R.A.F. Tragedy

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 274, 20 December 1929, Page 7

R.A.F. Tragedy

British Official Wireless.

L0NG DISTANCE DISASTER

Full Investigation To Be Made On Spot THE IvING'S SYMPATHY

(Received Tliis Day, 1 p.m.) RUGBY, Dec. 19.

Mr Yloiitaguc, Undcr-Secretarv for Air, stated tliat lio was not yet in a position to add materiallv to tho inl'oi'iiuition to tliat published about tlie most rogrettable disaster on tho long distauce Oight to Capetowu. Reports so far rcceiVed from tlie British Cousul-Gencral at Tunis stated that tho machine.crashcd in the liills some '30 milcs south of Tunis, tlie weather at tlie time being botli cloud.v and stormy. A niilitary guard liad been placed over tlie macbine and tlie ConsulGcucral left at dawn this morning for tlie seone of tho accident with n view to obtaining the fullest possible informatinn and bringing the bodies to the niilitary hospital at Tunis. Tlie Air Ministry had already despatehed a tecluiical adviser to Tunis in order tliat tlie fullest expert inquiry practieable migbt be made on ihe spot. feilding tho receipt of the report by tlie teehnical adviser no cause could he assigned for the accident. Air Montague added tliat rcsponsihle F rench autho'rities had given the greatest possible assistance. He was sure tliat the whole Houso would join with him in deploring tlio loss of the lives | of tlie two gallant officers of such outistauding proniise and in conveying to I their relatives an expressiou of the j most profouiul sympathy pf the House. | It is stated at tlie Air Ministry tljat I while a representative of the Ministry has already left for Tunis to investigatc the cause of the disaster it is not iike.lv tliat tlie J'nrmal service court of i inquiry will he held in view of the ] speeial cinaunstances in wliich tlie d'is- 1 aster occurred. In regard to the romoval ot the ! macliine ' and the engine no decision can be taken until. further details are rece.ived. . Amoug air experts little dqnbt )s felt that the disaster occurred some time before eight o'clock on tlie Tuesday evening. This eaJeulation is based on tlie facts that tho airmen reported their position by wirelesis at four o'clock, when tliey were 60 miles off Sardinia, and sliould have sent out another message four liours later. They crashed before the four liours had elapsed, but meamvbile had covered some 400 miles. Darkness would have fallen before eight o'clock, and all the circumstances poiut to the macbine getting off its course in a storm that was raging and crashing into tlie mountains without tlie pilots heing able to sce the high gronnd in front ol: them. His Majeslv the King has sent the following message to Lord Thomson, Secretarv for Air : — "It is with mueh regret that I learned of tlie disaster to the monoplane near Tunis, resulting in the death of Ihe two pilots, Squadrou-Lcader JonesYVilliams and Flight-Lieuteuant Jenkins, and I join the Royal Air Force in niouruing the loss of two distingnishcd.and gallant officers. Please convey to their faniilics my sincere sympathy."