The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 13

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Mmnaur Li maa lit H'l ntf vlalnltv planes that were fighting the far-flung battle of Midway. One -of the larger carriers already burned fiercely, while enemy cruisers and destroyers wheeled around it waiting to rescue personnel. Twenty minutes later the American dive-bombers rocketed into view. In the face of terrific anti-aircraft fire and enemy fighter attack, the American planes levelled for the qssault- Gay heard bis machine-gunner say he had been hit But the approach continued. Near the great Japanese carrier.

Gay launched" his projectile, then swung sharply over the. target and sped astern as fast as his plane could carry him. Suddenly an explosrve shell from a Zero fighter ripped through his torpedo plane's rudder controls. The detonation -seared Gay's left leg. Almost simultaneously, a small calibre bullet-struck his upper left arm.

Pancaked Into Sea. Coolly, Gay brought his heavy plane into a stall' and pancaked into the sea several miles astern of the enemy carrier. His gunner was dead, and in the emergency landing his radioman was unable to pull free. At -11 Gay, alone, watched the tail surfaces of his disappear. Now a bit of luck held with him.

Out of the sinking wreckage floated the bag containing the deflated rubber life raft-rand a black cushion on which the bombardier kneels while working. Gay figured his chances quickly and accurately. There had been reports, of Japanese strafing' helpless pilots bailing out by parachute, and of machine-gunning of men in such life rafts as had floated clear of his own 'plane. Gay declined to offer himself as such a victim. He ducked under the cushion as enemy fighters swarmed overhead.

Not knowing the extent of his wounds, he felt cau.tiously at his arm. The bullet, which apparently had struck him at the spent end of its trajectory, dropped out in his -hand. "For some recalled, "I put it in my mouth. Maybe 1 wanted a souvenir. Anyhow, I lost it before long." He bandaged his injured leg under water.

As the afternoon waned, the Japanese made frantic efforts to stem the damage. An enemy cruiser sought to stand alongside a crippled carrier, but seemed unable to approach close enough. Gay observed this vessel's big guns begin to rake the wounded carrier, presumably to scuttle her. Sometime later a destroyer managed to come alongside the still floating carrier to remove survivors. Overhead, Gay said, Japanese 'planes appeared to be circling in a vain attempt to land on the smashed carrier.

They would pass above her, then soar out of sight, and return. Gay saw two other enemy carriers struck squarely by bombs. Tremendous fires burnt from these vessels. Great billows of smoke churned upward with the flames flaring me apex in dark column. Internal explosions sent new gushes of smoke and fire belching from the carriers at momentary intervals, he said.

As the Pacific fleet attack ended, the second Kaga class carrier was on fire from bow to stern. Surface craft gave Gay some close brushes. One enemy destroyer appeared to be driving straight at him as she sped to aid f. stricken carrier. He thought it would run him down, but at the last instant it swirled past him harmlessly.

A heavy cruiser steamed by less than S00 yards from him. Gay saw her crew lining the rail, their wtyte uniforms gleaming against the battle-paint, grimly watching the destruction of their force. Fate Kemalns Mystery. Darkness fell, and he never learned what became of them. In the' twilight, "maybe a little earlier than inflated his life raft from his! car-bondioxide bottle.

He said he. had his fill of salt water. Working calmly, the young pilot had to make emergency patches on several bullet holes in the rubber boat before it would sustain him safely. He clambered The long night began. Far to the north, great.

glowing patches appeared in the sky. Gay thought these might have been the searchlights' of Japanese res cue vessels seeking to pick up carrier personnel. There didn't seem to be much else to do, so he "tried to catch a few winks of Toward morning, he was awakened from fitful slumber by three explosions which he believed may have been demolition charges. Several hours after sun-up a navy patrol plane, on a search, spotted his rubber boat. Later the plane returned and picked up Gay.

Later a navy doctor asked- him what treatment he had for his The SECTION TWO Pages 13 to 22 VOL. LIL OTTAWA, TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 1942. Eyewitness Tells Epic Story of Great Midway Battle 1 i'V Ottawa Officer and Three Sons on Active Service, Lieut. Col. Arthur Black American Pilot Watched 'Planes Smash Jap Carriers Line of Flaming Enemy Ships Crawled By As He Sat in Life-Raft Arid three Sons Serve Canada Former Rough Rider Star on Active Service for Second Time Journal By WALTER CLAUSEN.

PEARL HARBOR, June 8. iP) The first eye-witness account of the battle oT Midway came today from a naval aviator who, floating in, the sea, saw a line of, burnirfg Japanese ships pass by. The sailor's story was revealed by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the United States Pacific fleet. From 25-year-old torpedo plan pilot of the Pacific fleet one of the most amazing eye-witness accounts of a major naval engagement in the history of sea warfare.

The pilot had what veteran naval officers termed, "a fish eye view' of operations during an attack on three Japanese carriers -participating in the battle of Midway. Watched Havoc Wrought For he watched the havoc wrought when American dive-bombers and torpedo planes blast at these huge targets observing from the surface of the sea itself while clinging to his boat-bag and covering his head, with a seat from his plane to avoid detection. The pilot is Ensign G. H. Gay, son.

of Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Gay, of Houston, Tex.

Gay is recuperating today from minor wounds suffered when his squadron heavy enemy fighter opposition while driving home a torpedo attack on one of the largest carriers in the enemy fleet early on June 4, the day the battle of Midway opened. Only Gay of the crew of three Survived the crash of his plane shortly after he launched a torpedo at a carrier of the Kaga class. What happened thereafter is aVnal epic. Wreened by Warships. Taking off from his fleet carrier with his squadron.

Gay approach-ed the objective in mid-morning. Visibility was unlimited. Below lay three Japanese less than. 10 miles extending between the firt and last of the enemy ships, whichVwere screened by a considerable force of. cruisers and destroyers.

Gay took stocky of Jhe astounding drama below hirfl. Two Kaga class carriers had been, taking on their aircraft. Anothen smaller carrier lay between receiving BOYS' BATHING TRUNKS Wont, cravenette Size 20 1.00 to 1.95 PETERBOROUGH BOATS AND CANOES SAIL BOATS OUTBOARD MOTOR REPAIKS PLAUNT HARDWARE CO. Naw AS draaai SPARKS Cor. LYON LOANS $50 for $3.58 (Tstel Cast) $100 for $7.10 (Tetal Csst) aa riaaia' la tlx laatUf 1 LIEUT: COL.

ARTHUR BLACK. Midway, Again Proves Case Of 'Planes Over Warships By SANDOR S. KLEIN, BrlUth Unltad Praia Corraapoadaat. WASHINGTON, June 9. The Battle of Midway, which today appears to have subsided, apparently was another demonstration of the ability of heavy land-based aircraft to repulse- superior naval force.

On the basis of sketchy reports available, it seems certain that when the final accounting is made a i large share of the toll of Japanese ships in the great sea battle in the central Pacific will be credited to army and naval flyers. Even before Midway, according to Lieut. Gen. Henry H. Arnold, U.S.

Army Air Forces alone destroyed 33 Japanese warships. Those figures apparently included the Battle of the Coral Sea which Admiral Ernest J. King, i Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet, has described as a decisive setback for the enemy.1 Big Army bombers played a major role in that battle which drove 4ff an invasion fleet destined for Australia. Superior in Air.

During the early months of the war, experts said, Japanese successes were mainly a result of air superiority and possession of land bases from which huge bombers could operate. I The Battle of the Coral Sea, these experts' said, provided the United States with its first chance to use heavy land-based bombers in large numbers against a- Japanese naval force. The Battle of Midway, which now seems to have been a sequel to the Coral Sea engagement, provided an even greater opportunity for land-based aircraft because of the proximity of the bases in the Hawaiian Islands, including Midway, i Since it is known that great distances were involved in the burns and he replied: "Well, I soaked 'em in salt water for 10 hours," They headed back to the base. The surface of the battle area was littered with black Japanese life-rafts, I presumably used by the enemy when they abandoned ship. Great patches of oil floated on the debris-strewn sea, Gay said.

Gay reported that the one carrier of the Kaka class could be listed as a "certain' while the other two carriers were These were, later pursued by American forces engaged in finishing off the crippled units of the Japanese fleet 1 Gay's wounds are not serious. George Donald Dalglish Wireless Graduate One of- the Ottawa men who graduated from No. 4 Wireless School, Guelph, on Saturday'' was George Donald Dalglish, 21, son of Mrs. Olga Dalglish, 106 Hamilton avenue, and the late George Dalglish. Wireless Operator Dalglish, was employed at Canada Packers Limited, for four years previous to enlisting in the air force.

He is a graduate of the High School of Commerce. i MAJOR A. W. BLACK. Midway battle, it could be deduced that heavy land-based bombers of the Boeing Flying Fortress Consolidated B-24 types were the Army's major con tribution to the American defence.

Those "planes are capable ot flying long distances they were used in the recent American raid on the Philippines from Australia and carry tremendous bomb' loads. They can operate in altitudes beyond the effective combat range of Japan's best "plane, the Zero Bore the Brant. Admiral Chester W. Nlmltx, who directed the defence ot Mid-1 way, already has emphasized the part played by aviation in stopping the great Japanese thrust eastward. One of his first communiques reported that "the brunt of defence to date has fallen upon aviation personnel, in which the Army, Navy and Marine Corps all were There has been no specific mention yet of the size or type of the American naval force that participated in the battle.

Arnold's figures on the number of Japanese warships sunk by Army flyers before Midway were at variance with those compiled from official communiques. That compilation' credited the Army with sinking 10 warships and the! Navy with 34. Some Army Air officials sought! to explain that discrepancy by saying that1 the Navy may have inadvertently been credited with sinkings accomplished by Army bombers operating in conjunction with naval forces. Navy spokesmen would not comment for the present, But whichever branch of the armed services gets the most credit at Midway, it is evident that their combed efforts dealt the Japanese crushing Taken together with their losses in previous, actions, it appears. that the major portion of the striking force of the enemy's navy has been sunk or damaged during the last six months.

Rush B.C. Roads Minister Tells Inquisitive Member Labor Minister Humphrey Mitchell on Mondsy night told the House of Commons the Government was "going to press with vigor the road-building policy under way at the present He skid that in the next three or four months "probably 'there will be more work ot that kind going on in British Columbia that has for its purpose the successful prosecution ot the war in that part of the The Minister was replying to a request from Hon, Grote Stirling Yale), for some assurance that the missing link In the Hope to Princeton higrvwy-in British Columbia would be Mr. Stirling said British Colmmbla people had been 'urging for St- yean the eom-' pletion of that highway and had hoped the se of Japanese labor wenld make this eb-' Jectlve But the working gangs of Japanese now on the Job were short of machinery. The Minister said machinery was scarce and hard, to get but there had been some improvement. He was anxious to see that highway completed.

But there was also a desire, to use Japanese to ease the acute labor shortage in certain other parts of the Dominion, on such projects as cultivation of sugar beets and pulpwood cutting. Nevertheless the "slack" would be taken up in the -road-building camps, Mr. Mitchell said. Electrical Output May Reach 50 Billion k.w.h. TORONTO, June 8.

CP) Electrical output in Canada last year reached 32,000,000,000 kilowatt hours, six times the output of the last war, W. E. Bass, electrical appliance administrator, told the Canadian Manufacturers' Association here today. In 1942, Mr. Ross estimated the output may reach 50,000,000,000 kilowatt hours.

CAPT. P. R. BLACK. Expect New 'Face Saving' PEARL HARBOR, June 8.

(V-Stung desperately by the hornets' nest it uncovered at Midway Island, what was left of a powerful Japanese fleet sought hiding near home waters today to lick its wounds and probably prepare for anfither "face saving" smash at the United States defence In the Pacific ocean. How many of the enemy warships may have been able to withdraw to safer waters was not definitely known. Official reports of the battle that began last Thursday, however, said at least three Warships were sunk, 11 badly damaged and the accompanying air arm virtually wiped out. Against this liquidation of 7 Japanese sea power known American losses were the sinking of a destroyer, dam age to an airplane carrier and destruction of some "planes. (Informed quarters in Washington, predicted the enemy would make new and desperate efforts to break the growing strength air and naval might of the United States.

They either must launch new operations on the water front running from Alaska to Australia, these sources said, or by their 6 -'4 Blow by Jap 1 i if 5. tVw'X i I f. Qk. PUm End or Cork Tip Jb as 1 Ma A a a Vu a ff.t iklTCN -t AY 1 -t i FLT. LIEUT.

M. BLACK. Lift Curb on Bread But Ration Clothes DUBLIN, June 8. (Pi -Discontinuance of bread and -flour rationing, in force since last February, was announced tonight by Supply Minister Sean Lemasa. At the same time he announced that clothes rationing would -start tomorrow on the basis' of 52 coupons a year for each A woman's full outfit requires 30 coupons, a man's 40.

Shoes and hats are excepted. i inactivity admit eventual defeat in the United Nations' expected grand offensive.) Contact with the enemy was lost Saturday night, said Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander of the Pacific fleet At that time the force that launched the all- out attack on Midway appeared to be; withdrawing. The victory off Midway, ranking with the greatest in American naval history, undoubtedly brought greatly nearer the zero hour for the all-out attack against Japan by the United Nations. This was made 1 certain by the crippling blows to the enemy fleet and its air Sask.

Conservatives To Elect New Leader 1 SASKATOONS June 8. (CP) Annual convention of the Saskatchewan Conservative Association, to be held in Regina June 18, will be marked by the election of a new leader to succeed J. 1 Deifenbaker, member of Parlia ment for Lake Centre, who has tendered his resignation. I 5-f The Black family, formerly of Ottawa, is in the war 100 percent' When Arthur Black! left the Ottawa: sporting scene to go to war, he was destined to his mark with the Canadian not only in the First Great but in this one, too. Badly; wounded twice in the previous four years, he came home in 1913 with the Military Sons Follow i Nqw a lieutenant-colonel commanding a west cqast unit, he has been followed up the path of military service by all his three sons, two of them overseas, and one flying bombers for: the R.C.A.F.

Arthur Black' knew where to put his -weight when he played middle tor the Roufeh Riders ih the seasons of 1910-11-12. An effective plunger, he jwas also the team's best morale builder, for after the game was over the coach always had him use his fine voice to lead the boys in song. His sporting activities embraced more than the gridiron alone. He held the Ottawa- 100-yard, freestyle swimming championship and also the junior single-blade paddling championship: Honors he won in rowing were numerous, too, for he spent his time, alternately, at the Ottawa Canoe Club and the Ottawa Rowing Club. Ed.

Elliott, who used to pay. beside him on the Rough Rider line; was a visitor in Ottawa' a few days ago. He is now a mining engineer. Arthur Black served in the first Great War with the 21st Infantry Battalion and held the rank of major. Upon his return to Canada he joined the Royal i Canadian Army Service Corps as a lieutenant and in the intervening 19 years has stayed with the corps to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He commands a unit. at Victoria, B.C., and his wife, the former Phyllis Whitley, of Ottawa, is with him. Their marriage took place in Ottawa in 1913, Born in Vancouver, the future Military Cross winner was six years old when his- father, a C. P. employe, died in Ottawa as the family was preparing to return i Big guns like these year ago broke the silence of a Mediterranean dawn.

Heavy British ships. sheltered by light craft, were to England. Arthur completed the trip with his mother and re- ceived his preliminary' education T1 It 1 1 1 England. Then "the family returned to Ottawa and Arthur fin- -j ished his education here ind entered the Civil Service as an em. ployei of the- Pdst Office Depart-, ment.

1 Mother 89th -Yean Now in her 89th his, -mother, Mrs. Arthur W. Black; resides at 278 Wilbrod street The three sons of Lieut-Cot Black, M.C-. are fast catching up with their father in rank and distinction." Major A. W.

(Bill) Black, 27. R.C.A.S.C., in England, was promoted; to that rank from captain only last week. Intending to take up farming as his- vocation', Major Black had completed four years at the! Ontario Agricultural Col-' lege before enlisting at. the out- break of war." Captain Patrick Cameron-Rooke Black. 26, is a permanent force man with the Canadian Armored Corps overseas.

He donned khaki some eight months before the fighting started. Captain Black attended Queen's "University. Flight Lieut Michael Black. 22. flies big bombers from the R.C.

A.F; base at Newfoundland, to points farlfiorth and only one of the three pot single, Flight Lieut. Black married a Toronto girl two years ago. He. is a close friend of Wing Commander William MacBrien, commanding officer at Uplands. Both Capt Black and Flight Lieut Black were born in Ottawa and, attended Osgoode Street When Lieut-Col.

Black. M.C jo.ined fhe permanent force in 1923 his duties carried him to many parts of Ontario-and the family jwas resident at London, Toronto, and KingstonX The three fighting Black boy are no mean athletes. Black gained international fam as a rider and was sent to England to take part in Coronation ceremonies for King George Vi. Hi brothers were, not found wanting In athletic spheres, either. lot of water has flown under the bridge since Arthur.

Black trotted out on the gridiron with the Ottawa Rough Riders, but he is still 'fplaying the game" and so are his sons. I pumping over 300 tons of shells into Genoa. To do so, they disregarded enemy mines, subs, planes, shore Total British losses, one Swordfish plane. '-i.