750,000 views – another milestone!

As always, I am so pleased to be able to announce another viewing milestone – doubly pleasurable as the number we have just reached includes the number 75!

It seems incredible that the site has now recorded 3/4’s of a million views and of course it’s entirely down to all of you who have visited and in most cases, contributed to the information now presented on it – thank you to you all!

As I have remarked a number of times previously, I am aware that the nature of the function of the blog has seems to have changed. It’s sad that the majority of posts recently have to been to record the passing of our Squadron veterans. My efforts seem now spread between a losing battle to keep up with email enquiries – I will get to you all eventually! – and the slow but highly rewarding activity of researching and adding to the Nominal Roll section of the site – the last ‘great project’.

I would request as I always do, to please, please, download the aircrew information form from the top menu bar – complete as much as you can and send it to me – there is a lot of information that I want to add to the entries that I simply have no way of accessing or knowing – but family and relatives do – even the smallest piece of information when undertaking an activity like this is gold dust.

Again, I must always single out Chris Newey and Kevin King for their continuing support and efforts not only in the Nominal Roll Project, but also generally regarding information found and passed on

750,000 views – wow! – there won’t be another on of these milestone announcements till we hit that magical figure of 1 million views!

Thank you all

Simon

ANZAC Day 2021

“Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.“

 In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered these words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. They were later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington.

Let us take this day to remember all those, from Australia and New Zealand who gave their lives, not only in 75(NZ) Squadron RAF, but in every conflict before and after.

We shall remember them………….

AHE AKE KIA KAHA

Jack Francis David Jarmy DFC– Navigator

It is with profound sadness that I must pass on the news of the loss of another member of 75(NZ) Squadron RAF. Jack Francis David Jarmy passed away after a long illness on the 27^th of March, less than a month before his 99^th birthday.

Jack arrived at Mepal on the 21^st of July 1943 as a Navigator in the Mayfield crew, with my own Father, who was Air Bomber with the crew.

The Mayfield crew completed their first tour with the Squadron after only 21 Ops – on instruction from Group to try to show the remaining crews that it was in fact possible to survive a stay at Mepal – at what was at the time, a dangerous period in the Squadron’s history.

After an instructional posting Jack joined 218 Gold Coast Squadron and completed his 2^nd Tour, just 2 months or so before the end of the War.

Jack stayed in the RAF and retired in 1977.

Jack’s widow and son have written an obituary to Jack which can be read in full here on the International Bomber Command Centre’s Facebook page – it is of course, entirely fitting that the family should remember him in full, so I thought it would be fitting to offer my own tribute to Jack based on my conversations with him about his time with 75(NZ) Squadron and my Father

It was only after my Father’s death that I felt compelled to find out more what he had done in the RAF and at least initially, something of the boys he had flown with. One night, when beginning my research, I – for whatever reason – felt compelled to search through a box. I came across a printout of information on the Squadron and on the back, written in Bob’s hand, were the names Mayfield and Jarmy. Struck by the astonishment that at some time forgotten, I must have spoken to Dad about the Squadron – I contacted Kevin King, Chairman of the UK Squadron Association to ask if he knew anything about these 2 individuals. Even then, I was resigned to the fact that I was probably chasing ghosts – but a call from Kevin floored me when he said that not only did he know him – but that Jack would love to speak to me!

There followed several phone calls and a wonderful weekend spent with Jack and his wife Joyce. At the time, I was astonished by his energy, both physical and mental and we talked for 2 days and late into 1 night!

Like my Father, Jack also originally enlisted and was rated as suitable for Pilot training. Unlike Bob, Jack went to the United States to train and was victim to their rather mechanistic approach of 1/3’s regarding training and progression. Having missed out in that final 1/3 cut, Jack was given the option of either transferring onto an Air Bombers course, or to wait (peeling potatoes as it transpired) for a Navigators course, where the 2 top graduates would be commissioned.

P/O Jack Jarmy arrived with many other young airmen at No.11 Operational Training Unit, Oakley on the 6^th of April 1943. Methods of crew creation were not at all scientific – beer, sandwiches and a few hours left to their own devices seemed enough. Jack recalled he first met the Pilot, Allan – he was impressed with his moustache and therefore thought he could probably fly as well. When the 2 bumped into my Father, an enquiry as to his proficiency as an Air Bomber was met with, if I imagine my Father, a suitably compelling and expletive filled response and that was enough for them! – and so the crew began to form…..

Listening to Jack, I think what struck me was the precarious nature of the operational flights – I knew they weren’t pleasure flights, but I suppose I had tended to view the ORB reports of the raids and occurrences therein as a definitive description of ‘what happened’. Jack made it clear to me that this was certainly not the case – he actually said that he personally didn’t expect to last 30 ops. Whilst he didn’t say he thought he would die, he was resigned to ending up a PoW.

Jack and the boys never returned with all 4 engines working and they were hit by flak on every raid. On one raid, just prior to making the final run into target, Jack went up into the astro dome, first looking to the back of the aircraft, only to turn his head to see a Lancaster only 50 foot above them with it’s bomb bay doors open – a screamed ‘STARBOARD BANK NOW!’ to Allan resulted in the Stirling banking to vertical as the Lanc’s bombs silently fell through the space that their wing had occupied only seconds before.

On their second raid the Flight Engineer accidentally turned the wrong fuel valve whilst balancing wing fuel loads as they approached the Dutch coast on the way out. All four engines stopped mid-air and everybody was reaching for their chutes – luckily the F/E realised what had happened and opened the valve pretty quick smartish and they flew on to the target.

It also appears that Dad’s remark in the logbook referring to ‘shot up train’ did in fact relate to him shooting the train up himself! Returning from their 3rd Op –  Gardening in the Gironde Estuary, Dad saw a train and got Allan to drop the plane down to about 150 foot and they shot the hell out of it – when they got back they were as pleased as punch – when they told the Intelligence officer during their debrief, he apparently ‘bollocked’ them and said if they pulled a stunt like that again, they would be on a court martial – apparently the Germans often sent out flak trains with the express intention of luring allied aircraft down to low level, before dropping a side panel on a carriage and cutting the aircraft to ribbons with a set of 20mm cannons.

On a fighter affiliation and flight check, a Typhoon came in a bit too tight and a bit too fast, despite the pilots best efforts, the Typhoon took the end 4 foot off of their wing – Jack rather calmly observed ‘if it had been a foot more, we would have been buggered……..’

It was clear from talking to Jack that the friendship between himself, my father and their Pilot Allan Mayfield was strong. Despite being the only commissioned officer in the crew, and thus sleeping and eating separately from the rest of the crew, they grew close – perhaps as they all occupied the front end of the aircraft.

As was the practice, at the end of the tour the crew were spilt up and set on instructional duties. Perhaps by luck, Jack and my Father stayed together when they were both posted to No.3 Lancaster Finishing School at Feltwell. No doubt they spent time together and one day cycled over to No. 1651 Heavy Conversion Unit, at Waterbeach, to meet up with Allan.

Eventually it was time to leave and perhaps a little worse for wear, Jack and Dad started the long cycle ride back to Feltwell. On rounding a corner, the sudden appearance of a policeman startled both and the decision was made perhaps foolhardily to out cycle him – a sound plan till they both rode into his car parked around the next corner! Now caught, details – all made up of course were given to the officer and they returned to Base possibly more chastened than when they had left. A few days later, Jack whilst instructing a group on Navigation techniques was rudely interrupted by the arrival of the same police officer – my Father, rather shame faced in tow behind. Perhaps inevitably My Father found himself, sometime later in front of a magistrate in Ely. Having listened to the details of that night my father was fined 1 shilling. Upon asking the whereabouts of Officer Jarmy, My Father was pleased to inform his Honour that sadly F/O Jarmy was currently in Ely Hospital suffering from a bad case of tonsilitis – but, that he should rest assured that as soon as was humanly possible, he would be well enough again to continue his fight against the tyranny of the Third Reich. Duly noted, the Magistrate then fined Jack 2 shillings. My father never one to let an injustice escape him, challenged the unfairness of this decision and promptly had his fine raised to the same 2 shillings………

At the end of their instructional posting, Jack and Bob had to go their separate ways – Dad went back to 75(NZ) Squadron and Jack was posted to 218 Gold Coast Squadron.

It was only in talking to Jack that we each discovered something. Jack had spent years after the War trawling through the phonebooks of Scotland trying to find Bob. Bob was ignorant of this till the day he died and had, fatefully for Jack’s efforts, not in fact returned to Scotland, but had stayed in England, having married my Mother.

Twice on our visit Jack stopped rigid and stared at me – remarking that I looked just like Bob – I felt honoured – doubly so………

Ake Ake Kia Kaha!

We will Remember Them……….

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Poem by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), published in The Times newspaper on 21^st September 1914.

This year, Remembrance Sunday will stick in our minds I suspect for no reason other than it either feels as if it did not happen or happened in a very different way to what we are used to. As always however, it is a point in the year where we take time to pause and reflect on those who have fallen for the defence of their country. This is, quite rightly, an intensely personal moment and gesture and I am sure we all do it in our own ways, in some respects necessarily cocooned from those around us for those minutes and that silence – and it is this that makes this Sunday so important and resonant for all those who remember those who have fallen.

And so as a way allowing the act of remembrance to take place – some stories…..

Many of you will know Kevin King, either personally or by repeated mentions of him on this site. Chairman of the UK 75(NZ) RAF Squadron Association and probably the most knowledgeable person on the Squadron. Always at Mepal for Remembrance Sunday and always playing the Last Post, suddenly this year he is not going…… Kevin’s solution and a beautiful one I think, was to produce and display the following, I assume in his front garden, as a tribute and marker for the Squadron.

I met Mark Rae a good few years ago when he attended a Remembrance weekend reunion for the Squadron Association, which was also the debut of a song that he wrote and produced to honour the memory of his Grandfather, John Bell, Navigator with Ronald Gordon’s crew, one of 3 aircraft lost on the 20th November 1944 on one of the trips to what is widely recognised as 75(NZ) Squadron’s ‘bogey’ target, the Fischer Tropsch oil refinery at Homberg. I noticed Mark had paid a vist to the Lincolnshire Aviation Museum recently to take as I have done a taxi ride in their Lancaster NX611 ‘Just Jane’. Mark filmed the event and you can see it below.

I recently did a request for information/ contact post about Keith McGregors’s crew, with the simple objective of trying to reach out to and possibly hear back from relatives of his crew, 6 of whom were lost on the night of 30th of August 1943 whilst on War Ops to Berlin. Perhaps at the time my reasons other than important were a little guarded, as I was keen and I felt it fit to try first to talk to relatives before announcing as follows that I have been gifted, very kindly by Gerald a large number of pieces of wreckage from their Stirling Mk.III  Bomber, EF501, AA-K.

I must confess, after the first email contact form Gerald I was left a little cold, albeit flattered that he had thought to contact me having, himself come by the items from a German gentleman who had recovered the wreckage. I asked for some time to consider his offer. I have always been deeply uncomfortable with images particularly in some Facebook groups of boxes of wreckage jammed into cardboard boxes by enthusiastic crash hunters from all over Europe – I don’t damn them for it, certainly not, but personally I think crash sites, especially when in the ground are best left as they are, especially if the site is potentially and I hate the term – ‘wet’.

I mulled it over and on balance decided to take up Gerald on his very generous offer – now in the wild as it were, I think it was best I have them, given my links to the Squadron and through the blog it seems a perfect opportunity to return, if wished, the wreckage to the surviving relatives of the crew.

Having no reason whatsoever to doubt Gerald’s assertion that the wreckage was from EF501, I did some digging anyways and was happy when, after posting some pieces with manufacturing numbers on the Stirling Society Facebook page, received confirmation that not only were they from a Stirling, but that the part numbers identified it as being from the tail section of the aircraft. The images of these parts are below and show the serial numbers. The two parts both have serial numbers on them and both seem to be either mirror or perhaps each end of a larger part. They are double skinned aluminium and seem both to have a strip of wood/ plywood sandwiched between each pressing

I include some other parts now, simply perhaps to spark further debate discussion as to the position/ function of the pieces. Firstly, and perhaps most interestingly, a metal component with what is clearly fragments of plexiglass set into it – at this point my conjecture is possibly that this is a frame component of the Rear Turret – based on the previous 2 parts.

Next and possibly related is an iron, or perhaps heavily corroded steel rack – the teeth are clearly visible, and the depth of the teeth are about ¼ of an inch – perhaps again a part of the rear turret?

I have no means of identifying any functional aspect of this piece, however I include it simply to show the shocking concertinaing that an impact with the ground at speed and from altitude has on an airframe.

Finally, simply a fascinating example of multi-sheet construction utilising what in the day, was the main method of holding an airframe together – rivets. I would imagine though I have no proof that this is possibly a main member or possibly surface junction, possibly of the tail plane or rear wings. The following 2 pictures show the front and reverse of the same part.

I must confess when I had thought of this post and the presentation of this wreckage, I had lofty plans, however, handing and inspecting them, bought home to me 2 things. Firstly, that they are wreckage – broken, twisted, unidentifiable parts on the whole, of what was once a massive aircraft. Secondly that 6 allied airmen died in this aircraft and their bodies were never found. I am familiar with these pieces now, but still handle them with the respect that at least I think they deserve. I intend to continue to research the parts, document them all photographically and then, if and where possible return the pieces to family members of the crew. I am nothing more than a custodian of these remains, until ownership can be offered.

For the 6 McGregor crew and the other 1,133 members of the Squadron who were lost.

We will Remember Them

Ake Ake Kia Kaha!

700,000 views – and amazing new milestone!

We have reached another incredible viewing milestone – now over 700,000 views and almost 1,500 followers!

I find myself always saying the same at these points – but it still amazes me and also makes me incredibly proud that the viewing figures continue to rise – a single proof that there is still massive interest in the Squadron and support for it.

It’s been a strange and very testing time for all over us in the last 12 months or so. I must confess, the number of posts has perhaps reduced, but as a necessary need to enhance the website as a resource, I have found my attention almost completely dominated with the Nominal Roll project – but it has been worth it. Subject to revision and corrections, we now have a definitive list of all operational aircrew that flew with 75|(NZ) Squadron RAF during the War period. The first stage, listing all individuals alphabetically with text holders for their biographies is complete. Next will come the addition of these biographies and also where they exist, photographs of the individuals. I have to congratulate Chris Newey and Kevin King at this point for a herculean effort and forensic search to provide to date, photographs of almost 25% of those individuals listed on the Roll. My gratitude also to all of those that have so far downloaded, completed and returned the aircrew information sheets – they have, in all cases, added to our knowledge of those airmen.

By its nature the Nominal Roll project will still take a very long time to complete. I still have a lot of information to add that I hold and there is, I am pleased to say, an almost daily flow of new information that has to then be added to the database, output and either added or updated to an existing entry. I am also pleased that in this search, I and others are forming new links with other Squadron groups, whilst searching out the personal stories of the Squadron and through this new channels and exchanges of information are taking place – all incredible useful to all parties concerned.

It’s already becoming, I am sure a broken record, but please if you see this post, or are a regular reader of the blog, do consider downloading the aircrew information form and completing as much as you can – even small pieces of information such as date and place of birth add to the boy’s story.

Once again, thank you to all of you, both contributors and readers – you have all played a part in getting 75nzsquadron.com to where we are today!

Simon

The McGregor Crew on this day, 77 years ago – a search for relatives…….

Today marks the 77^th anniversary of the loss of 5 of the McGregor crew, whilst undertaking operations against Berlin. It is perhaps serendipity at play, that recently I have come by something that means that I need, if possible to reach out and hopefully, connect with any relatives of the crew that might be out there.

I have my fingers crossed – 7 years ago I was contacted by the great-nephew of the Pilot, Keith McGregor and I have been able to reconnect with him and his family again, just the day before last.

I am very keen to try to widen this circle of contact with other relatives of the crew and share with them, what I shall describe at this point as a very interesting find indeed.

The McGregor crew arrived at Mepal on the 29^th of July. On the 30^th of August the crew engaged with a an ME110 on a sortie to Munchen Gladbach – ‘The aircraft captained by F/S McGREGOR, K. sighted an ME110 astern, the rear-gunner fired a long burst, the Stirling corkscrewed and the Mid-upper gunner fired a long burst. The enemy aircraft replied and dived away with smoke pouring from its engine. It is claimed as possibly destroyed’.

The following day, the McGregor crew took off with 17 other Stirlings from Mepal to join a force to attack Berlin. Early in the hours of today,  77 years ago, Stirling Mk.III EF501, AA-K was, it is believed, attacked by a German night fighter. The attack was short and catastrophic, forcing an almost immediate dive which resulted in it crashing into the ground, south of Potsdam. Five of the seven crew were killed. The Flight Engineer and Mid-upper Gunner, were able to escape the aircraft whilst still airborne and it was a letter later sent by Geoffrey Bond, the Flight Engineer to Keith McGregor’s Mother, that shed light on the final moments of the crew and AA-K that night.

F/S Keith Alexander Mcgregor, RNZAF NZ415770 – Pilot.
Lost without trace age 21.
Son of Matthew Alexander Mcgregor and Jeanie Mcgregor, of Waikouaiti, Otago, New Zealand.
Commemorated Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England..
Grave location – Panel 199.

F/O James Benjamin Lovelock, RNZAF NZ416324 – Navigator.
Lost without trace age 26.
Son of John Edward Jones Lovelock and Ivy Evelyn Lovelock.
Commemorated Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England..
Grave location – Panel 197.

F/S William Adam Kilby, RNZAF NZ415261 – Air Bomber.
Lost without trace age 40.
Son of Henry John Kilby, and of Christina Kilby, of Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand; Husband of Alice Kilby.
Commemorated Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England..
Grave location – Panel 199.

F/S James Guthrie Baker, RNZAF NZ41142 – Wireless Operator.
Lost without trace age 27.
Son of Henry and Charlotte Baker; Husband of Ellen Baker, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Commemorated Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England..
Grave location – Panel 198.

Sgt. Geoffrey Alec Arthur Bond, RAFVR 1801229 – Flight Engineer.
P.o.W
Prisoner of War Number: 43256
Prison Camps: Dulag Luft, Stalag Luft VI/357
Date of return to United Kingdom: not known

Sgt. George Frank Dummett, RAFVR 1377778 – Mid Upper Gunner.
P.o.W
Prisoner of War Number: 12730
Prison Camps: Dulag Luft, Stalags Luft VI and Luft IV
Date of return to United Kingdom: not known

Sgt. Terence Grange, RAFVR 1323448 – Rear Gunner.
Lost without trace age 22.
Son of John and Ellen Grange; Husband of Esther Grange, of South Lambeth, London.
Commemorated Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England..
Grave location – Panel 151.

I’ll take this opportunity to not only remember the boys who were killed this morning, but again, cast out a hope that I might now be able to connect with any other relative of the crew – however distant, so I can share with them what I have found.

I would ask any of you who read this post to try to spread it further, through any means possible to try to make a connection.

many thanks

Ake Ake Kia Kaha!

Nominal Roll update – significant progress!

I am really excited to announce a very significant step forward with the Nominal Roll project. All letters, A-Z have now been created and populated with all aircrew names that appear on the Roll as operational aircrew.

In addition to this, “A” has been completed based on the first pass of information held in the database.

I have said many times before, the term ‘completed’ is a very relative one. It seems each time I return to an individual and metaphorically stare at them, another small piece of information comes to light and thus can be added – contacts this week alone have added the first names of 5 of the boys.

Additionally to this, I have dragged Kevin and Chris on board and we have had a massive increase in photographs of Squadron members, as well as new information to add.

At this point we have 431 photographs – 12% of the 3578 individuals listed – I am sure we will find many more – with your help!

Also, for easier access and perhaps to catch the eye of new visitors to the site, I have now created a specific top menu item that takes you to the downloadable aircrew information form – PLEASE if you haven’t filled one in, or thought about it and then forgot – go back, roll up your sleeves, put on your glasses, make a cup of tea and make your contribution to the Squadron, this site and the individual you are remembering!

View the “A” page……….

here

Nominal Roll – another update!

I am pleased/ relieved to announce that the Nominal Roll for the Squadron is now complete! Possibly, this sounds a lot better than it actually is, but it represents a significant point as I now have an individual Op history attached to every individual who flew Operationally with the Squadron. As I have observed many times previously, this was never going to be a quick or easy project. Starting with a blank sheet of paper and interrogating my original crew history spreadsheet, I have now, over a number of years, generated a basic list of names and then to these, attached Operational histories. Additionally, I have begun to add extra information to individual records from published sources and the extensive, if patchy historical records that exist and that are accessible.

The size of the basic list, when extracted from the spreadsheet into a Word document is 1249 pages – if laid out end to end, it would be 370 meters long…….

The histories I now have are are highly variable in size, both by duration and Op count, ranging from a number of individuals who completed 2 tours with the Squadron to, too many, who excruciatingly only have a single Op recorded, on which they were lost…..

Soberingly, based on the arrived figure of 3,480 individuals who flew operationally, based on total losses for the Squadron of 1,139, the maths shows an almost exact 1/3 chance of not surviving the Squadron, once you had arrived. Clearly, not simply by fancy, the unofficial moniker of “The Chop Squadron” was chillingly true.

I am keen to try (eventually) to provide as detailed a record for all individuals as I can. For some this will be a proud point of reference for a family, for others it will be simply a record of their contribution and a permanent statement of their commitment and bravery through the War.

The database has been built to be flexible and to accept whatever information I am able to gather on an individual. In truth, a lot of this information I have no way of gathering without the help of all the readers of this site. Without being unnecessarily wordy, I am keen that these records have a narrative feel to them – after all, it is these boy’s story that is being told – a small thing like a date of birth allows me through the database to have an age for the individual airman when he arrived at the Squadron. A service record allows their journey prior to Operational duties to be known and also the date of arrival and departure from 75(NZ) Squadron, as well as where they went afterwards. Working through Errol Martyn’s breathtaking record of all RNZAF losses – “For your Tomorrow” I have been able to add to all RNZAF aircrew lost on Operations, small details of life – whilst known on this site as a Pilot, an Air Bomber or Rear Gunner, it’s touching to discover that they were also clerks, shepherds, plumbers, plasterers and teachers. The extensive records held and accessible in the Australian National Archives, for those RAAF aircrew that flew with the Squadron provides the same personal insight into an individuals life before service and in many cases the pain when they were lost.

I am also pleased to say that WordPress have recently provided an alternative method of creating pages. One addition is a 2 column block, which means that, where it exists, a photograph of the individual can also be included. A sneak peek of what I envisage for the Nominal Roll when it becomes live can be seen here – this is ‘Z’, mercifully small, but it let’s you see the planned layout and the wonderful visual addition to a record that a picture makes – by coincidence Vernon Zinzan, my Father’s 2nd Tour Pilot.

I have also produced a pro forma for submitting individual information, which can be downloaded here

request-for-information-form-for-nominal-rollDownload

I still have a lot of information to add to the database and I hope I might receive more based on this request! – at a point in the next month or so I will begin uploading information in the format previously mentioned…………

Victory in Europe – 8th of May 1945

A wonderful opportunity today, to remember the cessation of hostilities in Europe, on this date, 75 years ago. I am sure we are all sat here today, having perhaps expected to engage with these anniversary celebrations in a way significantly different to how and where we find ourselves on this Friday.

The report of this momentous day was recorded in the Mepal Station Log, with, typically understated, yet factually precise manner as can be seen below:

One assumes that there was the odd beer and celebrations a plenty, though, the Squadron was still tasked with flying responsibilities, perhaps fittingly, it was this day that saw the final ’Manna’ sortie flown from Mepal in support of humanitarian efforts for the Dutch people.

Strangely, I have found no specific recollections of this day, though one must assume for many it represented a massive release, but perhaps also the start of the collective burden that many of the boys would carry to varying degrees for years after.

It was not long before attentions turned from the smouldering devastation of the defeated Third Reich to the Far East, where the War continued and as such, plans were made to reconfigure the Squadron to support these intended needs – 75(NZ) Squadron was to join ‘Tiger Force’. I was perhaps a cruel irony that these plans did not include the RAF aircrew of the Squadron, the Squadron being crewed exclusively by RNZAF aircrew.

75(NZ) Squadron RAF finished the War with highest number of sorties flown in all of Bomber Command, the second highest number of operational aircraft loses and the second highest number of aircrew loses in the Command – a total of 1,139

 

AKE AKE KIA KAHA!

Update to Nominal Roll – B

Before you all get excited, the apparently quick arrival of ‘B’ to the Nominal Roll section of the site is more to do with the built up reservoir of gathered individual Op histories for this section, than an indication of the speed that the whole list might appear.

A few little tweaks to the database – I realised when I updated ‘A’ that there was no way to automatically differentiate between a single Op and multiple ones, regarding ‘Op’ or ‘Ops’ – a little bit of extra code and that’s been solved. Whilst a small detail perhaps, it looks tidier and saves me from having to manually check and correct prior to up loading.

The surname Brown has been quite problematic, I must confess. A large number of RAF aircrew of this surname have no differentiating initials and a certain amount of conjecture has had to be performed to arrive at what will probably be refined and corrected over time. As always and particularly with this project, I welcome comments, corrections and suggestions regarding the accuracy of the records and especially with individuals where only a surname and therefore possible errors or discrepancies exist.

View the updated section B of the Nominal Roll here.

Update to the Nominal Roll

Personal circumstances have forced me away from broad research, emails and general site activities recently, owing to Mum’s health taking a dip and the family having to take it in turn’s to go down and be with her – but for 97, she’s still going strong!

The time has at least allowed me to push on with the data entry for the Nominal Roll. As I have noted in previous posts, this is a colossal task and will potentially dwarf the Crew Op History database, when it is finally (if ever) completed. Aside from the gathering and researching of information on the individuals in the roll, it’s entry into the database and the subsequent generation of entries for the NR section of the site has proved to be quite problematic – some individuals, such as Dad, flew with just one crew for each of his tours – others have (so far) flown with 8 during their stay with the Squadron.

Initially I had arranged the database with a series of repeated sections to record each crew that an individual might have been part of – resulting in a series of ‘blank’ lines which would contain joining text such as “Flew with xxxx for xxx Ops as xxxx” but no actual data as they were extra to that individual. Initially, I was happy with this and thought I could just delete the empty rows of each entry when I added the information to the relevant page. Of course, as this project has continued, the individual secondary editing of entries prior to publishing is a completely ridiculous strategy, given there are approximately 3,500 individuals contained in the list.

At the start of the new year I decided I had to dig deeper into the database and give it the intelligence to understand presence and absence of data and give it the ability to subsequently gather the separate pieces of information in a presentable format, automatically. 3 months later I am pleased to present the next stage of the NR project – All of the A’s have been updated to the next level of data completion – this will steadily increase as repeated sweeps are performed or new information comes in on individuals, but as you will see, it s shows a significant upgrade from the basic name and trade position that remains for the time, for the rest of the NR section. Perhaps a little smugly, I would draw your attention to the fact that the entries added have been added as is, straight from the database – the only work I have done is to bold the surname and add a divider line between each individual’s entry.

I have also taken the decision to generate a ‘completion’ rate for each individual. In discussion with Chris, it seems that at least the post war “Manna” flights were counted as a third of an Op, however in the absence of confirmation for the other post war sorties, the CR figure is based on completed operational sorties undertaken during the War. Broadly, an Op that resulted in the individual’s death, capture etc have been not counted, but an entry of this kind does reflect the event – the individual in question having for example 7 Ops as completed, but killed on the 8th Op. I am aware that there are instances where an aircraft would have been bought down after bombing and thus the sortie would count – these will be identified and corrected accordingly in time.

View the new updated ‘A’ section of the Nominal Roll here.

We will remember them

All lost with 75(NZ) Squadron – 1940 to 1945

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them.

Ake AKe Kia Kaha

Another milestone – 600,000 views!

Just to let everybody that we have just passed the latest big viewing milestone – 600,000 views!

Almost 13 months to the day since we passed the half a million mark, you, the blog audience have added another 100,000 views to our tally and with it we get another small step closer to the magic figure of 1 million views. I think the passing of this new milestone, in the time it has happened is all the more remarkable given my silence regarding posts for essentially 1/4 of the year owing to the self inflicted loss of my laptop!

I have received questions over the years regarding what has been claimed to be my unnecessary emphasis on statistics and particularly the total viewing figures. In the past, I have tried to explain, but now I simply refute these queries. Put simply, this website has become, the largest single resource for 75(NZ) Squadron RAF in the world. It has achieved this by having the most comprehensive collection of records, information and images on the Squadron, which is freely accessible to all. This complete open door policy regarding information is vindicated by the volume of visitors and views that are recorded.

Frustratingly I am picking my way through the busiest part of my professional year – assessment, the awarding of Degrees, the preparation for our annual London show and planning for next academic year means that I am waiting for a clear gap in the next few months to present new material that has come to me over the last 6 months or so – all of you have have contacted me, please be patient – it will all be presented as soon as I can!.

Without sounding like a broken record – please can everybody share the site – so many relatives of the boys who flew with the Squadron have made contact over the years, that it makes me think that there are still many more that have yet to find the site. Please, share the site address, on social media, through the facebook groups you are members of – we need to find these people and we need to encourage them to share what they have or might know.

Also, please, please, please apply for your relatives service records! I cannot overstate the value and importance of the contents of these records to me and the site. Many dates and locations, because of the points of formation of a crew and their subsequent training means that details supplied for one person means that the same details of movement and training can be added to up 6 other individuals. As soon as I can, I will make a downloadable template available to hopefully streamline the transfer of personal details etc that I need for the database.

Here’s to the next 100,000 views!

Ake Ake Kia Kaha!

Squadron Nominal Roll – ‘1st occurrence list’

I am pleased to announce the addition to the top menu of a ‘Nominal Roll’ section.

I realise that I have already been working on this project for about a year and a half, gathering information, researching and creating a database. Based on what I have so far done and what therefore seems to remain to do, I now know that is impossible to even, at this point, estimate a completion date.

To this end, I have decided, in the first instance, to put up the original ‘1st occurrence’ list that the database is based on. This list, as the name suggests represents the first occurrence of every individual name that appears in the original crew database. My focus has also further refined – initially I took the reluctant decision to only focus on aircrew, based on the almost complete absence of a verifiable list of groundcrew. I have now taken the decision to focus on aircrew who flew at least 1 recorded Op or post War (Europe) sortie with the Squadron. The Form 540 records, particularly from the very well administered period of 1943, shows the very high number of movements in and out of the Squadron by aircrew who never actually flew operationally. The only exception to this new focus will be those individuals that were killed whilst with the Squadron, but whose death did not occur whilst on Ops.

On inspection, you will see that in its first iteration, the list is very basic, presenting an individual as follows:

ABBOT
D.A. Abbot. RNZAF NZ401219 – Air Gunner

Whilst overall, I have more information for most individuals than this, it is not constant or complete. To this end, I think it is better to provide this first complete list and then add/ edit it, regarding extra information than delay publishing for a mythical point of completion that might never be achieved. This current entry should be considered, relative, to what I believe is entirely achievable for the Squadron based on gathered information on my own Father, below:

SOMMERVILLE 
Robert Douglas ‘Jock’ Sommerville RAF 1562617/ 161049
Arrived at RAF Mepal on Wednesday, 21 July 1943, from 1651 H.C.U., Waterbeach aged 20
Trained as Air Bomber
Op total with Squadron, 21 

Undertook 21 Ops with AJ Mayfield’s crew as A/B

Tour History
30/07/1943 – Mining off the Frisian Islands, 02/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Hamburg, 06/08/1943 – Mining in the Gironde Estuary, 10/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Nurenburg, 12/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Turin, 16/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Turin, 17/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Peenemunde, 27/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Nuremburg, 30/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Munchen-Gladbach, 31/08/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Berlin, 05/09/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Mannheim, 08/09/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Boulogne, 15/09/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Montlucon, 16/09/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Modene, 22/09/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Hanover, 23/09/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Mannheim, 03/10/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Kassel, 04/10/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Frankfurt, 08/10/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Bremen, 18/11/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Mannheim, 19/11/1943 – Attack Against Targets at Leverkusen.

The Mayfield crew were screened on direct orders from 3 Group Headquarters, prior to the regulation 1st Tour total of 30 Ops being completed. The news was delivered to the crew on the morning of the 20th of November, along with one other crew, as yet to be identified. It would appear, the decision to screen the crew at this point in their tour, was to show the remaining crews that there was in fact a chance to survive the ‘chop’ Squadron, as 75(NZ) Squadron was beginning to be described, at a point in time where crew losses were beginning to mount.

Time with Squadron, 4 months 24 days (arrival to departure date)

Posted to No.3 Lancaster Finishing School, Feltwell, for instructional duties Wednesday, 15 December 1943.

2nd Tour 
Arrived at RAF Mepal on Thursday, 25 January 1945 from No.3 Lancaster Finishing School, Feltwell, age 22
Op total with Squadron, 21 – plus 1 dnc, (02/03/45 Attack Against Cologne) 

Undertook 22 Ops with VJ Zinzan’s crew as A/B

Tour History
01/02/1945 – Attack Against Munchen Gladbach, 02/02/1945 – Attack Against Wiesbaden, 09/02/1945 – Attack Against Hohenbudburg, 13/02/1945 – Attack Against Dresden, 14/02/1945 – Attack Against Chemnitz, 16/02/1945 – Attack Against Wesel, 19/02/1945 – Attack Against Wesel, 20/02/1945 – Attack Against Dortmund, 02/03/1945 – Attack Against Cologne (DNC), 04/03/1945 – Attack Against Wanne Eickel, 06/03/1945 – Attack Against Salzbergen, 07/03/1945 – Attack Against Dessau, 09/03/1945 – Attack Against Datteln, 10/03/1945 – Attack Against Gelsenkirchen Buer, 12/03/1945 – Attack Against Dortmund, 14/03/1945 – Attack Against Heinrich Hutte, 20/03/1945 – Attack Against Hamm, 23/03/1945 – Attack Against Wesel, 29/03/1945 – Attack Against Salzgitter, 04/04/1945 – Attack on Meresburg, 13/04/1945 – Attack on Kiel, 14/04/1945 – Attack on Potsdam.

Time with Squadron, 3 months 9 days (arrival to departure)

It also strikes me that by making this basic list available, there is far greater opportunity for new information to be provided by visitors to the site. I have activated comments on all pages of the list with the hope that this provides the easiest way for people to add information that can then be added to the database.

One sobering fact that has already come to light, based on a total count in the list is that almost 1/3 of individuals that flew with the Squadron, died in it.

I am currently keen to get the following information on individuals:
Date of Birth
Dates and location of training bases prior to 75(NZ) Squadron
Post 75(NZ) Squadron postings
Post War career/ achievements
Date of death

Please have a look at the list and if you feel you have any useful information, please leave a comment or email me.

Either go up to the top menu or go to the list here.

New crew pictures

The Curr crew:
L-R: Sgt Leslie Kennedy (front gunner), F/Sgt Ken Crankshaw (rear gunner), Sgt Frankie Curr (skipper), P/O Ronald Hull (wireless operator) and Sgt Ivan “Sully” Sullivan (navigator).
With their regular Wellington BJ721 AA-A “Achtung ANZAC”.
NZ Bomber Command Assn. archives, Ken Crankshaw collection. 

Chris has come up trumps – massively, with a huge collection of crew photographs that have been added to the respective crew pages on the site. The majority come from the New Zealand Bomber Command Association Archive and as always I must give sincere thanks to the Association and Peter Wheeler. Also massive thanks to everyone else who has passed on photographs to Chris and to those that have given images that have been previously presented in posts, that have now also been added to the crew pages.

Perhaps as I am yet to find a crew picture containing Bob, I find myself always drawn to these photographs. To see a group of the boys together, usually smiling at the camera, despite the situation they found themselves in makes me think that what we see shining out of these pictures is true spirit and camaraderie – caught in a split second of time, but now persisting forever.

This is a significant addition not only to the crew pages but to the site as a whole and I am sure that some visitors are going to find, perhaps for the first time, a picture of a loved one. Please take the time to have a look via the links below – there are some remarkable examples – and if you can identify anybody in them – as always, please contact us!

New photographs have been added to the following crew pages:

V.A. Adolph
J.K. Aitken
K.E. Amohanga
B.L.D. Anderson
A. Ashworth
J.M. Bailey (1st Tour)
R.B. Berney
E.V. Best
I.E. Blance
A.A.N. Breckon
E.F. Butler
I.S. Carroll
F.L. Curr
A.G. Daly
F.H. Denton
J.A. Emslie
J.F. Fisher
R.C. Flamank
R.E.E. Fotheringham
A.A. Fraser
C. Glossop
D.V. Hamer
W.L. Hardy
N.J.N. Hockaday
D.G.G. Horgan
J.Joll (2nd Tour)
C.E. Kay
J.R. Layton
R. Leggett
F.J. Lucas
F.J. Lucas (2nd Tour)
R.D. Max
C.A.G. McKenzie
I.G.E. McPhail
C.A. Megson
E.L.K. Meharry
H.A.D. Meyer
A.G. Osborne
G.N. Parker
W.G. Reay
R.W. Russell
D.L. Thompson
H.J.D. Treewheela
L.G. Trott
F.H. Turner
R.J. Urlich
E.E.D. Ware
White
N. Williams
S. Wilson
E.F. Witting
J.H.T. Wood
J.L. Wright
J.L. Wright (2nd Tour)
J.S. Young

ANZAC Day 2019

“Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.“

 In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered these words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. They were later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington.

Let us take this day to remember all those, from Australia and New Zealand who gave their lives, not only in 75(NZ) Squadron RAF, but in every conflict before and after.

We shall remember them………….

AHE AKE KIA KAHA

The Evans crew – and a bit of a mystery………

I t was lovely to meet up with Kevin two Sundays ago for the November Remembrance Ceremony at Mepal. Kevin mentioned that he had received a photograph from a lady, who had found it in the processions of her late mother. Her assumption was that her mother had perhaps been a pen-pal to the crew pictured in the photograph.

At the time, I was slightly confused by Kevin’s comment that I didn’t have anything on the crew, but when I got back home, I realised a slight faux-pas on my part, I had accidentally overlooked actually adding the history to the crew page!

Referring to the Squadron database, I suddenly became very confused. The Evans crew were returned as flying 5 Ops with the Squadron, their first being a gardening sortie to the Frisian Islands on the 16th of December 1943, their last on the 15th of February 1944, again mining, this time to Kiel, (Roy Evans flying as 2nd Pilot with Osric White on the 18th of November to Mannheim).

Imagine my surprise when looking at the scan of the back of the crew photograph:

Clearly there is a slight discrepancy in totals. One might summise that the crew had already been posted elsewhere, however, all seem to have come to Mepal straight from 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Stradishall.

I would be fascinated to hear from anybody who might have anymore information on the Evans crew, or any of its members and their 27 Ops completed…………

For the Fallen – Lest we forget

Poem by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), published in The Times newspaper on 21 September 1914.

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon composed his best known poem while sitting on the cliff-top looking out to sea from the dramatic scenery of the north Cornish coastline. A plaque marks the location at Pentire Point, north of Polzeath. However, there is also a small plaque on the East Cliff north of Portreath, further south on the same north Cornwall coast, which also claims to be the place where the poem was written.

The poem was written in mid September 1914, a few weeks after the outbreak of the First World War. During these weeks the British Expeditionary Force had suffered casualties following its first encounter with the Imperial German Army at the Battle of Mons on 23 August, its rearguard action during the retreat from Mons in late August and the Battle of Le Cateau on 26 August, and its participation with the French Army in holding up the Imperial German Army at the First Battle of the Marne between 5 and 9 September 1914.

Laurence said in 1939 that the four lines of the fourth stanza came to him first. These words of the fourth stanza have become especially familiar and famous, having been adopted by the Royal British Legion as an Exhortation for ceremonies of Remembrance to commemorate fallen Servicemen and women.

Laurence Binyon was too old to enlist in the military forces but he went to work for the Red Cross as a medical orderly in 1916. He lost several close friends and his brother-in-law in the war.

RAF Bomber Command Profiles – 75(NZ) Squadron

I am quite excited to be able to announce the imminent release of a new book on 75(NZ) Squadron RAF.

This book is the latest of the  RAF Bomber Command Profiles that were first published in the 1990’s and takes and extends the original format.

Due to the special character of the Squadron, and the level of interest, Chris Ward and the publishers wanted to obtain input and perspective from New Zealand, and approached the NZ Bomber Command Assn. for assistance.

Executive Officer of the NZBCA, Peter Wheeler, provided access to the Association’s extensive photo archives and offered the help of NZBCA member and 75 (NZ) Sqdn enthusiast (and our own) Chris Newey.

The last history of the squadron, “Forever Strong”, was published in 1991, 27 years ago. While it contained many valuable personal recollections and photographs, there were some factual errors, and not a lot of operational detail. Given that, and the rare opportunity that this project represents, there was a determination from both parties to make the book as accurate as possible, and the photo collection as comprehensive as possible.

The text is written by Bomber Command specialist Chris Ward, and like his other Profiles, it is based around the squadron’s Operational Record Books. However he brings a detailed knowledge of 3 Group and the broader sweep of events that the squadron operated in, and makes the narrative easy to follow. The extract below gives an idea of the level of detail provided, attempting to include pilot’s full names, aircraft serial numbers, identification codes and details for all significant events, to give readers a strong starting point for further research.

There are 395 photos included, many previously un-published, plus copies of rare documents, the NZBCA’s archives supplemented by sources that include the Air Force Museum of NZ, Archives NZ, Simon Sommerville’s 75nzsquadron.com, Auckland War Memorial Online Cenotaph, and several collectors, families and individuals who generously contributed to the project.

The soft-back edition will be published in the next few days, to be followed at a later date by a limited edition, glossy hard-back.

The soft cover edition will be available on Amazon, but other distribution and retail details still to be advised.

478 pages, 8.5 inches x 11, 175 pages of photos.  Probably US$ 25 due to the size.

I will update you all when I know exact dates of release, points of sale and price. I would encourage you all to support this publication as an essential printed reference companion to the blog.

 

ANZAC Day 2018

“Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.“

 In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered these words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. They were later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington.

What follows for this ANZAC Day post is a list of all RNZAF and RAAF airmen who lost their lives flying with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF. They are listed by country and graveyard.

AHE AKE KIA KAHA

UNITED KINGDOM
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
GUNN, Garth Reginald    MiD	Age 26	Squadron Leader  411397  RNZAF	21st September  1944
SIMONSEN, Horace Dean	Age 31	Leading Aircraftsman  438024   RNZAF	17th April  1941
Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.
BEAVEN, James Wilfred	Age 31	Sergeant 403566 RNZAF	22nd May 1942
MACKAY, Andrew Donald	Age 22	Pilot Officer  411919   RNZAF	22nd May  1942
SMEATON, Wilfred Herbert	Age 28	Sergeant  405331   RNZAF	23rd May  1942
Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire, England.
BLEWETT, Terence Douglas	Age 26	Flight Lieutenant 414376 RNZAF	17th January 1945
BROADY, Raymond Herbert John	Age 28	Sergeant 39691 RNZAF	28th November 1942
DOBSON, Peter Gerald    MiD	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 439022 RNZAF	8th September 1943
EAST, Patton Mason	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 426083 RNZAF	24th October 1943
EMMERSON, Ronald Harry	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 410330 RAAF	16th December 1943
HURDLE, Walter	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421279   RNZAF	4th November  1943
JENKIN, Ralph Francis	Age 23	Flying Officer  416119   RNZAF	16th December  1943
KINROSS, Colin John	Age 30	Pilot Officer  417069   RNZAF	16th December  1943
MENZIES, Ian Robert	Age 21	Flying Officer  415002   RNZAF	8th September  1943
PURVES, James John	Age 35	Flight Sergeant  422207   RNZAF	25th October  1943
RANDLE, James Robert	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  416539   RNZAF	24th October  1943
WILSON, John Stanley	Age 34	Flying Officer  426234   RNZAF	17th January  1945
Chevington Cemetery, Northumberland, England.
McISAAC, Alexander	Age 24	Sergeant  412891   RNZAF	28th November  1942
Feltwell (St. Nicholas) Churchyard, Norfolk, England.
BENTLEY, Loch Lomond	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 403936 RNZAF	23rd December 1941
FOUNTAIN, Cedric Niel	Age 23	Pilot Officer  41981   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
GANNAWAY, Eric Francis	Age 21	Sergeant  402110   RNZAF	12th May  1941
GRENFELL, Richard John	Age 22	Sergeant  404026   RNZAF	29th June  1942
HARRIS, Richard James	Age 24	Sergeant  402999   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
JOYCE, David Campbell	Age 21	Sergeant  401278   RNZAF	16th July  1941
MITCHELL, Norman	Age 25	Sergeant  404084   RNZAF	29th June  1942
NICOL, Trafford McRae	Age 21	Pilot Officer  411929   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
RYAN, Alexander James	Age 25	Pilot Officer  391367   RNZAF	10th January  1941
WOODHAM, Henry William	Age 27	Sergeant  402449   RNZAF	28th February  1942
Grimsby (Scartho Road) Cemetery, Lincolnshire, England.
MEE, Alexander Coutts	Age 23	Sergeant  40656   RNZAF	7th May  1941
NOLA, David Leo	Age 26	Sergeant  39930   RNZAF	7th May  1941
Ilford (Barkingside) Cemetery, Essex, England.
THORPE, Noel Humphrey	Age 21	Flying Officer  428168   RNZAF	26th February  1945
Lakenham (St. John the Baptist and All Saints) Churchyard, Norfolk, England.
HARVEY, Edgar William	Age 27	Sergeant  41902   RNZAF	16th December  1942
Newmarket Cemetery, Suffolk, England.
CLUBB, Selwyn James	Age 20	Flying Officer 414593 RNZAF	13th May 1943
FRANKLIN, Benjamin Allan	Age 21	Sergeant  414277   RNZAF	16th December  1942
HARVEY, Robert Frederick	Age 23	Sergeant  416483   RNZAF	13th May  1943
JOHNSTON, John	Age 28	Flying Officer  416198   RNZAF	13th May  1943
WALSH, John Arthur Ernest	Age 27	Warrant Officer  401294   RNZAF	9th April  1943
WELCH, Harold Rangi	Age 23	Sergeant  41709   RNZAF	16th December  1942
WHITCOMBE, William Henry	Age 32	Sergeant  41561   RNZAF	16th December  1942
Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
AITCHISON, Richard Justin	Age 28	Pilot Officer 429286 RNZAF	1st January 1945
BABER, Thomas James Edward    MiD Czech Medal for Bravery	Age 23	Flight Lieutenant 39857  RNZAF	12th March 1942
BAGNALL, Trevor Horace	Age 26	Warrant Officer 40640 RNZAF	17th December 1942
BAKER, James Guthrie	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 41142 RNZAF	1st September 1943
BARTON, Arthur James Douglas	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 413700 RNZAF	5th February 1943
BENTLEY, Robert Henry Waldron	Age 23	Pilot Officer 414580 RNZAF	5th May 1943
BOSWELL, John McLaren	Age 26	Sergeant 414491 RNZAF	5th May 1943
BRADEY, George Edward Francis	Age 25	Pilot Officer 401954 RNZAF	11th August 1942
BRAILEY, Clifton Robert	Age 23	Sergeant 404589 RNZAF	21st June 1942
BRIAN, William Leslie Fred	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 411737 RNZAF	28th April 1943
BRIDGMAN, Arthur Mervyn	Age 26	Pilot Officer 41866 RNZAF	3rd March 1943
BROUN, Alan Stewart	Age 32	Pilot Officer 405367 RNZAF	9th July 1942
BROWN, Russell Howard	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 425444 RNZAF	22nd May 1944
BRUHNS, Harold Henry	Age 22	Pilot Officer 42367 RNZAF	24th February 1944
BRYSON, Norman Albert	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 40859 RNZAF	26th July 1942
BUCKLEY, Ross Cameron	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 411206 RNZAF	28th April 1943
BURTON, Clarence Sydney	Age 22	Sergeant 414493 RNZAF	3rd March 1943
BUTLER, Laurie Licence	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 421672 RNZAF	24th February 1944
CAIRNS, Louvain Trevor	Age 25	Flight Sergeant 402437 RNZAF	26th July 1942
CHAMBERLAIN, Lloyd Montgomery	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 40914 RNZAF	12th March 1942
COLLINS, John Noel	Age 23	Flight Lieutenant 2513 RNZAF	21st May 1940
COPPERSMITH, Raymond Patrick	Age 21	Sergeant 391697 RNZAF	26th July 1942
CORIN, Henry George	Age 34	Sergeant 417269 RNZAF	28th April 1943
CUMPSTY, Frederick William Raukawa	Age 25	Pilot Officer 413386 RNZAF	31st July 1943
DANCE, Alfred Thomas	Age 25	Flying Officer 42495 RNZAF	4th November 1943
DARNEY, Jack Neville	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42376 RNZAF	31st July 1943
DARTON, Thomas William	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 416465 RNZAF	26th May 1943
DAVIDSON, Neil Douglas	Age 21	Pilot Officer 422057 RNZAF	21st July 1944
DROMGOOLE, Sydney Houston	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 402171 RNZAF	22nd April 1942
DUNKERLEY, Allan Roy Frank	Age 33	Pilot Officer 423083 RAAF	21st November 1944
DYER, Sydney Allan	Age 19	Sergeant 40101 RNZAF	16th July 1941
EARLE, John	Age 29	Pilot Officer 401756 RNZAF	12th March 1942
ELLIOT, Thomas Isaac	Age 24	Flying Officer 421364 RNZAF	21st November 1944
FALCONER, Arthur James	Age 23	Pilot Officer  39910   RNZAF	21st February  1941
FALKINER, Philip	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425140   RNZAF	30th July  1944
FAWCETT, Arnold Goodrick	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  422698   RNZAF	4th November  1943
FERGUSSON, Allister Archibald	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  425391   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
FINLAYSON, William John	Age 23	Pilot Officer  39911   RNZAF	24th October  1940
FITZGERALD, John	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  424777   RNZAF	30th August  1944
FREEMAN, Patrick Paul Deane	Age 22	Sergeant  413305   RNZAF	5th February  1943
GAVEGAN, Jack Ralph	Age 30	Pilot Officer  402128   RNZAF	9th July  1942
GOING, Raymond Cyril	Age 21	Sergeant  414278   RNZAF	3rd March  1943
GOULD, James Douglas	Age 21	Sergeant  411233   RNZAF	11th July  1942
GREEN, Cyril Vincent	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  402997   RNZAF	11th August  1942
GREENING, Joseph Wesley	Age 27	Pilot Officer  40022   RAAF	3rd July  1941
HADFIELD, Graham Stanley	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  426239   RNZAF	14th March  1944
HALLIBURTON, Keith	Age 23	Sergeant  415411   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HARE, Philip Edgar	Age 19	Sergeant  401227   RNZAF	16th July  1941
HARRISON-SMITH, Francis Charles	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  403959   RNZAF	30th November 1941
HARTSTONE, Roydon Horatio	Age 29	Sergeant  40211   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
HIGGINS, Eric Vincent Keiran	Age 27	Sergeant  400277   RAAF	16th July  1941
HIRST, Raymond John Finlay	Age 22	Sergeant  404067   RNZAF	11th July  1942
HOWELL, Alexander Clunie	Age 22	Sergeant  392104   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HOWES, Victor Charles	Age 20	Sergeant  413418   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HUNTER, Patrick Torre	Age 29	Sergeant  42297   RNZAF	28th April  1943
INNES, Owen Alfred	Age 22	Sergeant  421935   RNZAF	30th May  1943
JONES, Roy King	Age 26	Flying Officer  425611   RNZAF	21st July  1944
JUDD, Douglas Howard	Age 26	Sergeant  413336   RNZAF	10th September  1942
KAY, Alan Lister	Age 35	Flight Sergeant  42299   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
KELLY, Reginald Joseph Stephen	Age 24	Sergeant  403580   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
KILBY, William Adam	Age 40	Flight Sergeant  415261   RNZAF	1st September  1943
KNIGHT, Leon Gaston	Age 22	Sergeant  405494   RNZAF	9th June  1942
LAMB, Erwin Henry Reubin	Age 29	Sergeant  413709   RNZAF	5th May  1943
LEWIS, Alfred Edward	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  412458   RAAF	28th April  1943
LODGE, Tom	Age 35	Flying Officer  417284   RNZAF	4th November  1943
LOVELOCK, James Benjamin	Age 26	Flying Officer  416324   RNZAF	1st September  1943
MacKAY, Kenneth McIndoe	Age 27	Pilot Officer  421829   RNZAF	21st July  1944
MacKINNON, Douglas Malcolm	Age 20	Sergeant  40923   RNZAF	16th July 1941
MAHOOD, Thomas Stanley	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404916   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
MARTYN, Leslie Arthur	Age 35	Flight Lieutenant  417082   RNZAF	21st November  1944
MASON, Frederick David	Age 21	Sergeant  1230433   RAFVR	16th August  1943
MAYO, John Russell	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  417085   RNZAF	7th August  1943
McGREGOR, Keith Alexander	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  415770   RNZAF	1st September  1943
McKENZIE, Frank Edwin	Age 22	Sergeant  391085   RNZAF	9th July  1942
McMAHON, Henry Thomas Owen	Age 27	Sergeant  403019   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
McPHERSON, Colin Valentine	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  404912   RNZAF	26th July  1942
MONK, Walter Jack	Age 24	Pilot Officer  411432   RNZAF	30th June  1942
MOORE, Cyril James	Age 25	Sergeant  410555   RAAF	6th July  1943
MUIR, Anthony Vincent	Age 29	Pilot Officer  40195   RNZAF	21st February  1941
NAIRNE, Colin George	Age 22	Pilot Officer  42117   RNZAF	30th July  1944
NATION, John Ross	Age 22	Sergeant  40945   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
NEWTON, Raymond John   DFC MiD	Age 28	Wing Commander  40984   RNZAF	1st January  1945
OAKEY, Arthur Leslie Archibald	Age 33	Flight Sergeant  4213810   RNZAF	21st March  1945
PARTON, William James	Age 20	Pilot Officer  41932   RNZAF	12th March  1942
PERRY, Lyndon Clifford	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428925   RNZAF	30th July  1944
POTTS, Donald Norman	Age 25	Pilot Officer  412267   RNZAF	9th July  1942
PRICE, Henry John	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404095   RNZAF	12th March  1942
QUINN, Eric James	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  4210077   RNZAF	21st July  1944
REDDING, Randolph Ernest	Age 30	Sergeant  414678   RNZAF	5th February  1943
REID, Ian Laurie	Age 23	Sergeant  391846   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
RICHARDS, James Leonard	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404946   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
RIDDLE, Charles Hudson	Age 21	Flying Officer  41190   RNZAF	30th May  1943
RIORDAN, John Milton Patrick	Age 32	Sergeant  422668   RNZAF	26th May  1943
ROSS, Desmond Ray	Age 23	Sergeant  411451   RNZAF	28th April  1943
ROSS, Stanley David	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  41359   RNZAF	26th July  1942
ROWBERRY, Geoffrey Warren	Age 24	Pilot Officer  414567   RNZAF	14th March  1944
SHALFOON, Charles John	Age 22	Sergeant  413897   RNZAF	11th October  1942
SMART, Randolph Cruickshank	Age 25	Pilot Officer  411006   RNZAF	10th September  1942
SPITTAL, Phillip Charles	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404420   RNZAF	26th July  1942
ST.LEDGER, Peter Sylvestor Anthony	Age 21	Flying Officer 4 25375   RAAF	30th July  1943
STONE, Robert James	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  415383   RNZAF	31st July  1943
STREETER, Donald Frederick	Age 24	Sergeant  401033   RNZAF	24th July  1941
THOMAS, Raymond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  40586   RNZAF	6th July  1943
THOMSON, Jack	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  421145   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
TONG, Harold	Age 34	Flying Officer  416648   RNZAF	30th May  1943
TURNBULL, John George	Age 33	Flying Officer  42490   RNZAF	16th August  1943
TURNER, William	Age 22	Flying Officer  416579   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
TWEEDIE, Norman	Age 25	Sergeant  402474   RAAF	12th September  1941
VERCOE, Terrance James	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  415566   RNZAF	31st July  1943
VERNAZONI, Richard Barry	Age 20	Flying Officer 416185   RNZAF	30th May  1943
WALKER, Graham Stuart	Age 25	Sergeant  401817   RNZAF	24th July  1941
WATSON, Walter Davis	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  428918   RNZAF	30th August  1944
WESTWOOD, Reginald Francis	Age 20	Pilot Officer  416471   RAAF	5th May  1943
WHITELAW, Clifford James	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  416188   RNZAF	25th June  1943
WILLIS, William Jarvis	Age 33	Pilot Officer 421803   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
WILMSHURST, John Charles	Age 25	Sergeant  411962   RNZAF	11th July  1942
WILSON, Norman Clarence Bruce	Age 23	Flying Officer  417139   RNZAF	4th November  1943
WOODCOCK, Roy Joffre Desmond	Age 26	Sergeant  404985   RNZAF	12th March  1942
WORTH, Jim	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  425510   RNZAF	21st July  1944
WRIGHTSON, Cyril Charles	Age 22	Sergeant  411998   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
Belgium
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium.
ANDERSON, Lindsay Douglas	Age 20	Sergeant 391321 RNZAF	20th September 1940
Chiervres Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
KELL, William Robert	Age 23	Pilot Officer 411766 RNZAF	19th November  1943
MYERS, John William Anthony	Age 25	Flight Lieutenant 405801 RNZAF	19th July  1944
Florennes Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
GRAINGER, James Kennedy	Age 21	Pilot Officer  42295   RNZAF	15th April  1943
McCASKILL, Donald Gordon	Age 19	Pilot Officer  413573   RNZAF	15th April  1943
SMITH, Ronald Alexander	Age 21	Sergeant 415378   RNZAF	15th April  1943
Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium.
BURKE, Edgar Lawrence	Age 26	Pilot Officer 417016 RNZAF	23rd May 1944
PAGE, Frank Albert	Age 29	Warrant Officer  409481   RAAF	23rd May  1944
PARKIN, Victor Trevor	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  421090   RNZAF	31st August  1943
WATTERS, Terrence	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  417299   RNZAF	31st August  1943
Hoton War Cemetery, Belgium.
ELVIN, William	Age 21	Pilot Officer 426883 RNZAF	12th August 1944
JOHNSTON, Haig Douglas	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  426320   RNZAF	12th August  1944
MULCAHY, Cyril Desmond	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428793   RNZAF	12th August  1944
PARKER, Robert Ronald Smithie	Age 20	Sergeant  1892552   RAFVR	12th August 1944
THOMSON, Edward Leonard	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  4211036   RNZAF	12th August  1944
WRIGHT, John Herbert	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  426209   RNZAF	12th August  1944
Ostende New Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
COATES, Dudley Dobson	Age 33	Sergeant 421318 RNZAF	26th May 1943
Werken Churchyard, Belgium.
ROBERTS, James	Age 20	Sergeant  400310   RAAF	22nd October  1941
SPARK, Frederick Alexander	Age 26	Sergeant  401415   RNZAF	22nd October  1941
Wevelgem Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
FAUVEL, Spencer Francis	Age 21	Flight Lieutenant  414971   RNZAF	28th May  1944
GOWER, Kenneth Wilfred	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421272   RNZAF	28th May  1944
LUKEY, Francis Henry Clark	Age 23	Flying Officer  42990   RNZAF	28th May  1944
MASON, James Rooker	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  421307   RNZAF	28th May  1944
DENMARK
Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
BAILEY, Robert	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 429072 RNZAF	23rd April 1944
LAMMAS, Mauson	Age 30	Pilot Officer  421728   RNZAF	23rd April  1944
SAWTELL, Arthur Hartley	Age 19	Flight Sergeant  417521   RAAF	24th February  1944
VAUGHAN, Douglas William	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  429046   RNZAF	23rd April  1944
Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery, Denmark.
COBB, Cyril Thomas	Age 30	Flight Sergeant 412315 RNZAF	21st April 1943
EARLE, Frederick Joseph	Age 22	Sergeant    1332585     RAFVR	21st April 1943
SALT, Ian Charles	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  404046   RNZAF	21st April  1943
TOLLEY, Alan Gray	Age 21	Pilot Officer  411954   RNZAF	21st April  1943
UPTON, Frank Wakefield	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  404430   RNZAF	21st April  1943
Frederikshavn Cemetery, Denmark.
CRAWFORD-WATSON, Lewis Stanley	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42734 RNZAF	4th November 1943
IMRIE, George Burns	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  422676   RNZAF	4th November  1943
JAMES, Charles James	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  426333   RNZAF	4th November  1943
MASTERS, William Stuart	Age 21	Pilot Officer  421077   RNZAF	4th November  1943
Gram Churchyard, Denmark.
MURRY, Henry James	Age 26	Flying Officer  415820   RNZAF	19th April  1944
Orslev Churchyard, Denmark.
BIGGAR, John Matthew	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 427945 RNZAF	12th September 1944
HADLEY, William Orchard	Age 30	Flying Officer 426041   RNZAF	12th September  1944
Svino Churchyard, Denmark
BOYD, William James Victor	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 428303 RNZAF	12th September 1944
GILES, John Patrick Arthur	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425836   RNZAF	12th September  1944
GUDGEON, John Bernard	Age 23	Pilot Officer  428786   RNZAF	12th September  1944
JENKINS, Ernest Roy	Age 25	Warrant Officer  405780   RNZAF	29th April  1943
SHOGREN, Malcolm Edward John	Age 29	Sergeant  415375   RNZAF	28th April  1943
THOMPSON, Desmond Lewis	Age 21	Pilot Officer  413152   RNZAF	29th April  1943
WILLIAMS, John Muir	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  401341   RAAF	29th April  1943
FRANCE
Bayeux War Cemetery, France.
BONISCH, Lester Lascelles	Age 21	Pilot Officer 422098 RNZAF	11th June 1944
McKENZIE, James Murdoch Thomas	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  427217   RNZAF	11th June  1944
MILLER, James Stuart	Age 33	Flight Sergeant  427220   RNZAF	11th June  1944
Chateau-Voue Communal Cemetery, France.
McRAE, James Kenneth	Age 27	Flying Officer  415216   RNZAF	25th July  1944
POTTS, Thomas Christopher	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  421143   RNZAF	25th July  1944
Choloy War Cemetery, France.
GROVES, Kelvin Havelock Green	Age 30	Pilot Officer  415819   RNZAF	17th April  1943
STONE, Ronald Charles	Age 26	Sergeant  413281   RNZAF	17th April 1943
Clermont-Ferrand (Des Carmes Dechaux) Communal Cemetery, France.
HENDERSON, Hugh William	Age 24	Flying Officer  421713   RNZAF	5th March  1944
JONES, Arthur Stanley	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421977   RNZAF	5th March  1944
MELVILLE, Robert James Ian	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  42349   RNZAF	5th March  1944
WATSON, Raymond Johnson   DFC	Age 27	Squadron Leader  404978 RNZAF	5th March  1944
Cronenbourg French National (Mixed) Cemetery, Strasbourg, France.
DUDDING, Keat	Age 25	Warrant Officer 415522 RNZAF	25th July    1944
TAVERNER, George Alfred Badge	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  429835   RAAF	25th July  1944
WHITEHOUSE, Keith Owen	Age 23	Flying Officer  428800   RNZAF	25th July  1944
Fruges Communal Cemetery, France.
BATESON, Benjamin William	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 424788 RNZAF	25th June 1944
MILNE, Bruce	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  428017   RNZAF	25th June  1944
Guidel Communal Cemetery, France.
HARDING-SMITH, Dudley	Age 24	Pilot Officer  405265   RNZAF	13th February  1943
Millery Communal Cemetery, France.
BLANCE, Ian Edward	Age 21	Pilot Officer 421496 RNZAF	29th July 1944
CLIMO, Frederick Walter Percival	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 4310148 RNZAF	29th July 1944
JENKINS, Frederick Francis Arthur	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  429888   RNZAF	29th July  1944
Olonne-Sur-Mer Communal Cemetery, France.
WHITTA, Neville Bruce	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  416566   RNZAF	16th August  1943
Poix-de-la-Somme Churchyard, France.
MACKENZIE, Douglas John	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  417211   RAAF	2nd May  1944
PEEVERS, Thomas Alexander	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  417232   RNZAF	2nd May  1944
SACHTLER, Euen William	Age 24	Squadron Leader  41362   RNZAF	2nd May  1944
Rieux Communal Cemetery, France.
BETLEY, Ronald Desmond Ernest	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 421495 RNZAF	16th June 1944
COOK, Peter Jackson	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42708 RNZAF	16th June 1944
HALE, Lawrence Eastmure	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  42395   RNZAF	16th June  1944
TOOHEY, Edward Wallace	Age 22	Warrant Officer 416672   RNZAF	16th June  1944
Therouldeville Churchyard, France.
RITCHIE, Alfred Henry	Age 22	Sergeant  40207   RNZAF	22nd December  1940
Tillieres-Sur-Avre Communal Cemetery, France.
DONAGHY, Thomas Rodgers	Age 33	Flight Sergeant 422267 RNZAF	11th June    1944
Valenciennes (St Roch) Communal Cemetery, France.
DIMOCK, Vallance Albert Oliver	Age 22	Sergeant     412317    RNZAF	25th October 1942
McCONNELL, James Allison	Age 21	Sergeant  414646   RNZAF	25th October  1942
SMITH, Selwyn Clarence	Age 29	Sergeant  41952   RNZAF	25th October  1942
TONKIN, Douglas Noel	Age 22	Sergeant  413285   RNZAF	25th October  1942
Ville-Sur-Retourne Churchyard, France.
HUGHILL, Howard James	Age 21	Sergeant  414293   RNZAF	25th October  1942
Yevres Communal Cemetery, France.
STOKES, Noel Alfred Deal	Age 25	Flight Lieutenant  421403   RNZAF	29th July  1944
GERMANY
Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.
ERIKSON, Mervyn Arthur	Age 26	Pilot Officer 416103 RNZAF	24th August 1943
FISK, Joseph George Arkless	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  412874   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HELM, George Vincent	Age 23	Pilot Officer  416113   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HOPE, Lawrence Beresford Hamilton	Age 28	Warrant Officer  40940   RNZAF	19th April  1945
LUNDON, Francis Patrick	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404718   RNZAF	24th August  1943
MOSS, Douglas Hamilton	Age 23	Pilot Officer  404653   RNZAF	24th August  1943
SEDUNARY, Alan Joseph Lyall   DFC	Age 20	Pilot Officer  416619    RAAF	24th August  1943
STEWART, Donald MacKay	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 421336  RNZAF	1st September 1943
THIRD, James	Age 34	Pilot Officer  422671   RNZAF	24th August  1943
THORSTENSEN, Frederick William	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  414529   RNZAF	24th August  1943
WOOLCOTT, Douglas George	Age 23	Sergeant  1290189   RAFVR	24th August  1943
Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany
BRISCO, Robert Hylton	Age 26	Sergeant 411204 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CAITCHEON, Gordon Edwin	Age 28	Sergeant 404016 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CAMPBELL, Alan	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 391857 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CARNCROSS, Murray Ellis	Age 19	Pilot Officer 411718 RNZAF	29th July 1942
DAVIS, Ronald Fraser	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 403569 RNZAF	29th July 1942
HUTT, George Alister	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  41914   RNZAF	29th July 1942
McMURCHY, James Gordon	Age 31	Sergeant  405539   RNZAF	29th July 1942
O’SHEA, William Clerken	Age 28	Sergeant  411096   RNZAF	29th July 1942
SAVAGE, John Henry	Age 33	Sergeant  404620   RNZAF	29th July 1942
STEWART, Ian Gordon	Age 20	Sergeant  404623   RNZAF	29th July 1942
SUTHERLAND, Alexander George	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  405340   RNZAF	29th July 1942
TABOR, Adrian Oscar	Age 25	Sergeant  411104   RNZAF	29th July 1942
WESTERMAN, Victor Kenneth	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  41970   RNZAF	29th July 1942
WILSON, Peter John	Age 22	Flight Lieutenant  402475   RNZAF	29th July 1942
Hamburg War Cemetery, Germany.
CORLETT, Geoffrey Scott	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 42289 RNZAF	3rd August 1943
COUPER, James Arthur	Age 31	Flight Sergeant 417027 RNZAF	3rd August 1943
CRARER, Thomas Eric	Age 21	Sergeant 405475 RNZAF	29th July 1942
HAWKINS, Anthony Henry Ryder	Age 20	Sergeant  40971   RNZAF	15th September  1941
REEVES, Sydney Cecil Oliver	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  42339   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
WARD, James Allen   VC	Age 22	Sergeant  401793   RNZAF	15th September  1941
Hanover War Cemetery, Germany.
ADAMSON, David Maurice	Age 27	Flying Officer 41052 RNZAF	28th September 1943
DALZELL, Errol Thomas Paterson	Age 22	Pilot Officer 411378 RNZAF	28th August 1942
HAUB, Darcy Leslie Conrad	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  42326   RNZAF	31st August 1943
HOGAN, Denis Patrick	Age 23	Sergeant  412331   RNZAF	28th August  1942
JACKSON, Kensington Campbell	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  42330   RNZAF	31st August  1943
RIDDLER, Stanley Winston	Age 22	Sergeant  424999   RNZAF	3rd October  1943
ROBERTS, Eric John	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  417107   RNZAF	31st August  1943
TUNBRIDGE, Victor Arthur	Age 28	Sergeant  411788   RNZAF	28th August  1942
WAEREA, Tame Hawaikirangi	Age 29	Pilot Officer  421300   RNZAF	28th September  1943
WHITMORE, Richard Charles	Age 22	Pilot Officer  421123   RNZAF	28th September  1943
Kiel War Cemetery, Germany.
AITCHISON, Campbell Ewen Justin	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 402974 RNZAF	12th March 1942
BELL, Maurice Perrott	Age 26	Pilot Officer 404882 RNZAF	29th March 1942
BROWN, John Lukies	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 402534 RNZAF	12th March 1942
CRAN, Franklyn Bertram	Age 21	Sergeant 405237 RNZAF	29th March 1942
FIRTH, Ellison George	Age 19	Sergeant  412218   RNZAF	13th October  1942
FRASER, Myles Frederick Gordon	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  403437   RNZAF	16th May  1942
HARRIS, Claude Joseph	Age 31	Sergeant  404028   RNZAF	29th March  1942
McDONALD, Murray Alexander	Age 23	Sergeant  400352   RAAF	12th March  1942
PARKINSON, Lewis Harry	Age 20	Sergeant  412518   RNZAF	13th October  1942
SMITH, Albert Ivan	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  402221   RNZAF	16th May  1942
WATTERS, Ventry	Age 22	Sergeant  413522   RNZAF	13th October  1942
WHITING, Norman Edward	Age 27	Sergeant  404107   RNZAF	16th May  1942
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
ANDERSON, Ronald Alexander John	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 36139 RNZAF	20th July 1940
BARCLAY, Thomas Smith	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 411358 RNZAF	12th August 1942
BISSET, Stuart Richard	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 415738 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
BLANK, John Frederick	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 422175 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
BOAG, Robert James	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 432097 RAAF	30th November 1944
BROWN, Alfred Errol	Age 25	Flying Officer 429139 RNZAF	21st March 1945
COLES, Thomas Edward	Age 28	Sergeant 40161 RNZAF	7th September 1942
COWIE, James Lindis	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42322 RNZAF	22nd November 1943
FRAMPTON, Laurie Albert	Age 20	Sergeant  411753   RNZAF	29th July  1942
GIBSON, John Cuthbert McKechnie	Age 29	Sergeant  40435 2  RNZAF	7th November  1941
GRIMES, Harold Dawson	Age 26	Sergeant  404532   RAAF	15th October  1941
HAZARD, Whelan Fallon	Age 20	Flying Officer  429047   RNZAF	12th August  1944
HOLLOWAY, Edgar John	Age 29	Flying Officer  429923   RNZAF	21st March  1945
INGLIS, William Gordon Lloyd	Age 27	Sergeant  411758   RNZAF	12th August  1942
JARVIS, Claude Joseph Frederick	Age 22	Sergeant  411722   RNZAF	7th September  1942
JOHNS, Arthur Grahame	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  41907   RNZAF	29th July  1942
KAVANAGH, Stanley Leo	Age 24	Warrant Officer  403579   RNZAF	30th May  1943
KRALJEVICH, Mark	Age 25	Sergeant  403458   RNZAF	29th July  1942
MACKENZIE, Stanley Henry	Age 23	Flying Officer  422418   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
MacPHAIL, Allan Corson Anderson	Age 30	Sergeant  41194   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MARSHALL, Eric William Elliott	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  415637   RNZAF	23rd May  1944
McCARTIN, Patrick Leo	Age 28	Flying Officer  419328   RAAF	20th November  1944
McINTOSH, James Alexander	Age 26	Flying Officer  411915   RNZAF	30th November  1944
McWILLIAM, Allan	Age 20	Sergeant  416586   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MILLS, George William	Age 27	Pilot Officer  411769   RNZAF	7th September  1942
MORGAN, Robert Carhampton	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  421389   RNZAF	30th November  1944
NEWMAN, Robert Wynne	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  4210960   RNZAF	30th November  1944
NORMAN, Raymond Fraser	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  416145   RNZAF	30th May  1943
OWEN, John Lewis	Age 24	Sergeant  391332   RNZAF	20th July  1940
PAYNE, Douglas Beardsley	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  426917   RNZAF	23rd May  1944
PLUMMER, Jack    DFC	Age 29	Flight Lieutenant  42451   RNZAF	21st March  1945
RAMSAY, William Robertson	Age 25	Sergeant  405508   RNZAF	9th June  1942
ROBERTSON, Trevor Bernard	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404948   RNZAF	15th October  1941
SAMSON, George King	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  402563   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
SAUL, Norman Priestley	Age 30	Sergeant  411730   RNZAF	7th September  1942
SCOTT, Russell James	Age 23	Flying Officer  428984   RNZAF	21st March  1945
SHARMAN, George William	Age 27	Sergeant  412746   RNZAF	7th September  1942
SMITH, Rupert John	Age 26	Pilot Officer  41950   RNZAF	9th June 1942
STEWART, Leslie Ian	Age 25	Sergeant  41178 5  RNZAF	29th July  1942
THORNLEY, Sydney Russell	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  40109   RNZAF	30th May  1943
TURNER, John Cecil	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  421115   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
WARRING, Robert John	Age 21	Sergeant  411110   RNZAF	12th August  1942
WOOD, James Haswell	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  425811   RNZAF	21st March  1945
Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
ANDERSEN, Kenneth Peder Christian	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 429128 RNZAF	4th November 1944
ASHWIN, Eric Lumley Durham	Age 22	Sergeant 41563 RNZAF	17th December 1942
BENNETT, Raymond Frederick	Age 29	Pilot Officer 415282 RNZAF	30th May 1943
BERNARD, Arthur George	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 424964 RNZAF	22nd November1943
BUDGE, William Finlay	Age 24	Pilot Officer 41977 RNZAF	6th April 1942
CAREY, John Henry Roy	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 414242 RNZAF	30th May 1943
CLARK, Mervyn Oliver	Age 20	Pilot Officer 404895 RNZAF	17th December 1942
COOMBRIDGE, Trevor Walter	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42653 RNZAF	27th December 1944
CURLEWIS, Raymond Fullerton	Age 25	Sergeant 402230 RAAF	11th October 1941
DALE, James Atkinson	Age 27	Flying Officer 425562 RNZAF	25th August 1944
DEBENHAM, Kevin Frederick	Age 26	Pilot Officer 412211 RNZAF	16th April 1943
DEVLIN, Kevin John	Age 26	Pilot Officer 413334 RNZAF	11th September 1942
FLEMING, James Allan	Age 27	Flying Officer  422382   RNZAF	25th August  1944
GALLETLY, Alan Russell	Age 33	Pilot Officer  427481   RNZAF	5th October  1944
HASELDEN, Howard Clive McLeish	Age 22	Sergeant  403003   RNZAF	18th September  1941
HENLEY, Douglas Charles   MiD	Age 23	Pilot Officer  414622   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HOWARD, Edward John Francis	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  424469   RNZAF	4th November  1944
HOWLETT, Arthur Douglas	Age 32	Flying Officer  413335   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
JACOBSON, Gerald Howard	Age 27	Flying Officer  41333   RNZAF	17th December  1942
JARVIS, William Louis	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  414691   RAAF	23rd September  1943
KELCHER, Walter Foch	Age 23	Sergeant  411908   RNZAF	11th September  1942
KENDAL, Christopher James	Age 21	Sergeant  412342   RNZAF	17th December  1942
KIRKPATRICK, Laurence John	Age 20	Flying Officer  414990   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
MacLEOD, Norman Alexander	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  404079   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MARGETTS, John Edward Stanley	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  422665   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
McALPINE, Walter Duncan	Age 30	Pilot Officer  403551   RNZAF	17th December  1942
METCALFE, Thomas Otto	Age 19	Sergeant  414386   RNZAF	11th September  1942
MILES, Haddon Shaw	Age 27	Flying Officer  421746   RNZAF	27th December 1 944
MOSLEY, Stuart Edwin	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  426106   RNZAF	5th October  1944
MURPHY, Timothy Rowley	Age 20	Sergeant  404037   RNZAF	11th October  1941
PULLAR, Henry Welsh	Age 25	Sergeant  411777   RNZAF	17th December  1942
SANDS, Hugh Powell	Age 26	Flying Officer  403287   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
SCOTT, Alexander	Age 20	Sergeant  413484   RNZAF	3rd December  1942
SCOTT, Alistair Henry	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  428259   RNZAF	4th November  1944
SCOTT, John Harold	Age 29	Flying Officer  428797   RNZAF	4th November  1944
SINGLE, Alan Roy	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  413144   RAAF	22nd November  1943
SMITH, Ian Hector Ross	Age 34	Flight  Sergeant  421614   RNZAF	1st September  1943
SMITH, Phillip Francis	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  427206   RAAF	20th November  1944
SOUTHWARD, Keith	Age 28	Flying Officer  411048   RNZAF	6th October  1944
STOKES, Wallace Frederick	Age 27	Sergeant  412326   RNZAF	17th December  1942
THOMPSON, Colin Maurice	Age 23	Sergeant  404427   RNZAF	11th October  1941
WALSHE, Desmond James	Age 25	Sergeant  412912   RNZAF	11th September  1942
WATSON, Clifford Arnold	Age 34	Flying Officer  421946   RNZAF	1st September  1943
WELSH, Neville Henry	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  391334   RNZAF	15th October  1941
WHITE, William George Henry	Age 27	Sergeant  41717   RNZAF	17th December  1942
WHITTINGTON, Eric Richmond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  416030   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
WILKINSON, Ernest Stanley	Age 25	Pilot Officer  417138   RNZAF	6th September  1943
WOOD, Frederick Lionel Roy	Age 23	Sergeant  404439   RNZAF	15th October  1941
Sage War Cemetery, Germany.
BRODIE, Andrew Moore	Age 25	Sergeant 391378 RNZAF	21st February 1941
BUCKLEY, Wallace Edward	Age 28	Pilot Officer 391379 RNZAF	21st June 1942
GILL, John Trevor Vivian	Age 27	Sergeant  403362   RNZAF	4th September  1942
GRANT, Horace Llewellyn	Age 27	Sergeant  405254   RNZAF	4th September  1942
LEES, Reginald Sidney	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404907   RNZAF	27th July 1942
LOWTHER, Peter Desmond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  403583   RNZAF	11th July  1942
NEWMAN, Richard Alfred William	Age 24	Sergeant  405309   RNZAF	4th September  1942
RENTON, Rupert Ernest	Age 22	Sergeant  412352   RNZAF	4th September  1942
ROBERTSON, Norman Bruce	Age 25	Pilot Officer  411101   RNZAF	27th July  1942
SHARP, Richard Edwin	Age 23	Sergeant  405513   RNZAF	11th July  1942
SHEPHERD, Ian James	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404414   RNZAF	27th July  1942
TRENGROVE, Raymond Wickliffe John	Age 20	Pilot Officer  40927   RNZAF	21st June  1942
WINSTANLEY, James Francis	Age 20	Sergeant  412373   RNZAF	27th July  1942
Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.
BARKER, Richard Stockdale	Age 28	Pilot Officer 421345 RNZAF	26th August 1944
BRIDGER, Cyril Jack	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 417192 RNZAF	28th August 1943
DAVEY, Charles Raglan	Age 21	Sergeant 413937 RNZAF	8th March 1943
FIRTH, Raymond	Age 28	Warrant Officer  417203   RNZAF	26th August  1944
HENDERSON, Matthew Ronald	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  427204   RNZAF	28th April  1944
HERRON, Robert Weir	Age 23	Flying Officer  422282   RNZAF	28th April  1944
HIGHAM, Frank Douglas	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  416116   RNZAF	28th August  1943
LOGAN, Clifford Charles Pownall	Age 28	Flying Officer  405918   RAAF	23rd September  1943
McLACHLAN, Euen Wilfred	Age 22	Flying Officer  415266   RNZAF	28th April  1944
NORTON, William George	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  413227   RNZAF	26th August  1944
PERKS, Eric	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  411934   RNZAF	29th August  1942
SMITH, Keith Alfred	Age 23	Warrant Officer  416022 RNZAF	28th April  1944
SOWERBY, Geoffrey Phillips	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  417243   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
HOLLAND
Aardenburg General Cemetery, Holland.
HEWETT, Harold Max	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  419311   RAAF	12th May  1944
Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery, Holland.
BLINCOE, Kenneth Howard DFC	Age 33	Pilot Officer 412194  RNZAF	3rd February 1943
CLEARWATER, Desmond	Age 24	Sergeant 412314 RNZAF	3rd February 1943
COOK, George Wood	Age 24	Sergeant 412514 RNZAF	3rd February 1943
SCOTT, Andrew James Newell	Age 21	Pilot Officer  414685   RNZAF	3rd February  1943
Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery, Holland.
ANNAN, William Douglas Francis	Age 20	Sergeant 391377 RNZAF	26th July 1940
BYRNE, Martin John	Age 32	Flight Sergeant 404529 RNZAF	29th July 1942
COLEMAN, William Harcourt DFC	Age 23	Flying Officer 2526 RNZAF	26th July 1940
GILBERTSON, John Edward	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  41894   RNZAF	29th July  1942
PERROTT, William Rosser	Age 21	Flying Officer  416155   RNZAF	25th June  1943
Beesd General Cemetery, Holland.
JOBLIN, Frederick John Leigh	Age 25	Sergeant  417063   RNZAF	24th May  1943
TURNBULL, George Watson	Age 24	Sergeant  421342   RNZAF	24th May  1943
TIETJENS, Stephen Muir	Age 26	Sergeant  415640   RNZAF	24th May 1 943
Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Holland.
BLACK, John William	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 402843 RNZAF	7th November 1941
COOKSEY, James Brett	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 416460 RNZAF	24th June 1943
FOTHERINGHAM, Robert Ewen Ernest	Age 29	Sergeant  391833   RNZAF	16th July  1941
GRAY, Trevor Hedley	Age 27	Sergeant  404356   RNZAF	7th November  1941
LLOYD, Eric	Age 28	Pilot Officer  402197   RNZAF	7th November  1941
MURDOCH, Graham Edward	Age 26	Pilot Officer  411927   RNZAF	9th June  1942
O’DOWD, Albert William	Age 25	Sergeant  41544   RNZAF	9th June  1942
PENMAN, Alexander Mitchell	Age 23	Flying Officer  416154   RNZAF	21st October  1944
Doetinchem (Loolaan) General Cemetery, Holland.
HARRISON, Alfred Herbert	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  403000   RNZAF	8th November  1941
WYLLIE, Thomas Young	Age 25	Sergeant  404011   RNZAF	8th November  1941
Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, Holland.
GILMOUR, Hugh Edward	Age 24	Warrant Officer  422667   RAAF	21st July  1944
MILLS, Samuel	Age 32	Flight Sergeant  425036   RAAF	21st July  1944
OSBORNE, John Edward	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  417877   RAAF	21st July  1944
Flushing  (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery, Holland.
BLUCK, Norman Bradford	Age 22	Pilot Officer 40364 RNZAF	24th June 1943
STRONG, Geoffrey Walter	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  413905   RNZAF	24th June  1943
Gilze-En-Rijen (Gilze) Roman Catholic Cemetery,  Holland.
COOK, Stephen Astley	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 421142 RNZAF	28th May 1944
SCOTT, Francis Alexander Jack	Age 28	Sergeant  421105   RNZAF	28th May  1944
Harderwijk General Cemetery, Holland.
THOMSON, Gordon Douglas	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42317   RNZAF	25th June  1943
Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland.
CALLOW, Horace	Age 27	Flying Officer 427185 RNZAF	21st July 1944
DOBBIN, Laurence St.George	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 401375 RNZAF	12th August 1942
HICKFORD, Leonard Charles	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  426886   RNZAF	21st July  1944
HOWELL, Edward	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428819   RNZAF	21st July  1944
JURY, Jack Leslie	Age 20	Sergeant  411764   RNZAF	12th August  1942
McKENZIE, Francis Max	Age 26	Pilot Officer  41344   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
REDWOOD, Gerard Henry	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  425012   RNZAF	21st July  1944
ROCHE, Gerald Brian	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  413219   RNZAF	21st July  1944
SMITH, Keith Emmett	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425179   RNZAF	21st July  1944
Markelo General Cemetery, Holland.
BURBIDGE, Kenneth Alfred	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 412200 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
MARTIN, Donald Ernest	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  413872   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
McEWIN, Andrew James	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  417077   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
WILCOCKSON, Walter Frederick	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  42314   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
Oldebroek General Cemetery, Holland.
SMITH, Trevor Harry	Age 24	Pilot Officer  41953   RNZAF	9th July  1942
Rotterdam (Crooswijk) General Cemetery, Holland.
FOSTER, Ralph Owen	Age 29	Pilot Officer  402443   RNZAF	8th November  1941
RYDER, Robert Leslie Owen	Age 25	Pilot Officer  404626   RAAF	8th November  1941
WILSON, John Stephen	Age 27	Sergeant  402530   RNZAF	8th November  1941
Schiermonnikoog (Vredenhof) Cemetery, Holland.
CHRISTIE, Arthur Stafford	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 402982 RNZAF	21st June 1942
FRASER, Allan Armistice	Age 23	Flying Officer  405030   RNZAF	21st June  1942
YOUNG, George Anthony	Age 21	Sergeant  405771   RNZAF	9th July 1 942
Tilburg (Gilzerbaan) General Cemetery, Holland.
BURTT, Henry John	Age 31	Flying Officer 414560 RNZAF	21st July 1944
CRAWFORD, Henry Varley Gibb	Age 28	Sergeant 404339 RNZAF	7th September 1942
GILLAN, Gottfred Lyall	Age 21	Warrant Officer  42324   RNZAF	21st July  1944
GROVES, Alpheus Leslie	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  403574   RNZAF	7th September  1942
PARKES, William Ronald	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  403822   RNZAF	7th September  1942
ROSE, George Herbert	Age 30	Sergeant  391713   RNZAF	7th September  1942
WILSON, Eric Glover	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  403035   RNZAF	7th September  1942
Uden War Cemetery, Holland.
FLETCHER, Andrew Crawford	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  42675   RNZAF	21st July  1944
SIMPSON, Alfred Alexander	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  425212   RNZAF	21st July  1944
WHITTINGTON, Harold	Age 26	Pilot Officer  42488   RNZAF	21st July  1944
Westdongeradeel (Holwerd) Protestant Cemetery, Holland.
HEGAN, John Gordon George	Age 23	Sergeant  411075   RNZAF	30th June  1942
McGREGOR, Murdoch Gordon	Age 23	Sergeant  411079   RNZAF	30th June  1942
MONCRIEF, Eric Francis Sydney	Age 25	Sergeant  411087   RNZAF	30th June  1942
RANDLE, Douglas Haig	Age 24	Sergeant  405454   RNZAF	30th June  1942
Wierden General Cemetery, Holland.
McCULLOUGH, John   DFC	Age 30	Pilot Officer  40410 RNZAF	3rd February  1943
MURPHY, Terence Austin	Age 30	Sergeant  413307   RNZAF	3rd February 1943

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

 

 

Ake Ake Kia Kaha

Sir Douglas Charles Lowe

The Lowe crew, Douglas is stood far right. Source unknown

Kevin has passed on the sad news of the passing of Sir Douglas Charles Lowe, aged 95.

Arriving at the Squadron, then at Newmarket, at the very end of January 1943, Douglas flew between February and May 1943, completing 19 Ops, which can be viewed on their crew page here.

On the crew’s 11th Op, on the 8th of March 1943 to Nurenburg, both Douglas and his Second Pilot, Charles Eddy, were injured.

From the 541 diary:
Stirling 1 BK646 captained by P/O Lowe, was attacked by an enemy aircraft near Saarbrucken on the return journey. The enemy aircraft opened fire with cannon and a stream of tracer came into the cockpit, one exploding near the second pilot’s leg. Corkscrew tactics were adopted, but after seven minutes the enemy aircraft was lost. The only casualties were the second pilot, who was wounded in the leg and the Captain, who had slight face cuts. The aircraft successfully returned to base.

The combat report adds extra detail to this incident:
North of Saarbrucken 00.30 hrs 11,000 feet
Stirling Mk I was on homeward journey having bombed its target when at a position 49° 27′ N., 07° 10 ‘ E. approx. 10 miles North of Saarbrucken, a twin engined E/A identified as a Ju.88. Our aircraft was on a course of 285° M. at a height of 11,000 feet with an I.A.S.. Vertical visibility to aircraft level was poor there being a heavy ground mist but above it was a clear star lit night.

The Rear Gunner sighted a Ju 88 passing 300 feet beneath the tail travelling from Starboard to port at right angle to the heading of our aircraft. E/A carried a single white light about amidships. At the time of sighting our aircraft was gently weaving, this was immediately converted into a corkscrew. when E/A was seen. Three seconds after the first E/A had been sighted an attack was delivered by a second E/A from the starboard quarter below firing cannon. This E/A was not seen by any member of the crew, the position of an attack being substantiated by strikes on our aircraft.

After the attack the E/A carrying a white light dropped astern to approximately 800 yards, keeping in contact with our aircraft for five minutes and was finally lost to sight and was not seen again. During the encounter our gunners did not open fire. The pilot in out aircraft is of the opinion that they make have been silhouetted against a large cone of searchlights over Saarbrucken. There was no flak activity and no ground lights indication our track.

Cannon shell burst in the Pilot’s cocktail wounding the second pilot in the leg and starting a small fire on the starboard side of the instrument panel. All lighting in the aircraft failed except cell-lights which came on automatically. The starboard flap and elevators were also damaged.

On the 16th of April, the crew’s 15th Op, this time to Ludwigshaven, the crew crashed on return. Having experienced very accurate Anti Aircraft fire over the target, on return Douglas discovered that the throttles were jammed open. Despite crashing into a partially  built aircraft hanger and completely wrecking the Stirling they were in. All of the crew escaped, but not without injuries……

He received the Distinguished Flying Cross at the end of his tour, the citation read as follows:
Flight Lieutenant Lowe has proved to be an outstanding captain of aircraft throughout many operational missions over such heavily defended targets as Hamburg, Essen and Berlin. From these sorties he has frequently brought back photographs of the target area. On more than one occasion he has successfully evaded attacks by enemy night fighters. He has also brought his aircraft back to base when almost disabled by anti-aircraft fire. His splendid work has been an inspiration to the Squadron.

From upclosded.com
He was confirmed in his rank of flying officer on 23 December 1943, and received a mention in dispatches in January 1945. Lowe was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 1 January 1945. In the 1946 Birthday Honours, Lowe was decorated with the Air Force Cross (AFC). He remained in the RAF post-war, being awarded a permanent commission in the rank of flying officer on 1 July 1946, with a subsequent promotion to flight lieutenant on 4 July.

Lowe was promoted to Ssquadron Leader on 1 July 1952 and to Wing Commander on 1 January 1958. Promoted to Group Captain on 1 July 1962, he served as Station Commander RAF Cranwell from November 1963 to 1965. With his promotion to air commodore on 1 July 1966, he attained air officer rank. He was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal on 1 January 1970 and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), Military Division, in the 1971 Birthday Honours.

In 1973 Lowe was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group and he continued in this post until 1975. Thereafter, he was promoted to air chief marshal and was appointed the Controller of Aircraft: he remained in that post until late 1982. Lowe was the Chief of Defence Procurement at the Ministry of Defence from 1982 to 1983. He retired on 22 August 1983.

You can read Sir Douglas’ obituary in the Telegraph here.

and watch Sir Douglas give an interview in March 2013, then aged 91, to a School Report team, about his time in the RAF here.

 

We shall remember them

For the Fallen

Poem by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), published in The Times newspaper on 21^st September 1914.

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Ake Ake Kia Kaha

ANZAC Day 2017

“Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.“

 In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered these words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. They were later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington.

I would like to take this years ANZAC Day post to announce another significant update to the 75(NZ) Squadron RAF Roll of Honour.

The Roll of Honour in its original guise was very generously gifted to the Blog when it began, by Kevin King, Chairman of the UK Squadron Association. Its original creation was a significant undertaking, taking Kevin and John Tyler several years to compile the full Roll in the days before the internet.

Two years ago, a first significant advance was announced with the addition of gravestone images to the Roll of Honour from the New Zealand War Graves Project.

This year sees the re-presentation of the Roll of Honour with significant extra information for each individual listed. Added to the existing information is the individuals trade position and where it exists their memorial inscription. Additionally, the Form 540 Diary entry is added along with the full list of the crew that the individual in question was flying with. Finally, any known details of the fate of the individual and their crew are included.

With a total of 1,139 Squadron members lost during the Second World War, the addition of this extra material has been a significant, but, I feel, a very worthwhile project. I would welcome any additional material that relatives might wish to add and I intend as time allows to add, where available, images of the lost airmen.

Sections of the new Roll of honour can be accessed here:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y

What follows for this ANZAC Day post is a list of all RNZAF and RAAF airmen who lost their lives flying with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF. They are listed by country and graveyard.

AHE AKE KIA KAHA

UNITED KINGDOM
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
GUNN, Garth Reginald    MiD	Age 26	Squadron Leader  411397  RNZAF	21st September  1944
SIMONSEN, Horace Dean	Age 31	Leading Aircraftsman  438024   RNZAF	17th April  1941
Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.
BEAVEN, James Wilfred	Age 31	Sergeant 403566 RNZAF	22nd May 1942
MACKAY, Andrew Donald	Age 22	Pilot Officer  411919   RNZAF	22nd May  1942
SMEATON, Wilfred Herbert	Age 28	Sergeant  405331   RNZAF	23rd May  1942
Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire, England.
BLEWETT, Terence Douglas	Age 26	Flight Lieutenant 414376 RNZAF	17th January 1945
BROADY, Raymond Herbert John	Age 28	Sergeant 39691 RNZAF	28th November 1942
DOBSON, Peter Gerald    MiD	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 439022 RNZAF	8th September 1943
EAST, Patton Mason	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 426083 RNZAF	24th October 1943
EMMERSON, Ronald Harry	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 410330 RAAF	16th December 1943
HURDLE, Walter	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421279   RNZAF	4th November  1943
JENKIN, Ralph Francis	Age 23	Flying Officer  416119   RNZAF	16th December  1943
KINROSS, Colin John	Age 30	Pilot Officer  417069   RNZAF	16th December  1943
MENZIES, Ian Robert	Age 21	Flying Officer  415002   RNZAF	8th September  1943
PURVES, James John	Age 35	Flight Sergeant  422207   RNZAF	25th October  1943
RANDLE, James Robert	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  416539   RNZAF	24th October  1943
WILSON, John Stanley	Age 34	Flying Officer  426234   RNZAF	17th January  1945
Chevington Cemetery, Northumberland, England.
McISAAC, Alexander	Age 24	Sergeant  412891   RNZAF	28th November  1942
Feltwell (St. Nicholas) Churchyard, Norfolk, England.
BENTLEY, Loch Lomond	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 403936 RNZAF	23rd December 1941
FOUNTAIN, Cedric Niel	Age 23	Pilot Officer  41981   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
GANNAWAY, Eric Francis	Age 21	Sergeant  402110   RNZAF	12th May  1941
GRENFELL, Richard John	Age 22	Sergeant  404026   RNZAF	29th June  1942
HARRIS, Richard James	Age 24	Sergeant  402999   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
JOYCE, David Campbell	Age 21	Sergeant  401278   RNZAF	16th July  1941
MITCHELL, Norman	Age 25	Sergeant  404084   RNZAF	29th June  1942
NICOL, Trafford McRae	Age 21	Pilot Officer  411929   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
RYAN, Alexander James	Age 25	Pilot Officer  391367   RNZAF	10th January  1941
WOODHAM, Henry William	Age 27	Sergeant  402449   RNZAF	28th February  1942
Grimsby (Scartho Road) Cemetery, Lincolnshire, England.
MEE, Alexander Coutts	Age 23	Sergeant  40656   RNZAF	7th May  1941
NOLA, David Leo	Age 26	Sergeant  39930   RNZAF	7th May  1941
Guilford Cemetery, Surrey, England.
ANDREWS, James Samuel	Age 23	Sergeant 634968 RAF	13th May 1943
Ham (St Andrew) Churchyard, Richmond, Surrey, England.
DIBBEN, Ronald Oswald	Age 22	Sergeant    1252627     RAFVR	28th November 1942
Ilford (Barkingside) Cemetery, Essex, England.
THORPE, Noel Humphrey	Age 21	Flying Officer  428168   RNZAF	26th February  1945
Jarrow Cemetery, County Durham, England.
BRUCE, John Henry	Age 23	Sergeant 1566967 RAFVR	17th September 1944
Lakenham (St. John the Baptist and All Saints) Churchyard, Norfolk, England.
HARVEY, Edgar William	Age 27	Sergeant  41902   RNZAF	16th December  1942
Newmarket Cemetery, Suffolk, England.
CLUBB, Selwyn James	Age 20	Flying Officer 414593 RNZAF	13th May 1943
FRANKLIN, Benjamin Allan	Age 21	Sergeant  414277   RNZAF	16th December  1942
HARVEY, Robert Frederick	Age 23	Sergeant  416483   RNZAF	13th May  1943
JOHNSTON, John	Age 28	Flying Officer  416198   RNZAF	13th May  1943
WALSH, John Arthur Ernest	Age 27	Warrant Officer  401294   RNZAF	9th April  1943
WELCH, Harold Rangi	Age 23	Sergeant  41709   RNZAF	16th December  1942
WHITCOMBE, William Henry	Age 32	Sergeant  41561   RNZAF	16th December  1942
Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
AITCHISON, Richard Justin	Age 28	Pilot Officer 429286 RNZAF	1st January 1945
BABER, Thomas James Edward    MiD Czech Medal for Bravery	Age 23	Flight Lieutenant 39857  RNZAF	12th March 1942
BAGNALL, Trevor Horace	Age 26	Warrant Officer 40640 RNZAF	17th December 1942
BAKER, James Guthrie	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 41142 RNZAF	1st September 1943
BARTON, Arthur James Douglas	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 413700 RNZAF	5th February 1943
BENTLEY, Robert Henry Waldron	Age 23	Pilot Officer 414580 RNZAF	5th May 1943
BOSWELL, John McLaren	Age 26	Sergeant 414491 RNZAF	5th May 1943
BRADEY, George Edward Francis	Age 25	Pilot Officer 401954 RNZAF	11th August 1942
BRAILEY, Clifton Robert	Age 23	Sergeant 404589 RNZAF	21st June 1942
BRIAN, William Leslie Fred	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 411737 RNZAF	28th April 1943
BRIDGMAN, Arthur Mervyn	Age 26	Pilot Officer 41866 RNZAF	3rd March 1943
BROUN, Alan Stewart	Age 32	Pilot Officer 405367 RNZAF	9th July 1942
BROWN, Russell Howard	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 425444 RNZAF	22nd May 1944
BRUHNS, Harold Henry	Age 22	Pilot Officer 42367 RNZAF	24th February 1944
BRYSON, Norman Albert	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 40859 RNZAF	26th July 1942
BUCKLEY, Ross Cameron	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 411206 RNZAF	28th April 1943
BURTON, Clarence Sydney	Age 22	Sergeant 414493 RNZAF	3rd March 1943
BUTLER, Laurie Licence	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 421672 RNZAF	24th February 1944
CAIRNS, Louvain Trevor	Age 25	Flight Sergeant 402437 RNZAF	26th July 1942
CHAMBERLAIN, Lloyd Montgomery	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 40914 RNZAF	12th March 1942
COLLINS, John Noel	Age 23	Flight Lieutenant 2513 RNZAF	21st May 1940
COPPERSMITH, Raymond Patrick	Age 21	Sergeant 391697 RNZAF	26th July 1942
CORIN, Henry George	Age 34	Sergeant 417269 RNZAF	28th April 1943
CUMPSTY, Frederick William Raukawa	Age 25	Pilot Officer 413386 RNZAF	31st July 1943
DANCE, Alfred Thomas	Age 25	Flying Officer 42495 RNZAF	4th November 1943
DARNEY, Jack Neville	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42376 RNZAF	31st July 1943
DARTON, Thomas William	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 416465 RNZAF	26th May 1943
DAVIDSON, Neil Douglas	Age 21	Pilot Officer 422057 RNZAF	21st July 1944
DROMGOOLE, Sydney Houston	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 402171 RNZAF	22nd April 1942
DUNKERLEY, Allan Roy Frank	Age 33	Pilot Officer 423083 RAAF	21st November 1944
DYER, Sydney Allan	Age 19	Sergeant 40101 RNZAF	16th July 1941
EARLE, John	Age 29	Pilot Officer 401756 RNZAF	12th March 1942
ELLIOT, Thomas Isaac	Age 24	Flying Officer 421364 RNZAF	21st November 1944
FALCONER, Arthur James	Age 23	Pilot Officer  39910   RNZAF	21st February  1941
FALKINER, Philip	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425140   RNZAF	30th July  1944
FAWCETT, Arnold Goodrick	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  422698   RNZAF	4th November  1943
FERGUSSON, Allister Archibald	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  425391   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
FINLAYSON, William John	Age 23	Pilot Officer  39911   RNZAF	24th October  1940
FITZGERALD, John	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  424777   RNZAF	30th August  1944
FREEMAN, Patrick Paul Deane	Age 22	Sergeant  413305   RNZAF	5th February  1943
GAVEGAN, Jack Ralph	Age 30	Pilot Officer  402128   RNZAF	9th July  1942
GOING, Raymond Cyril	Age 21	Sergeant  414278   RNZAF	3rd March  1943
GOULD, James Douglas	Age 21	Sergeant  411233   RNZAF	11th July  1942
GREEN, Cyril Vincent	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  402997   RNZAF	11th August  1942
GREENING, Joseph Wesley	Age 27	Pilot Officer  40022   RAAF	3rd July  1941
HADFIELD, Graham Stanley	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  426239   RNZAF	14th March  1944
HALLIBURTON, Keith	Age 23	Sergeant  415411   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HARE, Philip Edgar	Age 19	Sergeant  401227   RNZAF	16th July  1941
HARRISON-SMITH, Francis Charles	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  403959   RNZAF	30th November 1941
HARTSTONE, Roydon Horatio	Age 29	Sergeant  40211   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
HIGGINS, Eric Vincent Keiran	Age 27	Sergeant  400277   RAAF	16th July  1941
HIRST, Raymond John Finlay	Age 22	Sergeant  404067   RNZAF	11th July  1942
HOWELL, Alexander Clunie	Age 22	Sergeant  392104   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HOWES, Victor Charles	Age 20	Sergeant  413418   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HUNTER, Patrick Torre	Age 29	Sergeant  42297   RNZAF	28th April  1943
INNES, Owen Alfred	Age 22	Sergeant  421935   RNZAF	30th May  1943
JONES, Roy King	Age 26	Flying Officer  425611   RNZAF	21st July  1944
JUDD, Douglas Howard	Age 26	Sergeant  413336   RNZAF	10th September  1942
KAY, Alan Lister	Age 35	Flight Sergeant  42299   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
KELLY, Reginald Joseph Stephen	Age 24	Sergeant  403580   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
KILBY, William Adam	Age 40	Flight Sergeant  415261   RNZAF	1st September  1943
KNIGHT, Leon Gaston	Age 22	Sergeant  405494   RNZAF	9th June  1942
LAMB, Erwin Henry Reubin	Age 29	Sergeant  413709   RNZAF	5th May  1943
LEWIS, Alfred Edward	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  412458   RAAF	28th April  1943
LODGE, Tom	Age 35	Flying Officer  417284   RNZAF	4th November  1943
LOVELOCK, James Benjamin	Age 26	Flying Officer  416324   RNZAF	1st September  1943
MacKAY, Kenneth McIndoe	Age 27	Pilot Officer  421829   RNZAF	21st July  1944
MacKINNON, Douglas Malcolm	Age 20	Sergeant  40923   RNZAF	16th July 1941
MAHOOD, Thomas Stanley	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404916   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
MARTYN, Leslie Arthur	Age 35	Flight Lieutenant  417082   RNZAF	21st November  1944
MASON, Frederick David	Age 21	Sergeant  1230433   RAFVR	16th August  1943
MAYO, John Russell	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  417085   RNZAF	7th August  1943
McGREGOR, Keith Alexander	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  415770   RNZAF	1st September  1943
McKENZIE, Frank Edwin	Age 22	Sergeant  391085   RNZAF	9th July  1942
McMAHON, Henry Thomas Owen	Age 27	Sergeant  403019   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
McPHERSON, Colin Valentine	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  404912   RNZAF	26th July  1942
MONK, Walter Jack	Age 24	Pilot Officer  411432   RNZAF	30th June  1942
MOORE, Cyril James	Age 25	Sergeant  410555   RAAF	6th July  1943
MUIR, Anthony Vincent	Age 29	Pilot Officer  40195   RNZAF	21st February  1941
NAIRNE, Colin George	Age 22	Pilot Officer  42117   RNZAF	30th July  1944
NATION, John Ross	Age 22	Sergeant  40945   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
NEWTON, Raymond John   DFC MiD	Age 28	Wing Commander  40984   RNZAF	1st January  1945
OAKEY, Arthur Leslie Archibald	Age 33	Flight Sergeant  4213810   RNZAF	21st March  1945
PARTON, William James	Age 20	Pilot Officer  41932   RNZAF	12th March  1942
PERRY, Lyndon Clifford	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428925   RNZAF	30th July  1944
POTTS, Donald Norman	Age 25	Pilot Officer  412267   RNZAF	9th July  1942
PRICE, Henry John	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404095   RNZAF	12th March  1942
QUINN, Eric James	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  4210077   RNZAF	21st July  1944
REDDING, Randolph Ernest	Age 30	Sergeant  414678   RNZAF	5th February  1943
REID, Ian Laurie	Age 23	Sergeant  391846   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
RICHARDS, James Leonard	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404946   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
RIDDLE, Charles Hudson	Age 21	Flying Officer  41190   RNZAF	30th May  1943
RIORDAN, John Milton Patrick	Age 32	Sergeant  422668   RNZAF	26th May  1943
ROSS, Desmond Ray	Age 23	Sergeant  411451   RNZAF	28th April  1943
ROSS, Stanley David	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  41359   RNZAF	26th July  1942
ROWBERRY, Geoffrey Warren	Age 24	Pilot Officer  414567   RNZAF	14th March  1944
SHALFOON, Charles John	Age 22	Sergeant  413897   RNZAF	11th October  1942
SMART, Randolph Cruickshank	Age 25	Pilot Officer  411006   RNZAF	10th September  1942
SPITTAL, Phillip Charles	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404420   RNZAF	26th July  1942
ST.LEDGER, Peter Sylvestor Anthony	Age 21	Flying Officer 4 25375   RAAF	30th July  1943
STONE, Robert James	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  415383   RNZAF	31st July  1943
STREETER, Donald Frederick	Age 24	Sergeant  401033   RNZAF	24th July  1941
THOMAS, Raymond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  40586   RNZAF	6th July  1943
THOMSON, Jack	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  421145   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
TONG, Harold	Age 34	Flying Officer  416648   RNZAF	30th May  1943
TURNBULL, John George	Age 33	Flying Officer  42490   RNZAF	16th August  1943
TURNER, William	Age 22	Flying Officer  416579   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
TWEEDIE, Norman	Age 25	Sergeant  402474   RAAF	12th September  1941
VERCOE, Terrance James	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  415566   RNZAF	31st July  1943
VERNAZONI, Richard Barry	Age 20	Flying Officer 416185   RNZAF	30th May  1943
WALKER, Graham Stuart	Age 25	Sergeant  401817   RNZAF	24th July  1941
WATSON, Walter Davis	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  428918   RNZAF	30th August  1944
WESTWOOD, Reginald Francis	Age 20	Pilot Officer  416471   RAAF	5th May  1943
WHITELAW, Clifford James	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  416188   RNZAF	25th June  1943
WILLIS, William Jarvis	Age 33	Pilot Officer 421803   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
WILMSHURST, John Charles	Age 25	Sergeant  411962   RNZAF	11th July  1942
WILSON, Norman Clarence Bruce	Age 23	Flying Officer  417139   RNZAF	4th November  1943
WOODCOCK, Roy Joffre Desmond	Age 26	Sergeant  404985   RNZAF	12th March  1942
WORTH, Jim	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  425510   RNZAF	21st July  1944
WRIGHTSON, Cyril Charles	Age 22	Sergeant  411998   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
Belgium
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium.
ANDERSON, Lindsay Douglas	Age 20	Sergeant 391321 RNZAF	20th September 1940
Chiervres Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
KELL, William Robert	Age 23	Pilot Officer 411766 RNZAF	19th November  1943
MYERS, John William Anthony	Age 25	Flight Lieutenant 405801 RNZAF	19th July  1944
Florennes Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
GRAINGER, James Kennedy	Age 21	Pilot Officer  42295   RNZAF	15th April  1943
McCASKILL, Donald Gordon	Age 19	Pilot Officer  413573   RNZAF	15th April  1943
SMITH, Ronald Alexander	Age 21	Sergeant 415378   RNZAF	15th April  1943
Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium.
BURKE, Edgar Lawrence	Age 26	Pilot Officer 417016 RNZAF	23rd May 1944
PAGE, Frank Albert	Age 29	Warrant Officer  409481   RAAF	23rd May  1944
PARKIN, Victor Trevor	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  421090   RNZAF	31st August  1943
WATTERS, Terrence	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  417299   RNZAF	31st August  1943
Hoton War Cemetery, Belgium.
ELVIN, William	Age 21	Pilot Officer 426883 RNZAF	12th August 1944
JOHNSTON, Haig Douglas	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  426320   RNZAF	12th August  1944
MULCAHY, Cyril Desmond	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428793   RNZAF	12th August  1944
PARKER, Robert Ronald Smithie	Age 20	Sergeant  1892552   RAFVR	12th August 1944
THOMSON, Edward Leonard	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  4211036   RNZAF	12th August  1944
WRIGHT, John Herbert	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  426209   RNZAF	12th August  1944
Ostende New Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
COATES, Dudley Dobson	Age 33	Sergeant 421318 RNZAF	26th May 1943
Werken Churchyard, Belgium.
ROBERTS, James	Age 20	Sergeant  400310   RAAF	22nd October  1941
SPARK, Frederick Alexander	Age 26	Sergeant  401415   RNZAF	22nd October  1941
Wevelgem Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
FAUVEL, Spencer Francis	Age 21	Flight Lieutenant  414971   RNZAF	28th May  1944
GOWER, Kenneth Wilfred	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421272   RNZAF	28th May  1944
LUKEY, Francis Henry Clark	Age 23	Flying Officer  42990   RNZAF	28th May  1944
MASON, James Rooker	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  421307   RNZAF	28th May  1944
DENMARK
Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
BAILEY, Robert	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 429072 RNZAF	23rd April 1944
LAMMAS, Mauson	Age 30	Pilot Officer  421728   RNZAF	23rd April  1944
SAWTELL, Arthur Hartley	Age 19	Flight Sergeant  417521   RAAF	24th February  1944
VAUGHAN, Douglas William	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  429046   RNZAF	23rd April  1944
Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery, Denmark.
COBB, Cyril Thomas	Age 30	Flight Sergeant 412315 RNZAF	21st April 1943
EARLE, Frederick Joseph	Age 22	Sergeant    1332585     RAFVR	21st April 1943
SALT, Ian Charles	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  404046   RNZAF	21st April  1943
TOLLEY, Alan Gray	Age 21	Pilot Officer  411954   RNZAF	21st April  1943
UPTON, Frank Wakefield	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  404430   RNZAF	21st April  1943
Frederikshavn Cemetery, Denmark.
CRAWFORD-WATSON, Lewis Stanley	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42734 RNZAF	4th November 1943
IMRIE, George Burns	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  422676   RNZAF	4th November  1943
JAMES, Charles James	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  426333   RNZAF	4th November  1943
MASTERS, William Stuart	Age 21	Pilot Officer  421077   RNZAF	4th November  1943
Gram Churchyard, Denmark.
MURRY, Henry James	Age 26	Flying Officer  415820   RNZAF	19th April  1944
Orslev Churchyard, Denmark.
BIGGAR, John Matthew	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 427945 RNZAF	12th September 1944
HADLEY, William Orchard	Age 30	Flying Officer 426041   RNZAF	12th September  1944
Svino Churchyard, Denmark
BOYD, William James Victor	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 428303 RNZAF	12th September 1944
GILES, John Patrick Arthur	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425836   RNZAF	12th September  1944
GUDGEON, John Bernard	Age 23	Pilot Officer  428786   RNZAF	12th September  1944
JENKINS, Ernest Roy	Age 25	Warrant Officer  405780   RNZAF	29th April  1943
SHOGREN, Malcolm Edward John	Age 29	Sergeant  415375   RNZAF	28th April  1943
THOMPSON, Desmond Lewis	Age 21	Pilot Officer  413152   RNZAF	29th April  1943
WILLIAMS, John Muir	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  401341   RAAF	29th April  1943
FRANCE
Bayeux War Cemetery, France.
BONISCH, Lester Lascelles	Age 21	Pilot Officer 422098 RNZAF	11th June 1944
McKENZIE, James Murdoch Thomas	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  427217   RNZAF	11th June  1944
MILLER, James Stuart	Age 33	Flight Sergeant  427220   RNZAF	11th June  1944
Chateau-Voue Communal Cemetery, France.
McRAE, James Kenneth	Age 27	Flying Officer  415216   RNZAF	25th July  1944
POTTS, Thomas Christopher	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  421143   RNZAF	25th July  1944
Choloy War Cemetery, France.
GROVES, Kelvin Havelock Green	Age 30	Pilot Officer  415819   RNZAF	17th April  1943
STONE, Ronald Charles	Age 26	Sergeant  413281   RNZAF	17th April 1943
Clermont-Ferrand (Des Carmes Dechaux) Communal Cemetery, France.
HENDERSON, Hugh William	Age 24	Flying Officer  421713   RNZAF	5th March  1944
JONES, Arthur Stanley	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421977   RNZAF	5th March  1944
MELVILLE, Robert James Ian	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  42349   RNZAF	5th March  1944
WATSON, Raymond Johnson   DFC	Age 27	Squadron Leader  404978 RNZAF	5th March  1944
Cronenbourg French National (Mixed) Cemetery, Strasbourg, France.
DUDDING, Keat	Age 25	Warrant Officer 415522 RNZAF	25th July    1944
TAVERNER, George Alfred Badge	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  429835   RAAF	25th July  1944
WHITEHOUSE, Keith Owen	Age 23	Flying Officer  428800   RNZAF	25th July  1944
Fruges Communal Cemetery, France.
BATESON, Benjamin William	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 424788 RNZAF	25th June 1944
MILNE, Bruce	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  428017   RNZAF	25th June  1944
Guidel Communal Cemetery, France.
HARDING-SMITH, Dudley	Age 24	Pilot Officer  405265   RNZAF	13th February  1943
Millery Communal Cemetery, France.
BLANCE, Ian Edward	Age 21	Pilot Officer 421496 RNZAF	29th July 1944
CLIMO, Frederick Walter Percival	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 4310148 RNZAF	29th July 1944
JENKINS, Frederick Francis Arthur	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  429888   RNZAF	29th July  1944
Olonne-Sur-Mer Communal Cemetery, France.
WHITTA, Neville Bruce	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  416566   RNZAF	16th August  1943
Poix-de-la-Somme Churchyard, France.
MACKENZIE, Douglas John	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  417211   RAAF	2nd May  1944
PEEVERS, Thomas Alexander	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  417232   RNZAF	2nd May  1944
SACHTLER, Euen William	Age 24	Squadron Leader  41362   RNZAF	2nd May  1944
Rieux Communal Cemetery, France.
BETLEY, Ronald Desmond Ernest	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 421495 RNZAF	16th June 1944
COOK, Peter Jackson	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42708 RNZAF	16th June 1944
HALE, Lawrence Eastmure	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  42395   RNZAF	16th June  1944
TOOHEY, Edward Wallace	Age 22	Warrant Officer 416672   RNZAF	16th June  1944
Therouldeville Churchyard, France.
RITCHIE, Alfred Henry	Age 22	Sergeant  40207   RNZAF	22nd December  1940
Tillieres-Sur-Avre Communal Cemetery, France.
DONAGHY, Thomas Rodgers	Age 33	Flight Sergeant 422267 RNZAF	11th June    1944
Valenciennes (St Roch) Communal Cemetery, France.
DIMOCK, Vallance Albert Oliver	Age 22	Sergeant     412317    RNZAF	25th October 1942
McCONNELL, James Allison	Age 21	Sergeant  414646   RNZAF	25th October  1942
SMITH, Selwyn Clarence	Age 29	Sergeant  41952   RNZAF	25th October  1942
TONKIN, Douglas Noel	Age 22	Sergeant  413285   RNZAF	25th October  1942
Ville-Sur-Retourne Churchyard, France.
HUGHILL, Howard James	Age 21	Sergeant  414293   RNZAF	25th October  1942
Yevres Communal Cemetery, France.
STOKES, Noel Alfred Deal	Age 25	Flight Lieutenant  421403   RNZAF	29th July  1944
GERMANY
Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.
ERIKSON, Mervyn Arthur	Age 26	Pilot Officer 416103 RNZAF	24th August 1943
FISK, Joseph George Arkless	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  412874   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HELM, George Vincent	Age 23	Pilot Officer  416113   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HOPE, Lawrence Beresford Hamilton	Age 28	Warrant Officer  40940   RNZAF	19th April  1945
LUNDON, Francis Patrick	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404718   RNZAF	24th August  1943
MOSS, Douglas Hamilton	Age 23	Pilot Officer  404653   RNZAF	24th August  1943
SEDUNARY, Alan Joseph Lyall   DFC	Age 20	Pilot Officer  416619    RAAF	24th August  1943
STEWART, Donald MacKay	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 421336  RNZAF	1st September 1943
THIRD, James	Age 34	Pilot Officer  422671   RNZAF	24th August  1943
THORSTENSEN, Frederick William	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  414529   RNZAF	24th August  1943
WOOLCOTT, Douglas George	Age 23	Sergeant  1290189   RAFVR	24th August  1943
Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany
BRISCO, Robert Hylton	Age 26	Sergeant 411204 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CAITCHEON, Gordon Edwin	Age 28	Sergeant 404016 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CAMPBELL, Alan	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 391857 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CARNCROSS, Murray Ellis	Age 19	Pilot Officer 411718 RNZAF	29th July 1942
DAVIS, Ronald Fraser	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 403569 RNZAF	29th July 1942
HUTT, George Alister	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  41914   RNZAF	29th July 1942
McMURCHY, James Gordon	Age 31	Sergeant  405539   RNZAF	29th July 1942
O’SHEA, William Clerken	Age 28	Sergeant  411096   RNZAF	29th July 1942
SAVAGE, John Henry	Age 33	Sergeant  404620   RNZAF	29th July 1942
STEWART, Ian Gordon	Age 20	Sergeant  404623   RNZAF	29th July 1942
SUTHERLAND, Alexander George	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  405340   RNZAF	29th July 1942
TABOR, Adrian Oscar	Age 25	Sergeant  411104   RNZAF	29th July 1942
WESTERMAN, Victor Kenneth	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  41970   RNZAF	29th July 1942
WILSON, Peter John	Age 22	Flight Lieutenant  402475   RNZAF	29th July 1942
Hamburg War Cemetery, Germany.
CORLETT, Geoffrey Scott	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 42289 RNZAF	3rd August 1943
COUPER, James Arthur	Age 31	Flight Sergeant 417027 RNZAF	3rd August 1943
CRARER, Thomas Eric	Age 21	Sergeant 405475 RNZAF	29th July 1942
HAWKINS, Anthony Henry Ryder	Age 20	Sergeant  40971   RNZAF	15th September  1941
REEVES, Sydney Cecil Oliver	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  42339   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
WARD, James Allen   VC	Age 22	Sergeant  401793   RNZAF	15th September  1941
Hanover War Cemetery, Germany.
ADAMSON, David Maurice	Age 27	Flying Officer 41052 RNZAF	28th September 1943
DALZELL, Errol Thomas Paterson	Age 22	Pilot Officer 411378 RNZAF	28th August 1942
HAUB, Darcy Leslie Conrad	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  42326   RNZAF	31st August 1943
HOGAN, Denis Patrick	Age 23	Sergeant  412331   RNZAF	28th August  1942
JACKSON, Kensington Campbell	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  42330   RNZAF	31st August  1943
RIDDLER, Stanley Winston	Age 22	Sergeant  424999   RNZAF	3rd October  1943
ROBERTS, Eric John	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  417107   RNZAF	31st August  1943
TUNBRIDGE, Victor Arthur	Age 28	Sergeant  411788   RNZAF	28th August  1942
WAEREA, Tame Hawaikirangi	Age 29	Pilot Officer  421300   RNZAF	28th September  1943
WHITMORE, Richard Charles	Age 22	Pilot Officer  421123   RNZAF	28th September  1943
Kiel War Cemetery, Germany.
AITCHISON, Campbell Ewen Justin	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 402974 RNZAF	12th March 1942
BELL, Maurice Perrott	Age 26	Pilot Officer 404882 RNZAF	29th March 1942
BROWN, John Lukies	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 402534 RNZAF	12th March 1942
CRAN, Franklyn Bertram	Age 21	Sergeant 405237 RNZAF	29th March 1942
FIRTH, Ellison George	Age 19	Sergeant  412218   RNZAF	13th October  1942
FRASER, Myles Frederick Gordon	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  403437   RNZAF	16th May  1942
HARRIS, Claude Joseph	Age 31	Sergeant  404028   RNZAF	29th March  1942
McDONALD, Murray Alexander	Age 23	Sergeant  400352   RAAF	12th March  1942
PARKINSON, Lewis Harry	Age 20	Sergeant  412518   RNZAF	13th October  1942
SMITH, Albert Ivan	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  402221   RNZAF	16th May  1942
WATTERS, Ventry	Age 22	Sergeant  413522   RNZAF	13th October  1942
WHITING, Norman Edward	Age 27	Sergeant  404107   RNZAF	16th May  1942
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
ANDERSON, Ronald Alexander John	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 36139 RNZAF	20th July 1940
BARCLAY, Thomas Smith	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 411358 RNZAF	12th August 1942
BISSET, Stuart Richard	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 415738 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
BLANK, John Frederick	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 422175 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
BOAG, Robert James	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 432097 RAAF	30th November 1944
BROWN, Alfred Errol	Age 25	Flying Officer 429139 RNZAF	21st March 1945
COLES, Thomas Edward	Age 28	Sergeant 40161 RNZAF	7th September 1942
COWIE, James Lindis	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42322 RNZAF	22nd November 1943
FRAMPTON, Laurie Albert	Age 20	Sergeant  411753   RNZAF	29th July  1942
GIBSON, John Cuthbert McKechnie	Age 29	Sergeant  40435 2  RNZAF	7th November  1941
GRIMES, Harold Dawson	Age 26	Sergeant  404532   RAAF	15th October  1941
HAZARD, Whelan Fallon	Age 20	Flying Officer  429047   RNZAF	12th August  1944
HOLLOWAY, Edgar John	Age 29	Flying Officer  429923   RNZAF	21st March  1945
INGLIS, William Gordon Lloyd	Age 27	Sergeant  411758   RNZAF	12th August  1942
JARVIS, Claude Joseph Frederick	Age 22	Sergeant  411722   RNZAF	7th September  1942
JOHNS, Arthur Grahame	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  41907   RNZAF	29th July  1942
KAVANAGH, Stanley Leo	Age 24	Warrant Officer  403579   RNZAF	30th May  1943
KRALJEVICH, Mark	Age 25	Sergeant  403458   RNZAF	29th July  1942
MACKENZIE, Stanley Henry	Age 23	Flying Officer  422418   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
MacPHAIL, Allan Corson Anderson	Age 30	Sergeant  41194   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MARSHALL, Eric William Elliott	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  415637   RNZAF	23rd May  1944
McCARTIN, Patrick Leo	Age 28	Flying Officer  419328   RAAF	20th November  1944
McINTOSH, James Alexander	Age 26	Flying Officer  411915   RNZAF	30th November  1944
McWILLIAM, Allan	Age 20	Sergeant  416586   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MILLS, George William	Age 27	Pilot Officer  411769   RNZAF	7th September  1942
MORGAN, Robert Carhampton	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  421389   RNZAF	30th November  1944
NEWMAN, Robert Wynne	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  4210960   RNZAF	30th November  1944
NORMAN, Raymond Fraser	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  416145   RNZAF	30th May  1943
OWEN, John Lewis	Age 24	Sergeant  391332   RNZAF	20th July  1940
PAYNE, Douglas Beardsley	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  426917   RNZAF	23rd May  1944
PLUMMER, Jack    DFC	Age 29	Flight Lieutenant  42451   RNZAF	21st March  1945
RAMSAY, William Robertson	Age 25	Sergeant  405508   RNZAF	9th June  1942
ROBERTSON, Trevor Bernard	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404948   RNZAF	15th October  1941
SAMSON, George King	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  402563   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
SAUL, Norman Priestley	Age 30	Sergeant  411730   RNZAF	7th September  1942
SCOTT, Russell James	Age 23	Flying Officer  428984   RNZAF	21st March  1945
SHARMAN, George William	Age 27	Sergeant  412746   RNZAF	7th September  1942
SMITH, Rupert John	Age 26	Pilot Officer  41950   RNZAF	9th June 1942
STEWART, Leslie Ian	Age 25	Sergeant  41178 5  RNZAF	29th July  1942
THORNLEY, Sydney Russell	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  40109   RNZAF	30th May  1943
TURNER, John Cecil	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  421115   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
WARRING, Robert John	Age 21	Sergeant  411110   RNZAF	12th August  1942
WOOD, James Haswell	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  425811   RNZAF	21st March  1945
Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
ANDERSEN, Kenneth Peder Christian	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 429128 RNZAF	4th November 1944
ASHWIN, Eric Lumley Durham	Age 22	Sergeant 41563 RNZAF	17th December 1942
BENNETT, Raymond Frederick	Age 29	Pilot Officer 415282 RNZAF	30th May 1943
BERNARD, Arthur George	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 424964 RNZAF	22nd November1943
BUDGE, William Finlay	Age 24	Pilot Officer 41977 RNZAF	6th April 1942
CAREY, John Henry Roy	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 414242 RNZAF	30th May 1943
CLARK, Mervyn Oliver	Age 20	Pilot Officer 404895 RNZAF	17th December 1942
COOMBRIDGE, Trevor Walter	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42653 RNZAF	27th December 1944
CURLEWIS, Raymond Fullerton	Age 25	Sergeant 402230 RAAF	11th October 1941
DALE, James Atkinson	Age 27	Flying Officer 425562 RNZAF	25th August 1944
DEBENHAM, Kevin Frederick	Age 26	Pilot Officer 412211 RNZAF	16th April 1943
DEVLIN, Kevin John	Age 26	Pilot Officer 413334 RNZAF	11th September 1942
FLEMING, James Allan	Age 27	Flying Officer  422382   RNZAF	25th August  1944
GALLETLY, Alan Russell	Age 33	Pilot Officer  427481   RNZAF	5th October  1944
HASELDEN, Howard Clive McLeish	Age 22	Sergeant  403003   RNZAF	18th September  1941
HENLEY, Douglas Charles   MiD	Age 23	Pilot Officer  414622   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HOWARD, Edward John Francis	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  424469   RNZAF	4th November  1944
HOWLETT, Arthur Douglas	Age 32	Flying Officer  413335   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
JACOBSON, Gerald Howard	Age 27	Flying Officer  41333   RNZAF	17th December  1942
JARVIS, William Louis	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  414691   RAAF	23rd September  1943
KELCHER, Walter Foch	Age 23	Sergeant  411908   RNZAF	11th September  1942
KENDAL, Christopher James	Age 21	Sergeant  412342   RNZAF	17th December  1942
KIRKPATRICK, Laurence John	Age 20	Flying Officer  414990   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
MacLEOD, Norman Alexander	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  404079   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MARGETTS, John Edward Stanley	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  422665   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
McALPINE, Walter Duncan	Age 30	Pilot Officer  403551   RNZAF	17th December  1942
METCALFE, Thomas Otto	Age 19	Sergeant  414386   RNZAF	11th September  1942
MILES, Haddon Shaw	Age 27	Flying Officer  421746   RNZAF	27th December 1 944
MOSLEY, Stuart Edwin	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  426106   RNZAF	5th October  1944
MURPHY, Timothy Rowley	Age 20	Sergeant  404037   RNZAF	11th October  1941
PULLAR, Henry Welsh	Age 25	Sergeant  411777   RNZAF	17th December  1942
SANDS, Hugh Powell	Age 26	Flying Officer  403287   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
SCOTT, Alexander	Age 20	Sergeant  413484   RNZAF	3rd December  1942
SCOTT, Alistair Henry	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  428259   RNZAF	4th November  1944
SCOTT, John Harold	Age 29	Flying Officer  428797   RNZAF	4th November  1944
SINGLE, Alan Roy	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  413144   RAAF	22nd November  1943
SMITH, Ian Hector Ross	Age 34	Flight  Sergeant  421614   RNZAF	1st September  1943
SMITH, Phillip Francis	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  427206   RAAF	20th November  1944
SOUTHWARD, Keith	Age 28	Flying Officer  411048   RNZAF	6th October  1944
STOKES, Wallace Frederick	Age 27	Sergeant  412326   RNZAF	17th December  1942
THOMPSON, Colin Maurice	Age 23	Sergeant  404427   RNZAF	11th October  1941
WALSHE, Desmond James	Age 25	Sergeant  412912   RNZAF	11th September  1942
WATSON, Clifford Arnold	Age 34	Flying Officer  421946   RNZAF	1st September  1943
WELSH, Neville Henry	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  391334   RNZAF	15th October  1941
WHITE, William George Henry	Age 27	Sergeant  41717   RNZAF	17th December  1942
WHITTINGTON, Eric Richmond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  416030   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
WILKINSON, Ernest Stanley	Age 25	Pilot Officer  417138   RNZAF	6th September  1943
WOOD, Frederick Lionel Roy	Age 23	Sergeant  404439   RNZAF	15th October  1941
Sage War Cemetery, Germany.
BRODIE, Andrew Moore	Age 25	Sergeant 391378 RNZAF	21st February 1941
BUCKLEY, Wallace Edward	Age 28	Pilot Officer 391379 RNZAF	21st June 1942
GILL, John Trevor Vivian	Age 27	Sergeant  403362   RNZAF	4th September  1942
GRANT, Horace Llewellyn	Age 27	Sergeant  405254   RNZAF	4th September  1942
LEES, Reginald Sidney	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404907   RNZAF	27th July 1942
LOWTHER, Peter Desmond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  403583   RNZAF	11th July  1942
NEWMAN, Richard Alfred William	Age 24	Sergeant  405309   RNZAF	4th September  1942
RENTON, Rupert Ernest	Age 22	Sergeant  412352   RNZAF	4th September  1942
ROBERTSON, Norman Bruce	Age 25	Pilot Officer  411101   RNZAF	27th July  1942
SHARP, Richard Edwin	Age 23	Sergeant  405513   RNZAF	11th July  1942
SHEPHERD, Ian James	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404414   RNZAF	27th July  1942
TRENGROVE, Raymond Wickliffe John	Age 20	Pilot Officer  40927   RNZAF	21st June  1942
WINSTANLEY, James Francis	Age 20	Sergeant  412373   RNZAF	27th July  1942
Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.
BARKER, Richard Stockdale	Age 28	Pilot Officer 421345 RNZAF	26th August 1944
BRIDGER, Cyril Jack	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 417192 RNZAF	28th August 1943
DAVEY, Charles Raglan	Age 21	Sergeant 413937 RNZAF	8th March 1943
FIRTH, Raymond	Age 28	Warrant Officer  417203   RNZAF	26th August  1944
HENDERSON, Matthew Ronald	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  427204   RNZAF	28th April  1944
HERRON, Robert Weir	Age 23	Flying Officer  422282   RNZAF	28th April  1944
HIGHAM, Frank Douglas	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  416116   RNZAF	28th August  1943
LOGAN, Clifford Charles Pownall	Age 28	Flying Officer  405918   RAAF	23rd September  1943
McLACHLAN, Euen Wilfred	Age 22	Flying Officer  415266   RNZAF	28th April  1944
NORTON, William George	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  413227   RNZAF	26th August  1944
PERKS, Eric	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  411934   RNZAF	29th August  1942
SMITH, Keith Alfred	Age 23	Warrant Officer  416022 RNZAF	28th April  1944
SOWERBY, Geoffrey Phillips	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  417243   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
HOLLAND
Aardenburg General Cemetery, Holland.
HEWETT, Harold Max	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  419311   RAAF	12th May  1944
Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery, Holland.
BLINCOE, Kenneth Howard DFC	Age 33	Pilot Officer 412194  RNZAF	3rd February 1943
CLEARWATER, Desmond	Age 24	Sergeant 412314 RNZAF	3rd February 1943
COOK, George Wood	Age 24	Sergeant 412514 RNZAF	3rd February 1943
SCOTT, Andrew James Newell	Age 21	Pilot Officer  414685   RNZAF	3rd February  1943
Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery, Holland.
ANNAN, William Douglas Francis	Age 20	Sergeant 391377 RNZAF	26th July 1940
BYRNE, Martin John	Age 32	Flight Sergeant 404529 RNZAF	29th July 1942
COLEMAN, William Harcourt DFC	Age 23	Flying Officer 2526 RNZAF	26th July 1940
GILBERTSON, John Edward	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  41894   RNZAF	29th July  1942
PERROTT, William Rosser	Age 21	Flying Officer  416155   RNZAF	25th June  1943
Beesd General Cemetery, Holland.
JOBLIN, Frederick John Leigh	Age 25	Sergeant  417063   RNZAF	24th May  1943
TURNBULL, George Watson	Age 24	Sergeant  421342   RNZAF	24th May  1943
TIETJENS, Stephen Muir	Age 26	Sergeant  415640   RNZAF	24th May 1 943
Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Holland.
BLACK, John William	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 402843 RNZAF	7th November 1941
COOKSEY, James Brett	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 416460 RNZAF	24th June 1943
FOTHERINGHAM, Robert Ewen Ernest	Age 29	Sergeant  391833   RNZAF	16th July  1941
GRAY, Trevor Hedley	Age 27	Sergeant  404356   RNZAF	7th November  1941
LLOYD, Eric	Age 28	Pilot Officer  402197   RNZAF	7th November  1941
MURDOCH, Graham Edward	Age 26	Pilot Officer  411927   RNZAF	9th June  1942
O’DOWD, Albert William	Age 25	Sergeant  41544   RNZAF	9th June  1942
PENMAN, Alexander Mitchell	Age 23	Flying Officer  416154   RNZAF	21st October  1944
Doetinchem (Loolaan) General Cemetery, Holland.
HARRISON, Alfred Herbert	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  403000   RNZAF	8th November  1941
WYLLIE, Thomas Young	Age 25	Sergeant  404011   RNZAF	8th November  1941
Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, Holland.
GILMOUR, Hugh Edward	Age 24	Warrant Officer  422667   RAAF	21st July  1944
MILLS, Samuel	Age 32	Flight Sergeant  425036   RAAF	21st July  1944
OSBORNE, John Edward	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  417877   RAAF	21st July  1944
Flushing  (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery, Holland.
BLUCK, Norman Bradford	Age 22	Pilot Officer 40364 RNZAF	24th June 1943
STRONG, Geoffrey Walter	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  413905   RNZAF	24th June  1943
Gilze-En-Rijen (Gilze) Roman Catholic Cemetery,  Holland.
COOK, Stephen Astley	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 421142 RNZAF	28th May 1944
SCOTT, Francis Alexander Jack	Age 28	Sergeant  421105   RNZAF	28th May  1944
Harderwijk General Cemetery, Holland.
THOMSON, Gordon Douglas	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42317   RNZAF	25th June  1943
Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland.
CALLOW, Horace	Age 27	Flying Officer 427185 RNZAF	21st July 1944
DOBBIN, Laurence St.George	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 401375 RNZAF	12th August 1942
HICKFORD, Leonard Charles	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  426886   RNZAF	21st July  1944
HOWELL, Edward	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428819   RNZAF	21st July  1944
JURY, Jack Leslie	Age 20	Sergeant  411764   RNZAF	12th August  1942
McKENZIE, Francis Max	Age 26	Pilot Officer  41344   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
REDWOOD, Gerard Henry	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  425012   RNZAF	21st July  1944
ROCHE, Gerald Brian	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  413219   RNZAF	21st July  1944
SMITH, Keith Emmett	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425179   RNZAF	21st July  1944
Markelo General Cemetery, Holland.
BURBIDGE, Kenneth Alfred	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 412200 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
MARTIN, Donald Ernest	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  413872   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
McEWIN, Andrew James	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  417077   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
WILCOCKSON, Walter Frederick	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  42314   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
Oldebroek General Cemetery, Holland.
SMITH, Trevor Harry	Age 24	Pilot Officer  41953   RNZAF	9th July  1942
Rotterdam (Crooswijk) General Cemetery, Holland.
FOSTER, Ralph Owen	Age 29	Pilot Officer  402443   RNZAF	8th November  1941
RYDER, Robert Leslie Owen	Age 25	Pilot Officer  404626   RAAF	8th November  1941
WILSON, John Stephen	Age 27	Sergeant  402530   RNZAF	8th November  1941
Schiermonnikoog (Vredenhof) Cemetery, Holland.
CHRISTIE, Arthur Stafford	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 402982 RNZAF	21st June 1942
FRASER, Allan Armistice	Age 23	Flying Officer  405030   RNZAF	21st June  1942
YOUNG, George Anthony	Age 21	Sergeant  405771   RNZAF	9th July 1 942
Tilburg (Gilzerbaan) General Cemetery, Holland.
BURTT, Henry John	Age 31	Flying Officer 414560 RNZAF	21st July 1944
CRAWFORD, Henry Varley Gibb	Age 28	Sergeant 404339 RNZAF	7th September 1942
GILLAN, Gottfred Lyall	Age 21	Warrant Officer  42324   RNZAF	21st July  1944
GROVES, Alpheus Leslie	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  403574   RNZAF	7th September  1942
PARKES, William Ronald	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  403822   RNZAF	7th September  1942
ROSE, George Herbert	Age 30	Sergeant  391713   RNZAF	7th September  1942
WILSON, Eric Glover	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  403035   RNZAF	7th September  1942
Uden War Cemetery, Holland.
FLETCHER, Andrew Crawford	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  42675   RNZAF	21st July  1944
SIMPSON, Alfred Alexander	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  425212   RNZAF	21st July  1944
WHITTINGTON, Harold	Age 26	Pilot Officer  42488   RNZAF	21st July  1944
Westdongeradeel (Holwerd) Protestant Cemetery, Holland.
HEGAN, John Gordon George	Age 23	Sergeant  411075   RNZAF	30th June  1942
McGREGOR, Murdoch Gordon	Age 23	Sergeant  411079   RNZAF	30th June  1942
MONCRIEF, Eric Francis Sydney	Age 25	Sergeant  411087   RNZAF	30th June  1942
RANDLE, Douglas Haig	Age 24	Sergeant  405454   RNZAF	30th June  1942
Wierden General Cemetery, Holland.
McCULLOUGH, John   DFC	Age 30	Pilot Officer  40410 RNZAF	3rd February  1943
MURPHY, Terence Austin	Age 30	Sergeant  413307   RNZAF	3rd February 1943

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

 

 

Ake Ake Kia Kaha

Seasons greetings for 2016

The Bailey crew boarding NE181 “The Captain’s Fancy” at dispersal, to begin pre-flight checks before flying to Krefeld, 29th of January 1945 – 99 op’s marked.
New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive / Alan Scott

A suitably wintery photograph of the Squadron’s most famous Lancaster NE181 “The Captains Fancy” prefaces this years Christmas message.

Another year has passed and more remarkable material has so generously been shared by relatives of those who flew with the Squadron. The blog has grown considerably over this last year, now allowing access to Operational histories for every crew that flew with the Squadron during the War period. Where necessary, these histories also have loss details which include, where they exist, gravestone inscriptions.

These crew pages will now form the main points of archive for material as it is added to the site – in this way, the crews will have their own commemorative pages and their contribution to the Squadron and Bomber Command will be recorded in memoriam.

I would encourage you all to think where appropriate, about personal additions to the crew pages – I am keen  to see these histories personalised – I know you are all so proud of the boys and I think this needs to be recorded as well.

The blog now has a full set of transcribed Combat Reports. Whilst the archiving of these records has highlighted what appears to be significant gaps in this record, we now at least know where these gaps exist and the opportunity of course, now exists to keep an eye out to add to it.

Recently, Chris submitted an update to the aircraft database and this prompted me start a more detailed presentation of the gathered research on the aircraft of the Squadron. As an equivalent record to the Crew Op histories, each aircraft will have its own operational history presented with, where it exists, a photograph of the aircraft and additional material and or information as and where it exists.

This expansion to the database is another significant undertaking – but, as with the majority of the information presented to date, has it never been presented digitally before in a format that is accessible to everybody. You can have a sneak preview of what will for sometime be a work in progress here.

The blog traffic continues impressively – recently passing 370,000 views. This translates to over 93,000 individual visitors with over 700 following the blog through WordPress, Twitter or Facebook.

We are the largest, most viewed and most followed online resource dedicated to 75(NZ) Squadron RAF and as always I have to say that this is all thanks to you guys, the relatives and readers of the blog.

My efforts to build the infrastructure for the site has meant that I have not been able to post as much as I have wanted and also to reply to what seems always now to be a significant backlog of emails – a New Years resolution is to get back on track with all this – I promise.

So, to all of you from 75nzsquadron.com, I wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year!

Ake Ake Kia Kaha!

The Whitmore crew – some new information

The Whitmore crew.
Back row right to left: Hugh Munn (Air Bomber) and Tame Hawaikirangi Waerea (Rear Gunner)
Front row right to left: David Maurice Adamson (Navigator), Frederick Charles Cowan (Wireless Operator), Richard Charles Whitmore (Pilot), John Bosworth Beresford (Flight Engineer) and Frederick John Charles Chesson (Mid Upper Gunner)
Image from nzwargraves.org, image supplied and © by Sherryn Cepulis (Niece of Richard Whitmore)

Many thanks to Dirk for contacting me and passing on some new information relating to the loss of the Whitmore crew on the 27th of September 1943, the only survivor being Fred Cowan, the crew’s Wireless Operator.

Dirk lives in Hülsede, a small village about 50km form Hannover. For about the last 30 years he has spent time researching aircrew losses form the War in the vicinity. This research has included Stirling Mk.III EH877 JN-C.

Dirk has sent material which has been added to the Whitmore crew page. This includes an interview with a witness of the events of that night, Mr. Karl-Heinz Brandau.

At the time of the crash, Karl-Heinz was 17 and training for a job as a mechanic in Hanover. Due to the raid of the previous night, he had to ride his bike early the following morning to Hanover and on his way, saw a single captured airman, being guarded by German soldiers/ Police and a Red Cross Sister in the village of Gleidingen, the suggestion of this account being that the airman might have been wounded. He later learned the airman (we assume Fred Cowan) had been taken to the German Army Hospital in Hildesheim.

Karl-Heinz did not see the crash, but a number of his younger friends did and were able to say where and how EH877 met its fate. Having been attacked by a night-fighter and set on fire, the Stirling went into a steep dive, exploding in the air,  just before hitting the ground. Wreckage was spread very widely, between Gleidingen and Heisede. By the following morning, the crash site had been cordoned off by German air force crew from Hildesheim Airfield for recovery of the wreckage and as such, the boys were not able to get closer to the scene. At a later point when the main wreckage had been recovered, the boys returned to explore the crash site, finding many parts of the bomber and also small parts of human remains……..

In the 1950’s the area where EH877 crashed was completely changed by the building of a railway and the digging of gravel ponds. the map below shows the site of the location of the crash site of EH877.

I was also interested to see within the material that Dirk sent was a picture of the crew from the New Zealand War Graves Project website on Richard Whitmore’s memorial page. The picture is credited to Sherryn Cepulis (the Niece of Richard Whitmore) and is taken apparently from David Adamson’s photo album. Obviously if Sherryn see’s this post, I would love to hear form her.

See all of Dirk’s information on the Whitmore crew page here.

The crash site today.
© Dirk Hartmann

333,333 – a third of a million views………..

Albeit a little late, but another MASSIVE milestone was reached on Wednesday night when we clocked up a third of a million views for the blog – utterly fantastic and amazing.

To think, to within a month of it being 5 years since Dad passed away, this ‘thing’ is still going and still adding to the information that we all now have to access regarding 75(NZ) Squadron RAF.

Since the last significant viewer milestone of a quarter of a million views, the posts, thanks to you all have continued and also, the blog from a structural point of view has undergone some significant additions.

In April, I was finally able to publish the fruits of some 4 years work of adding the Form 541’s to a database – physically meaning the addition of Op histories for every crew that flew with the Squadron during and after the War, before the Squadron was disbanded on the 15th of October 1945.

This in itself is a massive addition to the site and as I said at the time, I do not think another record in this format exist for any other Squadron  through the same period.

Not long after I was able to also add the entire set of Combat Reports for the Squadron, transcribed and in numerical order. In time the relevant CR’s will be reproduced where necessary in the Crew pages.

Having said all of this, the site would be fairly dry if it simply existed around the recorded documents that we have. Its depth, incredible scope and movingly personal relevance, is solely  down to you, the readership. Without your contributions, your generosity, your patience and your support, the blog would be a far poorer place.

All the amazing things that have been so generously shared over the last 4 and a half odd years has now, to be slowly moved to the relevant crew pages. The posts will all obviously still exist, but the crew pages will now become the enduring record for the crews that flew, died or survived the Squadron.

I stand by my original view that this record is best placed as it is – digitally, on the web, available to all and able to be constantly updated.

The blog, thanks to you, now has its own critical mass. It is the largest resource online for the Squadron and in real terms, regarding accessible information, is probably also simply the largest physical resource, full stop. Long may this continue, I see no reason why it will not.

Thank you to you all – to all of the relatives and interested parties who have continued to care enough to bring new material to us. A massive and continuing thanks to Chris Newey, not only for his excellently researched posts, but also for his council and for, from time to time, being an ear I scream down when things start annoying me. A continuing thanks also to Peter Wheeler and the New Zealand Bomber Command Association/ Archive for continuing to provide access to Chris for all things 75(NZ) related.

WE have got this far, because WE, collectively have had the will and want to do this. WE will carry on and make sure that THEY will never be forgotten………..

 

AKE AKE KIA KAHA

 

Bruce Hosie RNZAF NZ412882 – Wireless Operator. 1942

Many thanks to Steve for passing on this complete copy of the logbook of Bruce Hosie, Wireless Operator with Jack Baliey’s 1st tour crew between September 1942 and May 1943.

After completing his tour with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF, Bruce went to 1665 and 1660 Conversion Units as an instructor before begining a second tour in January 1944 with 617 (Dambusters) Squadron at Woodall Spa.

At 617 Bruce flew initially with a F/Lt. Cooper and then the majority of his 29 Ops with F/O Bobby Knights, including the well known attack on the Tirpitz on the 15th of September 1944, that required the attacking force to first fly to to Yagodnik, near Archangel in Russia, refuel, mount he attack, before returning to Yagodnik to refuel again, before finally returning to Base, via Lossiemouth.

On 75 Sq. L to R, two ground crew, Navigators F/O Ormerod (Gisborne) then Bruce Hosie, Sixth from left is P/O Jack Bailey, Pilot of AA-V ‘Waikato’.
Photo published on Wings Over New Zealand forum, from NZBCA Archives, via Peter Wheeler.

Bruce, taken with the Knights crew whilst on his 2nd tour with 617 Squadron.
Photo published on Wings Over New Zealand forum, from NZBCA Archives, via Peter Wheeler.

On the 7th of October 1944 Bruce took off with Squadron Leader Drew Wyness’ crew for a 16 aircraft Op on the Kembs Barrage.Allowing for a relatively high number of either recalled or ‘DCO’ Ops, this would have been Bruce’s 30th Op with 617 Squadron.

Lancaster Mk.I NG180, KC-S was hit repeatedly, but managed to drop its tallboy bomb before crashing into the Rhine near the town of Chalampe, on the Franco-German border.

At the time of writing this post I am not sure as to the fate of the rest of the crew, however it was later reported that Drew Wyness and Bruce Hosie had managed to get into their dinghy, but had been captured by German soldiers. Having been taken to the nearby village to be interrogated, they were taken back to the river and both shot in the back of their heads before their bodies were pushed back into the river. Their bodies were recovered some 50 miles down stream near Toul. Both now lay in Cholay War Cemetery.

(information regarding the fate of Bruce Hosie taken form “617: Going to War with Today’s Dambusters” by Tim Bouquet from a quote by Tony Iveson and Dambusters.org ‘lost in action’ section.)

View Bruce’s logbook here.

 

Trevor Dill, Navigator – Williams crew 1943

The Williams crew, RAF Mepal, 75(NZ) Squadron RAF, 1943
From L to R: Hilton Clifford ‘Speed’ Williams (Pilot), Ivon George Kaye (Rear Gunner), Adrian Leslie Bernard ‘Shorty’ Carson (Air Bomber), ‘Taffy Williams (Wireless Operator), Trevor Dill (Navigator), ‘Dicky ‘Dickinson (Flight Engineer) and William ‘Billy’ Hemsley (Mid Upper Gunner)
© New Zealand Bomber Command Association Archive and/or others.

The sad news has reached me, via the New Zealand Bomber Command Association Facebook page of the passing of Trevor Dill, Navigator with ‘Speedy Williams’ crew.

Trevor and his crew began Operations on the 27th of April 1943 with what seemed like the almost standard first sortie to lay mines in the Frisian Islands – 27 Ops later a final trip to Bremen on the 8th of October saw the boys stay with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF come to an end, but then to continue with 7 Squadron PFF.

I have taken the liberty of reproducing the above picture, also presented on the NZBCA Facebook page today to record Trevor’s passing – on his 95th birthday.

From the New Zealand Herald’s obituary section, the following:

“DILL, Trevor Gordon. Service No NZ 42292 Flight Lieutenant, DFM, mid, 75 NZ sqdn UK, 7 PFF sqdn UK. WWII. Passed away peacefully 28th June 2016 at home on his 95th birthday. Dearly loved husband of Jessie (war bride, England) who walked with me for 69 years. “I cannot bear to part from you, We’ve been so long together. You’ve travelled with me on life’s road, no matter what the weather. You’ve never gave me cause for pain, Though days were sad and rough. Just walking with you, seemed to be enough.Together we’ve climbed hills and mountains And paddled in the sea, But you, my loved and trusted mate, Were always true to me. We’ve both grown old and shabby, But you I’ll hate to lose, You’ve grown a part of me.” Much loved father and father- in-law of Malcolm, Janice and Brian, Denise and Robin, Jeanette and Henk, Richard and Debbie. Dad you leave us with lasting memories of hiking, camping and world travel adventures. An active and ‘loads of fun’ Poppa for the grandchildren. Phillipa, Alice and Fred, Sean and Liam, Eva and Daniel, Daniel, Morgan and Kyran. The best story-teller for the great-grandchildren. Regan, Mariska, Carlos, and Dominic, Hannah and Sarah, Luca, Kaylin.

A celebration of Trevor’s life will be held at Ranfurly Hall, Kaipara Flats Road, Kaipara Flats on Monday 4th July at 1:00 pm followed by private cremation.”

 

Ake AKe Kia Kaha!

 

View the ‘Speedy’ Williams crew history here.

Maori aircrew who served with 75(NZ) Squadron 39-45 – New update

A new picture for the collection – Mana Manawaiti
image from NZ Bomber Command Association, Harry Hamerton collection.

Many thanks to Chris for his continuing work on the list of Maori Aircrew that flew with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF.

This update adds a number of new profiles and also utilises the new Cew Op History pages, there now being links to the Op histories for the crews that these Airmen flew in.

Interestingly, there is also a removal form this list! – many thanks to Lorraine, Arnel’s Daughter for passing on the story behind Hoturoa Arnel Dean “Arnie” Meyer:

“Hoturoa Arnel Dean Meyer is not Maori.  No Maori blood anywhere in his heritage.! His mother’s best friend was Tainui and asked to honour the baby inutero with a royal Maori name. Princess Te Puea was approached and gave permission for Dad to be called Hoturoa, which was a huge honour and one we have passed down to one of our sons.  His heritage is Danish (his father’s side) and English/kiwi on his mother’s side).”

Arnie Meyer and his crew, which included Bomb Aimer Simon Snowden, (who was Maori) had formed up at No. 11 Operational Training Unit (11OTU), RAF Westcott on 11 December 1943 – they stayed together for the remainder of the war, completing 30 sorties (op’s) with 75 (NZ) Sqn and, without a break, a further tour of 25 op’s with No 7 (Path Finders Force) Sqdn. All crew members were decorated.

Another new picture this time of Roy William Raharuhi, has also been added.

Roy Raharuhi, Marama Parata (centre), and unknown.
Image from Raharuhi family via Russell Murphy.

Read “Maori aircrew who served with 75(NZ) Squadron 39-45 ” here.

 

Ake Ake Kia Kaha!

Combat Reports AIR50/192 Series – now available

Document No. 4 (AIR 50/192/4). Date of Report: 14th March 1942 Date of Combat: 12th March 1942 – Attack Against Kiel. Name of Airman that Combat Report is filed against: S/Ldr. Raymond John Newton, RNZAF NZ40984. Position: Pilot. Aircraft involved in report: Wellington Mk.III X.3586 AA – A
Original document National Archives. Kew

I am pleased to announce that a transcribed set of Combat Reports for 75(NZ) Squadron RAF is now available to peruse at the foot of the “75(NZ) Squadron RAF Records” menu, or alternatively you can go straight to it here.

Physically this has been quite a lengthy process, but with all things on the blog, now complete, they are available for researchers and interested parties to reference in perhaps a more easily accessible and in most cases readable state. In time I will place the reports within the Crew History pages as well.

At this point I would politely implore you, dear reader, to resist the urge to email me regarding a combat that is not listed, wanting information about it – the list represents what I have – if a certain combat, perhaps mentioned in a raid  diary report, is not listed – I cannot make one appear  – what I currently have is what you see in the list………

This list of reports is based for the majority on the documents held by the National Archive in Kew. The first list was built by a straight copy paste of the returns for a search on this subject matter. This list was then checked against another full set, which I believed was photographed some time ago, which was very generously supplied to me by 218 Squadron Historian, Archivist and Writer, Steve Smith.

As I note on the Combat Reports page, the Kew AIR series is built around a reference number relating to a named airman – practically this means that there is a high level of duplication within the series – The exact same Combat Report will be listed multiple times in the AIR series, but they will be the exact same document. If any of you wish to purchase specific original versions of any of the reports, I would strongly suggest you go through my list to the relevant crew and or date and note the duplication if it exists – in these cases you should only buy the first one – all others below the first noted as “LISTED ABOVE” will just be copies.

It is also worth noting at this point that the quality/ legibility of these reports is very variable to say the least. Immersing oneself in a transcription activity allows you to enter a ‘zone’ where words become more easily recognisable, but even this approach does not allow the deciphering of some words and in some cases very frustratingly whole paragraphs. If I have made an educated guess it is followed by a question mark (?) and if the word is illegible it is replaced by XXXXX.

To each report I have added summaries of dates/ names and also the Form 541 Diary entry for that Op to add a context to the Report.

This secondary activity identified a number of Squadron Combat Reports that seem to no longer be listed in the Air Series as  presented online at least. Several more reports were also found in the Squadron Operational Appendices (AIR27/649).

The only apparently consistent ordering of these documents seems to be a hand stamped numbering in the top right hand corner of the report pages. For the most part, each page of the report is individually numbered, however I would also note that the Combat reports that exist in the Squadron Operational Appendices are only numbered per report – the first page is numbered, but in all cases the second page of the form is not.

Based on this numbering system there is apparent evidence that there are a significant number of Combat Reports for the Squadron that are currently “missing in action”

I have also provided a basic glossary of terms to help the inexperienced reader and as things like this always snowball, I then found myself adding information about the Luftwaffe aircraft that are mentioned in the reports and obviously now must consider adding albeit massively truncated, some historical details regarding the German Air Defense regarding strategies and techniques, but this will be added later. The context of these reports are important to understand and I think it is perfectly reasonable to remember the bravery and skill of the young men who flew in the defense of their own country, to meet the bomber streams every night.

If any of you know any other possible sources, or indeed if you have Reports that have numbers not in the list as presented – I would love to see them, to add to the existing list.

Happy reading………..