Wing-Commander Clive

Brewster

The following , from Sydney “Sun” of June 14, is about a man very well known in Fiji.

VETERAN Australian air fighter of the last war, Wing-Commander Clive Brewster took time off from an administrative job on land to act as gunner in a United States bomber dur ing Friday’s raid of Koepang.

Wing-Commander Brewster, OBE, MC, Legion of Honor, Cross of St. Olaf, is in command of the RAAF officers’ School of Administration, in Melbourne.

He got in touch with Captain Howard Merkel, pilot of one of the Liberators, and Merkel agreed to take him on the raid.

In the last war, Brewster fought with the British Flying Corps against Rich thofen’s famous souadron. and was offi cially credited with shooting down eight German planes, and probably destroying a score.

He had never used .50 guns, but they looked like the familiar Vickers.

“To hold those two guns against the slipstream was no mean physical feat, but I managed to get six Zeros directly in my sight before pressing the triggers.

“When I fired my first burst over Koe pang, I was using a gun in the air for the first time since the last war. I think it is a good thing to leave the lee ture room for short periods like this, and get some realism into one’s training.”

Brewster piloted a Sopwith fighter in France during the last war, firing his last combat shots in 1917. His chief

regret over Friday’s raid was that only one of the six Zeros he sighted decided to give battle.

Sgt-Pilot Ronald Mackay, RAAF, form erly a popular resident of Thursday Island, was killed in a flying accident in England after training in Canada.

Trooper Arthur T. Filewood, of Thurs day Island, has been wounded in action.

Mr. Ray Parer, attached to the “small boats” of the Navy, has “made the head lines” again with some daring exploits on the NE Papuan coast.