Dave,

Doel was posted to 109 Sqn (ex-75[NZ]Sqn) on 29 Apr 42 and flew 5 ops on Wellingtons there before being posted to 11OTU as an instructor on Wellingtons on 9 Aug 42.

Errol

James,

Thanks for your input, with which I am in full agreement.

Dave, I respectfully suggest you go back and read James’ post No.29 again, coolly and calmly, and reflect on your own statements (rant?) about ‘history’ and ‘historians’, many of which are, quite frankly, just plain silly and do not advance the subject one iota.

James, a further addition to your
Roadsign Philosophy 2:

“Turn left right here” Navigator’s instruction

Errol

Dave,

“The book I mentioned is called ‘New Zealand Yesterdays – A Look At Our Recent Past” by Hamish Keith OBE. It’s actiually a very interesting and well-researched book by all accounts. I have heard that Keith is a very well-respected researcher too in New Zealand literary, historical and artistic circles. I have never heard anyone doubting his credibility, but you may be able to advise oherwise.”

HK is an authority on the arts and is certainly not noted as an aviation historian. From the excerpts you quote, which are hopelessly inaccurate and at variance with the known evidence (shonky memories used by Pearse promoter notwithstanding), it is clear that his research ability into early New Zealand aviation could be summarised on the back on the back of the proverbial postage stamp…and in marker pen at that. Such folk should really stick to their knitting. Why anyone with a serious interest in aviation history would bother with such a book, let alone quote from it on an aviation forum, is quite beyond me.

For enlightenment on Pearse one might do worse than start out with the December 2003 issue of the Journal of the Aviation Historical Society of New Zealand. Better still become a member and contribute to the ongoing accurate recording of our history (since 1958)!

Errol

David,

The casualty record papers for Todd of the RAAF can be viewed freely by making a request for it to be digitized by Australian Archives (processing takes a little over a month at present but can then be viewed on line). Go to:

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/Items_listing.asp?S=1&F=1&O=0&T=I&C=2

for the references to his service record and casualty record (the latter is the A705 series one and should include a number of documents about the loss of the aircraft and burial of the crew).

These type of documents, incidentally, are not available via the British MoD, being deliberately withheld from the public or having been destroyed/removed from personal files (whatever happened to their promise to ‘remember them’?). The ‘colonies’ (Australia, Canada and New Zealand) in stark contrast are considerably more enlightened and aware of their responsibilities in such matters.

Errol

Regarding numbers allotted to RNZAF personnel, the following excerpt from Vols One and Two of my trilogy ‘For Your Tomorrow – A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915’ may be of assistance.

“Airmen, or Other Ranks, of the RNZAF were not allotted numbers until September 1938 and direct entry officers until late 1941. Numbers for airmen enlisting after the outbreak of war bore the letter ‘A’ prefix, while pre-war regulars retained their original non-prefixed number. On or shortly before 21 August 1940 all numbers were prefixed ‘NZ’ only, although later variations such as NZC, NZT and NZW were introduced. A ‘W’ prefix was applied to numbers (commencing at 1100) allotted to members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) when that service was created in early 1941. The first two digits of an airman’s number indicated the year in which he enlisted, e.g. NZ421234 attests to enlistment in 1942. Pre-war Territorial Air Force (TAF) airmen provided an exception, their numbers featuring an additional number prefix to indicate membership of the Wellington (4 prefix), Christchurch (5) or Auckland (6) Squadrons – e.g. NZ539084 identified this airman as having enlisted with the Christchurch Territorial Squadron in 1939. When numbers for officers, other than those commissioned from the ranks (who retained their original airman’s number), were allotted from September 1941 they started at NZ1001.

This system was rationalised in 1948-49, a new number-only series commencing at 70,000 (130,000 for the TAF) being introduced in January 1949.”

Numbers could range from four to seven figures. Initially numbers were issued pretty much on a consecutive basis, but by 1942 less so and, increasingly, some individual or blocks of numbers were not allotted at all. There was no ‘month’ formula used by the RNZAF, though I believe that the RAAF applied this to some (the majority?) of its numbering.

Errol

Dave,

“I see your point there Allan, usual journo botch probably”

If by ‘journo’ you mean the author I am afraid you are in very grave error. The erroneous ‘England’ reference can be sheeted home to the publicity section of the nationwide Whitcoulls bookselling organisation. Who knows, the blurb may well have been written by their very same staff member who, on being asked a few years ago if the shop had a copy of British novelist Salmn Rushdie’s latest book, directed the potential client to the cooking section…

Max Lambert is, incidentally, a well-published and credible author and a recently retired staffer from the New Zealand Press Association, and thus possessed of a somewhat superior reputation than most mere newspaper journos. Having been closely associated with Max as he compiled his magisterial account of New Zealanders in Bomber Command I can confirm that he knows well of what he writes, and knows what he does not and where to go to find out. Given that the official New Zealand war history volumes for WWII run to some 30 for the Army and a mere four for the air (even though the latter suffered a casualty rate in the European/Middle East theatre some three times greater than the former), Max’s 456-page book fills a very large void in our country’s war record. Although not a history per se (it concentrates more on personal experiences), ‘Night After Night’ corrects a number of errors and ommisions found in the Official Histories. It will come as no surprise to learn that the general editor of the official war histories was an Army general, in civilian life a qualified solicitor, not historian.

Errol

Excerpt from my trilogy – ‘For Your Tomorrow – A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915’ (Volume One: Fates 1915-1942): –

Thu 27/Fri 28 Aug 1942
Bomber Command
Raid on Kassel, Germany (by 306 aircraft – 33 lost)
15 Squadron, RAF (Bourn, Cambridgeshire – 3 Group)
Stirling I W7624/E – took off at 2100 captained by Flt Sgt H Barton-Smith, RAF, on same raid as the above and believed to have been shot down by a night-fighter, being seen to burst into flames over the Netherlands at 0045 before crashing onto a farm at Bentelo, 5km SSW of Ambt-Delden. At least three of the seven crew were seen to bale out, but they were not heard of again. The rear gunner’s parachute failed to deploy and he was killed as he struck the ground about 5km NE of the crash site. He is buried at Ambt-Delden, together with two of his unidentified comrades whose bodies were recovered from the wreckage. The four missing and two unidentified airmen are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
WOpAG: NZ403556 Sgt Leonard Edward MOSS, RNZAF – Age 28.
Rear Gunner: NZ403032 Flt Sgt Glen Allen SMITH, RNZAF – Age 24. 187hrs. 6th op.
The CWGC register incorrectly gives Smith’s age as 22.

The following extract from a No.2 MREU report held on Smith’s service record provides further details: –

“On February 15th, 1946 a visit was paid to the down of DELDEN (Overijsel) Map Ref; V 301079, with the object of obtaining information regarding the crash of Stirling W7624.

“We first of all contacted the Town Hall Secretary as the Burgomaster himself, Mr. Van Nispen was not in his office. The Secretary however remembered the crash very well and had kept an account of the incident in his diary.

“On the night of 27/28 August, 1942 between 12.00 and 01.00 hours there was much air activity when at about 00.45 hours an aircraft was seen to burst into flames which was thought to have been hit by a nightfighter. The aircraft approached the town from the direction of BORNE (N.N.E.) at a height of approximately 4000-5000 feet, when informant saw 3 parachutes open up which were caught in the searchlights (Mr. Van Wageningen, Chief of DELDENS A.R.P. also saw 3 and other reports speak of seeing 4 parachutes). The aircraft flew over the town and then crashed into a farmland at BENTOLE F.10. On examining it it appeared to be 100% destroyed with one (or more?) engines deeply dug into the ground (Those were later salvaged by the Germans). One body was recovered by the Germans from the aircraft and taken away the same day and one other unknown was found the next day in the wreckage and also buried at the cemetery at DELDEN.

“On the same day a body was found about 3 miles North East of the crash, attached to an unopened parachute, which body was identified by an identity disc and gave the name of SGT., SMITH, G.A., N.Z. 403032, the Rear Gunner of the above mentioned crew. This body was buried at the same time as the two unknowns, whose bodies were found in the wreckage.

“No. 55 G.C.U. “C” Section have been requested to exhume the two unknown bodies belonging to the above mentioned crew pending further investigations.

“Regarding the 4 other missing members of this crew it seems probably that if, as is stated by onlookers 4 parachutes were seen caught in the searchlights (excluding SGT. G.A. SMITH, whose parachute failed to open and thus would NOT be seen), then this would tie up with the four missing members of the crew of seven, i.e. SGT. SMITH, 2 unknown 4 baled out.

“My opinion is that, if the possible place of baling out was between BORNE-OLDENZAAL, (the direction from which the A/C approached, at say 4000-5000 feet – a rough estimate which may have been higher) and he wind was from a Western direction, as is usually the case in this part of Holland, then it is very well possible that the four missing members drifted many miles into Germany, the German frontier being less than 10 miles away.

“Finally I visited the cemetery at DELDEN and found the graves in good condition. The bodies are buried as follows:-

SGT. SMITH, G.A. Grave No.7 Section K Row 1
UNKNOWN ” ” 8 ” K ” 1
UNKNOWN ” ” 9 ” K ” 1″

The other crew members were (from Chorley): –
Flt Sgt H Barton-Smith
Sgt J V Robinson
Flt Sgt K Wakefield
Sgt P S Sharman
Flt Sgt E F Talbot

Russ,

Excerpt from my trilogy ‘For Your Tomorrow – A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915’ (Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998):-

Thu 24 Feb 1944
ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY AIR FORCE
Night flying test
487 Squadron, RNZAF (Hunsdon, Hertfordshire – 140 Airfield HQ, 2 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force)
Mosquito FB.VI LR343 – broke-up in the air and crashed 2 miles north of Nuthampstead, 13 miles north of Hunsdon at 1430. The two crew are buried at Brookwood, Woking, Surrey.
Pilot: NZ42446 Plt Off Raymond George Cuthbert PAYNE, RNZAF – Age 27. 448hrs. 12 ops.
Navigator: NZ415341 Fg Off John Dunch McMILLAN, RNZAF – Age 26. 415hrs. 10 ops.