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Seven men, the crew of an Royal Air Force Halifax bomber, are leave, July 7, 1943 in Cairo. They are recovering from spending II days adrift in the Mediterranean. Their bomber was one of a formation attacking a target in Italy and was on its way home when engine trouble forced the captain to land the aircraft on the sea. The seven men took to their rubber dinghy and made for the North African coast, but the strong sea running against them made the navigation of the dinghy almost impossible. Not until the eleventh day dawned was the dinghy close off shore. The seven men helped by people on the shore made a landing and were put up for the night in a tent. As soon as they rejoined their unit the men were sent to Cairo on leave. These pictures show how they spent some of their time. Their names are, Warrant officer (now pilot officer D.F.C), Harold (“Mickey”) Vertican, of Hall, Yorks, captain of the aircraft. Sgt. F.B. Ward, of Hendon, N.W, and Sgt. W.S (“Ace”) Allard, aged 20, of Wye, Kent, both of whom were on their first operational flight.F/O. John (“Timmy”) Tempest of Leeds, Yorks, who was awarded the D.F.C.Sgt.J.(“Jock”) Gordon of sterling, Scotland, who was awarded the D.F.M. All these awards were announced this week. (Photo by AP Photo)
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