My New Website – Please Take A Look

Hi Dave

Do you know if Sdn Ldr Robert L Spurdle DFC is still alive.

Ian

Ian,

To seek further information on Fg Off Sim, I suggest you go to this website and email the WELLINGTON section of the New Zealand National Archives (now called Archives New Zealand). Their details are at the top of the page. They will do it free (you get one free research enquiry per year)

http://www.archives.govt.nz/contact.html

Furthermore you could contact the RNZAF Museum, who can be contacted via this page. They too are a free and excellent service.
http://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/main/Contact/

Also, as he is deceased you can also request a copy of his Service Records, but you need to produce some sort of proof of his death to get them. Maybe just the notice in ‘For Your Tomorrow’ will be enough, which i assume they’ll have a copy of. The records should be free to you too, you get two free record searches per year apparently. Their website is here:
http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/personnel-records/

I hope this brings the info you need.
All the best
Dave

Well, I may be able to answer this at least partially.

Firstly, before the war for many years a number of New Zealanders joined the RAF simply because the RNZAF was very small and underfunded, and I guess it was more of an adventure too.

The RAF seemed to like NZ’ers in their Air Force, so in 1938 they sent a delegation out to New Zealand on a massive recruitment drive. Some of our Cambridge airmen were interviewed by these recrutiers. I know one pilot who went with his mate – his mate got in, the chap I know didn’t because his teeth were not up to scratch. He had them fixed, but by this time the war was on and he then joined the RNZAF (after they made him have his broken nose fixed!). His mate was killed in the RAF.

Anyway, so this recruitment drive of 1938 meant a lot of Kiwis joined up as RAF aircrew. At the outbreak of war, over 600 New Zealanders were in the RAF, mostly aircrew. Also then, many Kiwis visiting Briatin also volunteered.

After this period, I believe that pretty much any Kiwi who wanted to join the Air Force went into the RNZAF, but of course 12,000 of them were eventually sent to work within the RAF (but still remaining in the RNZAF).

I don’t know of any other reasons why NZ’ers were in the RAF but there may well be more. I hope this helps a little.

I just realised that since he flew Spitfires, Sim will undoubtedly be mentioned in Spitfire: The New Zealand Story by Gerald S. Morris. I will have a look tomorrow unless someone here beats me to it (Mark12?)

What exactly do you want to know about him, have you any specific areas you’re trying to research or discover?

I am on the trail now of finding out about the NZ National Archives biography database – I’ll let you know if I hear where exactly to contact within this vast museum collection.

My interest apart from general historical aviation, is in the allied airmen who were shot down around the channel islands, Sim obviously being one of them.

I’m trying to piece together their lives, in time I hope to publish something on the subject, but as you can guess it’s quite a drawn out process. ANy info you can obtain would be of great interest to me.

Kind regards

Ian

Well done Dave – a great concept and obviously much effort behind the scenes.

I mentioned to you some time ago that my Uncle (F/Sgt. L F English) served (and lost his life) with the RAF in 1943. He came from Matamata just a few miles/kms from Cambridge.

But that aside, I have a question, that perhaps you might know the answer to given what you’ve been doing (or somebody else is bound to know). Why was it that some New Zealanders (and other ‘Empire’ citzens for that matter) served in the RAF rather than their home airforce? My Uncle was in point of fact an RNZAF airman (per various documentation held us/family). Was there some sort of self-selecting process at work re. where one served … or a ballot … or what?

Again, well done Dave.

Sad News

I just received some sad news when i picked up today’s local paper and saw the death reported of one of the Cambridge airmen who will be commeorated on this website. Brian Elliot Oliver was both an instructor and a noted ventura pilot in the Pacific. I had the pleasure to interview him a while back, and though he had been in ill health following a stroke he was very willing to assist me with the project and he told me a great deal from his wartime experiences. I am saddened to see his passing. He was 93. RIP

This brings it home again to me how important my project is. Brian is the third person whom I have interviewed so far who has since passed away. Two were RNZAF, one was the sister of an RNZAF navigator killed in the war. I am so pleased that their memories were recorded before their deaths. Three others whom I hadn’t interviewed have also died – one i couldn’t track down till i saw his death notice, one was too ill to interview and the other I never knew about till he died and I read his obit.

I will continue to try and record others’ stories and memories before it is too late.
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

I just realised that since he flew Spitfires, Sim will undoubtedly be mentioned in Spitfire: The New Zealand Story by Gerald S. Morris. I will have a look tomorrow unless someone here beats me to it (Mark12?)

What exactly do you want to know about him, have you any specific areas you’re trying to research or discover?

I am on the trail now of finding out about the NZ National Archives biography database – I’ll let you know if I hear where exactly to contact within this vast museum collection.

Thanks Dave,

I know that he was one of the pilots who flew the first Spitfires from HMS Eagle in February 1942, and his photo is in Malta the Spitfire years. Unfortunately I don’t have my info with me here at work, but when I get home I’ll give you the squadrons that he served with.

He was shot down north of Sark in the Channel Islands in a 616 Sqn Spitfire, while escorting 263 Sqn Whirlwinds. 263 lost a Whirlwind on the same operation, flown by an Australian P/O Maxwell Cotton.

I have some info sent to me by a distant relative of his from Gisbourne but don’t have much.

Thanks guys, yes it has been a lot of work, but very enjoyable, interesting and rewarding. 🙂

Ian, here’s what I discovered about Robert James Sim.

he didn’t receive any awards it seems as he’s not mentioned in ‘By Such Deeds’ by Colin Hanson (this book lists all award winners from the wartime RNZAF and NZers in the RAF, etc, plus a small biog).

However in ‘For Your Tomorrow’ by Errol Martyn (book volumes on all those NZ’ers who died in RNZAF or RAF etc since 1915 – 1998) it reads

Tue 15 June 1943
“Roadstead – shipping strike off the Island of Guernsey
616 Squadron, RAF (Ibsley, Hampshire – 10 Group)
Spitfire VI BR319/C – took off at 0535 and during he strike against several minesweepers was hit by flak. Caught fire, pulled away from the formation and was last seen at 300 feet going down towards the sea in a shallow dive with a dead propellor. The pilot, not seen to bale out or ditch, is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Pilot: NZ403995 Fg Off Robert James SIM, RNZAF – Age 23. 588hrs. 97th Op
Sim’s ops had been flown with four different squadrons.“

Also in New Zealanders in the RAF (an official history book) it mentions him flying Hurricanes in Malta as a Flight Sergeant (page 143, Volume III). It is the merest of mentions but a footnote says he was born in Gisborne, NZ, 28 June 1919. He joined the RNZAF 26 Oct 1940. he’d been a cost clerk before RNZAF life, and was killed 15 June 1943.

I found out a few weeks back the New Zealand National Archives has biographies of every NZ airman killed in WWII. They are quite extensive compared with the above, eg an A4 page or two. They will have one for him and it will mention all his training, sqns, etc. I will find out thedepartment to contact for you.

I hope this helps.
Dave

I really enjoyed visiting the site, Dave, and I will return to it in the future.

Hard work well spent.

Woody

Good work Dave – a LOT of hard work there i think! 🙂

Good work Dave – a LOT of hard work there i think! 🙂

Good work Dave – a LOT of hard work there i think! 🙂

Hi Ian,

I think you asked about him once before, but I couldn’t find anything. I ddn’t even know where Mairoa was, never heard of it, but I have found this link which pinpoints it http://www.calle.com/world/NZ/0/Mairoa.html

It is near Te Kuiti, but the NZ white pages site has no Sim for Te Kuiti or Mairoa, so his wife probably isn’t still round there or any relations. There is no P Sim for the whole of the Waikato region (which used to be part of the Auckland region) so Patricia Sim has either moved on, remarried, has no phone or is deceased. There is a J & G Sim at Otorohonga, now that’s very close to Te Kuiti and may be family. here’s the white pages link, very useful, free and unlimited to use.

http://www.whitepages.co.nz/

I could check in ‘For Your Tomorrow’ for you, but that won’t give you much more than you’ve got except the circumstances of the crash and other crew members. Do you want that or do you know it?

If he had any medals awarded he should be in ‘By Such Deeds’ but this is not guaranteed as he may never have won awards. I can check though when I get to the library.

The only other thing I suggest is you contact the RNZAF Museum, they are brilliant at answering all sorts of queries – unlike the RAF Museum who have never answered any of my genuine research questions. 😡

Planecrazy – I have magically added your link to the links page (see near the bottom)

Dave

Hi Dave

Can you throw any light on this New Zealander ?

Flying Officer Robert James Sim 403995
Age: 23
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Killed in action 15 June 1943 while flying with 616 Sqdn (RAF)
Son of Peter and Lilas Sim; husband of Patricia Sim, of Mairoa, Auckland, New Zealand.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments very much. 🙂

Stieglitz, please do return, but I dear say this is the kind of project that’ll never be finished as I guess I will just keep on adding as time goes by. There will be a time when i think it’s ready enough to unleash officially on the public, and at tht time I’ll publicise it locally. I hope to get the local schols to encourage youngsters to use the site in the future because it is about their town and their townspeople.

Planejunky, I took your advice and changed the page name, thanks, I’d never thought of that before. I hope it works better now.

I have a lot of links on the site that are particularly pertinent to the RNZAF, but I’m also considering adding a section of more general historic and WWII aircraft links, and include this forum for one. I will of course include your site planejunky which looks very good, thanks. Just give me time to get it organised. 😉

If anyone else here has a historic aviation site that may be of interest to people reading about the RNZAF let me know and I’ll link you too.

Great site Dave!

Just a small thing from one webby to another, you need to change the title of your homepage. It comes up as “Homepage” when you save to your faves. Just change the title to “Wings Over Cambridge” and it’ll save people having to change the text before saving to their favourites.

I haven’t had time to go through the site properly yet but it looks very informative and well laid out. I like the old posters and shoulder flashes etc, nice touch.

If you would like to exchange links with www.ukwarbirds.net just send me a PM.

Good luck with the new site.

Cheers

Justyn

Looks like a great start for a website Dave. Good work. I will visit it again when it is finnished. It has a good structure to build on in the future. And it has a quality layout! PRE-1939 CAMBRIDGE AVIATION and the corsair story look are very interesting and wil be great when completed!

Excellent work! 😎

J.V.