RNZAF News reports that residents of the village of Cowie, in Stirlingshire, Scotland, will hold a memorial service this Saturday, the 19th of May 2007.
The memorial service is to commemorate Flying Officer Carlisle Everiss, RNZAF, who opted to stay with his Spitfire when he suffered engine trouble, in order to stare the aircraft away from a miner’s accommodation that it would have hit had he baled out.
He was killed in the crash at Cowie Colliery but saved other’s lives in doing so.
Afetr the crash his portrait was hung in the clubhouse of the local bowling green, the drawing entitled ‘Carlisle Everiss – The Face of Courage’.
On Saturday a new memorial to his memory is to be unveiled at the Museum of Flight, East Lothian, thanks to the efforts of the Scottish New Zealand Society.
By: Dave Homewood - 15th May 2007 at 07:29
Today the real story has been posted on stuff.co.nz it seems
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4060455a11.html
Sorry for the confusion
Scottish village honours Kiwi Spitfire pilot
NZPA | Tuesday, 15 May 2007
A young New Zealand pilot who sacrificed his life saving a small Scottish village in World War 2 will have a bronze bust unveiled in his honour this weekend.
Carlisle Everiss, 26, is regarded as a hero in the small village of Cowie, Stirlingshire, after he refused to bail out and stayed with his stricken Spitfire to steer it away from houses on October 2, 1941.
Villagers said he knew his decision meant almost certain death.
He died moments after his Spitfire crashed into railway sidings at the Cowie Colliery. He was pulled from the burning wreckage by villagers and given the last rites.
They believe his actions saved the lives of countless villagers.
On Saturday the village will unveil a large rock statue with a bronze bust of the Kiwi hero mounted on top to his memory.
The Royal Air Force will to hold a flyover of Tornado fighters.
The statue was “a testament to his fantastic courage and sacrifice,” local councillor Gerard O’Brien said.
“No one here underestimates the contribution Carlisle Everiss made in sacrificing his own life for the sake of not just the villagers at that time but for all generations to come.
“This tribute is about ensuring he will be remembered not just by Cowie but by the rest of the world, and forging lasting links with his homeland.”
Cowie Bowling Club secretary Pat McCormack told NZPA it was a “big, big event for us”.
A portrait of Carlisle Everiss, called “The Face of Courage” had hung in the clubrooms for many years, Mr McCormack said.
By: JDK - 15th May 2007 at 06:41
Tsk, Dave…
I wonder if they condensed a report and got it muddled up, as often happens when editors tamper with a journalist’s work.
Sometimes Editors do inadvertently introduce errors. However the term ‘editor’ encompasses the job; and for every error introduced by an editor, count ten more made by the author that you don’t see because of the editor’s work.
It’s just as likely (perhaps more so if the Editor replied on the author’s expertise rather than checking) that the author made the error.
Yours, editorially speaking….
By: RadarArchive - 15th May 2007 at 06:07
Dave,
I assume it is taking place at Cowie and that, as you say, there has been a mix-up in the editing. I can only presume the editor got mixed-up with a reference to the memorial plaque at the museum to RNZAF aircrew killed in Scotland during the war.
Whatever the mix-up, I just wanted to make sure that forum members didn’t come to the museum on Saturday expecting a memorial unveiling.
By: Dave Homewood - 15th May 2007 at 00:36
Hi Ian,
That’s very odd, yes it did come from the article and from what it states it makes out that the museum is the venue for the unveiling event. I thought it odd that it wasn’t to be in the village.
The exact text in the report, after talking about Everiss’s deed in which he sacrificed himself to avoid hitting the buildings, states:
“On 19 may, thanks to the efforts of the Scottish New Zealand Society a special memorial is to be unveiled at the Museum of Flight in East Lothian.
Society chairman Peter Leslie summed up the thoughts of many when he said: ‘His split second decision saved the lives of countless miners and their families and it is only right that his actions should be recognised.’
Perhaps you need to have a word with Mr Leslie and see what’s going on?
I wonder if they condensed a report and got it muddled up, as often happens when editors tamper with a journalist’s work.
By: RadarArchive - 14th May 2007 at 16:25
On Saturday a new memorial to his memory is to be unveiled at the Museum of Flight, East Lothian, thanks to the efforts of the Scottish New Zealand Society.
Dave,
I assume the above comes from RNZAF News as well? Wherever it’s from, it’s wrong! This is not new and was put on display several years ago. It was removed as part of the redisplay of the collections but put back on display last year. An unveiling this weekend would be somewhat late, and there is nothing planned for Saturday that we know of!
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May 14, 2007 at 4:27 am