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.

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.
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁

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

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.

Co-incidentally I found this new book review on Hyperscale
http://misc.kitreview.com/bookreviews/zeppelinsbookreviewrb_1.htm

Might be interesting to some of us here