Thanks David. That explains everything very well. Cheers.

I never realised the Vampire and Venom had metal wings but now I think about it, it makes sense. I’ve never looked that hard at the types.

Cheers Barry.

Git is not a swearword as such. It’s means literally “worthless person” so is derogatory I suppose.

We don’t know if it’s a boy or girl yet but think its a boy. It is now starting to respond to the name Weasel, which my sister has been calling him all the time now. She loved the Catweasel suggestion too!! But it seems he’s now Weasel for short.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

Thanks for the correction James, I am not out to offend anyone.

I don’t think what you said was particularly offensive, perhaps just under-informed. There are plenty of excellent books nowadays on the Commonwealth Allied efforts in the Pacific which should clarify if you chose to read further.

As far as I am concerned, the fight that the British and their Allies fought in India and Burma, etc, are not part of the Pacific war theatre. I see it quite seperate, another theatre all together, the “Indian sub-continent theatre”. After all, it’s nowhere near the Pacific, it was fought on continental land mass bordered by the Indian Ocean. The Japanese were a common enemy in both theatres, and some of the Allied nations fought in both too, but the tactics were different, the command was different, the nature of war was different, it’s a whole different thetare as much as North Africa was not part of the European theatre of war (in my eyes anyway). What do others think about this?

I do still stand by what I said about indebtedness though. Being indebted makes it sound like we should sink to our knees in thanks, I’ve seen the size of Setters feet, I’m most certainly not getting in front of them.

The war was such that it had to be fought by anyone who believed in freedom from oppression and tyranny, whether British, Kiwi, Indian, whoever. It was not a load of subservient nations towing the line and joining a British war. It was essentially as much about saving the world as it was a country on the other side of the world.

There are many reasons why the Empire joined the fight. And many reasons why they shouldn’t have too. In New Zealand’s case it may well be seen as a miracle we were even in the war as half our War Cabinet, including the second wartime PM Peter Fraser (1940-45) were contientous objectors in WWI and had been locked up for it! Yet they were all for war against oppression, as they saw the justice in fighting the Nazis as opposed to their perceived senslessness of the previous war.

I have also heard it said the only reason the first wartime PM Michael Joseph Savage decided to “Where she goes, we go” with Britain was we needed to stay in sweet due to lucrative trade deals. Disregarding this, New Zealanders were well aware of the situation in Europe and the Pacific and knew the oppression of freedom had to be stopped.

Patriotism to Britain was certainly part of it too I suppose. Whilst Savage was an Aussie and Fraser was a Scot, their people, the New Zealanders, were then also British, that was the nationality of the people of this country. So I guess that’s another reason to fight for Britain, as it was ‘home’. One could debate all the angles and still come up with the fact that we were there, other Empire countries were also there, and it was our war as much as a British war. We fought for King and Country – Britain’s king, our country.

Britain does owe us, much in fact. And we equally owe them. Together we won. Had the Empire stayed away, Britain would have fallen like a pack of cards, and the Empire countries would have quickly followed.

I think Charley’s attitude is correct, the veterans of the Empire nations and the Allies are quite entitled to have the war prizes and the active reminders like Spitfires or P40’s at airshows, etc, from the war they helped to win. They have much to take pride in, and to tell us from the next generations.

For the likes of New Zealand to have current ownership/custodianship/guardianship of some of the British (and US) aircraft types our men flew in the war (and also the tanks in our museums, we have no ships!!) is a just reward for a country and for the individuals for their successes of such campaigns this country succeeded in and helped to win – El Alamein, Tobruk, the Atlantic, the Solomons, Italy, the Battle of Britain, aerial night bombing, and many others where they fought and succeeded and their comrades never returned from.

I note Colin has taken little part in the debate he started. I guess the replies have well and truly put his notions to rest.

There are two Vampires flying in NZ, and also a Venom on airworthy condition but it hasn’t flown since its owner was kileld at a British airshow I believe.

And the trees were cloned seedlings from the originals so it’s thje same wood.

Actually an interestig thing I read the other day in the RNZRSA magazine, the wood that was used in the construction of Mosquitoes in WWII was cut down by a specialist forestry and sawmilling Company of the New Zealand Army in Britain. I never knew we had any such unit over there! I wonder if any of them are still around today, and if any have visited Glyn Powell’s workshop.

Can you throw any more light on what happened to Popeye’s wife and why she was accorded such an unusual privelege?

Moggy

Well, I have found a copy of Popeye’s book today to check this out. I have previously considered buying the book, called “Popeye Lucas: Queenstown”, but for someone who had such an extraordinary career in both the RNZAF and civil flying, it seems really vague and lacking in detail, so thus far I haven’t bothered. On the death of his wife, he mentions it as if in passing, perhaps because it was still painful. Here is what he wrote:

“In 1940 my wife, Joan, had come back to England after the birth of our daughter and we’d been living off-station in a rented house in Lakenheath village. The blitz was at its height, and night-bombing was fairly heavy round our area at Feltwell. I was getting back in the dawn hours after night after night of operations; during this time my wife died suddenly in her sleep. She was given a military funeral and buried in the Services section in St Mary’s Churchyard at Feltwell.”

That’s it. Onto the next chapter when he returned to NZ.

I didn’t see any mention of whether she was actually a WAAF or worked on the station or anything. It seems very odd that a civiliian would get a military funeral, wouldn’t it? I know Popeye was regarded very highly, but this seems unusual.

His second wife, Lorie Lucas (I’ve confirmed now she was his wife, not daughter), was a WAAF he met when he came back to Whenuapai in Auckland. She wrote Popeye’s War which may tell more I hope, but I have not yet found a copy. Maybe your local church records may divulge why she got the military funeral and plot?

Airline did screen in New Zealand – probably around 1983 or 84. A great series.

According to IMDb it first aired in the UK on the 3rd of January 1982.

I remember Wings well too. It has screened several times over in NZ, but not for about ten or more years now sadly.

I also very vaguely recall The Pathfinders about a bomber squadron, but no real details about the series.