Browse Items (68 total)

  • Spatial Coverage is exactly "New Zealand"

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Fred Gardiner grew up in Oxfordshire and worked in a furniture factory before volunteering for the Royal Air Force. He flew five operations as a wireless operator / air gunner from RAF Syerston before his aircraft was shot down. He gives a detailed…

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A newspaper cutting referring to two New Zealand airmen who had to parachute over France.

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No better quality copies are available.

AMeehanJ150604.mp3
Jack Meehan grew up in New Zealand and worked on the railway before he volunteered for the Royal Air Force. He flew operations as a wireless operator / air gunner with 75 Squadron at RAF Mepal.

ABibbyG150521.mp3
Squadron Leader Geoff Bibby grew up in New Zealand and transferred from the army into the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1943. After training in New Zealand and Canada, he flew operations as a navigator with 101 Squadron from RAF Ludford Magna.

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Eddie Worsdale was working as a furniture salesman in Wellington, New Zealand after the Depression era curtailed his education. His brother volunteered for the New Zealand Air Force and so Eddie followed him. After initial training he continued his…

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Ivon Warmington was working for the Post Office in his native Cornwall before he volunteered for the RAF. After pilot training he flew a tour of operations with 166 Squadron from RAF Kirmington. His first operation was to Mailly le Camp where the…

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Jack Wakefield grew up in New Zealand and volunteered for the Air Force and the Army. After training, he flew operations with 75 Squadron from RAF Feltwell and with 38 Squadron in the Middle East. He describes a crash when he was instructing.

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Pat Hickton was born in New Zealand. His mother passed away when he was young and he spent his childhood in a number of foster and children’s homes until he started working on the railway. He volunteered for the RAF and began training as a rear…

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David Rayner Fox grew up in New Zealand and joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942. After training, he flew operations as an air gunner with 75 Squadron from RAF Mepal. During one operation his pilot, Dave Moriarty was terribly injured when a…

AHolthamJ180522.mp3
At the age of 15 he ran away from home, lied about his age, and joined the British Army. In 1917 he joined the Royal Flying Corps and qualified as a pilot and volunteered to join the Royal Naval Air Service. When the Second World War broke out, he…

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First entries of Jack's journal describing his time as ground staff, refuelling and starting aircraft, taking, and passing the aircrew entrance exams and waiting to sail.

This item was sent to the IBCC Digital Archive already in digital form. No…

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A letter to his mother from Jim. They are in Christchurch, New Zealand and enjoying the night life.

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Letter from Sergeant Jim Cahir to his mother and brother. He writes about his many experiences whilst in Wellington and New Plymouth including going to a Maori Ceremony, describing the view of Mount Egmont, touring the surrounding countryside where…

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Handwritten letter on "Union Jack Club" headed notepaper from Sergeant F S Cahir to his mother, outlining his activities since arriving in Christchurch.

ECahirFSCahirM430622.pdf
Letter from Jim Cahir to his mother telling her about the things he has been doing and the places he has visited in New Zealand. He tells her about how well the locals are treating the Australian Airmen and trying to make them feel at home.

ECahirFS[Recipient]K-G430723.pdf
Sergeant Cahir writes to Kathlyn and his Uncle Gerard about life on the ship and leave in New Zealand. He mentioned how they spend their time on board and also the cost of clothing and food.

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Jim Allen's experiences after the end of the war. He married in 1944 and had three children. His first job was as a bus conductor, then an insurance agent but he was unhappy so rejoined the RAF. He trained as a Fighter Controller and was posted to…

ACammishHS180501.mp3
Harrison Cammish was born in Scarborough in 1923, and when he was fourteen, he became an apprentice carpenter and joiner, and when war broke out, he joined the Air Training Corps, and the Home Guard, who gave him a rifle and forty rounds of…

ATaylorDP181017.mp3
Doug Taylor already had a pilot’s licence when he volunteered as RAF aircrew. However, he considered the prospect of lengthy training ahead to join the RAF as a pilot and thought the war might end before he’d had a chance to join and so he…

ABolesKM180212.mp3
Keith Boles left school at the age of fourteen and took an apprenticeship in engineering. He was called up to the Air Force at the end of 1941 and was in Singapore when the Japanese invaded. He arrived in UK via Australia and Canada and after a…

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Ian Petrie found himself struggling to find employment in recession hit New Zealand when he saw the advertisement to fly with the RNZAF. He couldn’t contemplate the thrill of flight at a time when opportunity for such travel was rare. He was…

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Douglas Smith grew up in New Zealand and on leaving school he joined the Post Office. He joined the Air Force and he flew Tiger Moth, and Gypsy Moth aircraft at New Plymouth. On one of his flights there was a warning note in the cockpit not to do…

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Parcel forwarded under Hastings food for Britain campaign paid for by people in New Hastings Zealand. Handwritten address on reverse.
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