of being able to see nothing of but picked up three who had drifted her except the topsail. Somehow or apart and was then loaded to capacity, | other, the Captain got his ship near so that its chances of regaining the enough for me to catch a lifebuoy on ship were precarious.

a line and I used the very last of my strength to hold on."

SKIPPER'S SKILL'

As dusk was falling, the remainder of the survivors tried to keep together

R.A.F. HONOUR

DEAD

GERMAN

AIRMAN

|

|

WORKED LIKE SLAVES

the

The Wing Commander was the third and last to be rescued from the sea, in addition to the three picked up by the boat, and he had been in the water nearly three hours. He says that Cap- tain Romano and his crew "worked like galley slaves" to get the best out of their ship, and he speaks apprecia- tively of the difficulties of manoeuvr- ing such a ship under such conditions and getting it to an exact unmarked spot directly to windward in the dark,

"No men could have done more, and the wonder is, not that five were lost, but that six were saved."

The survivors were transferred to With full R.A.F. honours, the funerala steamer owned by the same comTM of the German airman whose body pany as the Giuseppe Padre, and land- was washed ashore on the Norfolked at Malta. They cannot speak too coast, took place at Sheringham ceme- highly of the kindness they received tery. He was believed to have been a from the crews of both ships. member of the crew machine which crashed

off Sheringham,

of the Heinkel into the sea

a

The coffin. draped with large Swastika flag, with an escort of 10 R.A.F. sergeants walking alongside, was carried on a tender drawn by an R.A.F. lorry. Behind it walked off- cers and men of the R.A.F.

A brass plate on the coffin was in- scribed, "This body is believed to be

that of Oberleutenant W. Wodtke, late of the German armed forces, and who died at Sheringham."

R.A.F. PLANE SINKS NAZI U-BOAT

London, To-day. An R.A.F. plane bombed a U-boat, and possibly destroyed it,

in the North Sea yesterday.-Reuter.

Airmen with arms reversed formed S'HAI RAILWAY TO BE

a guard of honour at the entrance to

the cemetery. The burial service was conducted by an Army padre.

REOPENED

Shanghai, To-day. The Japanese authorities here con-

After the coffin had been lowered into the grave the airmen fired three template opening the Shanghai-Nan- volleys over it. While Last Post was king Line to the public next month. sounded the firing party and other-Our Own Correspondent.

airmen at the graveside fixed bayonets and presented arms, while officers saluted.

A. Flanders poppy cross was placed on the coffin by 2 member of the Sheringham British Legion.

BIRTH EXPECTED IN ITALIAN ROYAL FAMILY.

SHANGHAI RIOTINGS

Shanghai, To-day, Riots occurred in different parts of the International Settlement and French Concession yesterday when mobs attempted to loot rice shops,

A further increase in the price rice was registered yesterday and it According to a Havas message from is learned that the S.M.C. and French Naples, the Crown Princess of Pied-authorities will confer this morning mont is expecting a third child short- on the matter.-Our Own Correspon- ly.

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