Air pilots, Military - Training of - New Zealand

Date: [ca 1930-1941]

From: Smillie, Doris Gean Nineham, 1904-2001: Photographs

Reference: Series-6585

Description: Contains photographs relating to Bob Smillie and the Wellington Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, with photographs mainly dating from 1937 to 1940. In addition to group portraits, photographs show time spent training at the RNZAF base at Woodbourne, Blenheim. With the exception of two group portraits by Sydney Charles Smith, photographers are unidentified. Quantity: 16 b&w copy negative(s). Physical Description: Copy negatives. Processing information: Reference number changed from PAColl-5240, record description enhanced, and item records created for each copy negative on 25 September 2019. This work was done by staff as part of a project knitting together records for material of the same provenance into one finding aid.

Date: 8 - 11 Dec 2004 - 28 Sep 2005 - 08 Dec 2004

From: New Zealand Defence Force Military oral history project

By: Collins, Neville Batchelor, 1920-2010

Reference: OHInt-0938-14

Description: Interview with Neville Batchelor (Batch) Collins, born in Ashburton in 1920. Recalls his father was a draper and mercer with the family living above the shop until his father committed suicide during the Depression. Talks about his schooling in Ashburton, holiday jobs, and his mother running a guest house. Discusses his early interest in flight, making kites and model aeroplanes, and paying for his first flight in the mid 1930s. Refers to going to Wellington in 1939 to work in the Social Security Department as a clerical cadet. Discusses joining the Territorials soon after the declaration of war, becoming a driver in an artillery Field Regiment and training at Foxton and Waiouru. Talks about joining the Air Force in April 1942, training at the Initial Training Wing in Rotorua, learning to fly in Tiger Moths at Harewood, then training in multi-engined Oxfords at Wigram. Discusses flying Tiger Moths and Oxfords and how they handled, learning instrument flying in a ground-based Link trainer, cross-country navigation and bombing. Details being selected to train as an instructor, being commissioned, and sent to the Central Flying School at Tauranga for two months, where he learnt the patter needed to instruct a trainee pilot. Refers to being posted to a new Elementary Flying School at Ashburton in June 1943 to train in Tiger Moths. Talks about writing weekly reports on his trainees, keeping flying log books, senior officers in the school, and accidents. Comments on being posted in late 1944 to the Grading School at Taieri where he worked until flying stopped on VJ Day and it was closed shortly after. Refers to marrying Natalie Creagh, a WAAF, while he was at Taieri. Comments on returning to the Social Security Department in Dunedin when he was demobilised, being bored, working on a gold dredge at Cromwell and on a sheep station at Lowburn. Refers to training as a teacher in 1950-1952, and immediately getting a job as an arts and crafts lecturer at training college. Mentions joining the Territorial Air Force in 1951 as an instructor, flying Harvards and Mustangs, and being promoted to Squadron Leader. Interviewer(s) - Martin Halliday Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-017193 - OHC-017200 Quantity: 8 C60 cassette(s). 1 Electronic document(s) - transcript. 1 transcript(s) - printed. 2 interview(s). 7.30 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - transcript(s) available OHDL-000405, OHA-6148. Search dates: 1920 - 1939 - 2005 - 1945

Date: 17 Mar to 5 Apr 2005 - 17 Mar 2005 - 05 Apr 2005

From: New Zealand Defence Force Military oral history project

By: Burch, Robert Thompson, 1923-2017

Reference: OHInt-0938-13

Description: Interview with Bob (Robert Thompson) Burch, born in Eastbourne in 1923. Talks about his family's history including great grandfather Charles Thompson who came to Wellington in 1845 in the British Army, Alexander Yule, and William Scott Milne (arrived in 1841). Recalls family life: growing up in a house designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere; attending Muritai School during the Depression; being sent as a boarder to Nelson College. Talks about his father's grain and produce merchants business by the Paramount Theatre in Courtney Place. Mentions that in 1988 he bought a second-hand bookshop in the same area and established his business Arty Bees. Recalls working and training as an accountant at Enting's Commercial College after leaving school, and travelling to work on the harbour ferries Muritai or Cobar. Talks about completing his accountancy studies after the war, and spending his career as an accountant and company secretary. Discusses joining the Home Guard in 1941 for initial military training, call up in early 1942 and classified as grade three - fit for clerical duties only because of the effects of childhood polio. Comments on being sent to Trentham to join the Royal New Zealand Ordnance Corps where he worked as a stores records clerk, and being promoted quite rapidly to Sergeant Clerk because of his mathematical ability. Refers to the primitive conditions at the Trentham camp, working regular five-day weeks, and going home on leave at weekends. Mentions there were WACs and some civilians working in the stores. Describes joining the Air Force in mid 1943 when it was short of volunteers and managing to survive the first month's fitness training. Discusses ground training at Delta Camp near Blenheim, then learning to fly Tiger Moths at Taieri in May and June 1944. Refers to learning aerobatics, coming out of a spin and handling stalling. Mentions being posted to the Service Flying Training School at Woodbourne to train in single-engined Harvards, learning cross-country navigation, instrument flying and night flying. Talks about next going to the Advanced Training School at Wigram for more training in Harvards, passing out in December 1944. Describes being selected as an instructor, commissioned as a Pilot Officer, posted to Woodbourne instructors training school, and qualifying in April 1945. Discusses working out of Wigram, training pilots in armaments, bombing and gunnery at Birdlings Flat near Lake Ellesmere. Mentions posting to Reserve Class A in September 1945 a month after Japan surrendered. Reminisces about other pilots he trained or served with, hair-raising incidents, ground crew, and social activities in Christchurch. Recollects his reluctance to have anything to do with Japanese and Germans after the war. Reflects on social changes in New Zealand during and after the war. Interviewer(s) - Martin Halliday Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-017187 - OHC-017192 Quantity: 6 C60 cassette(s). 1 Electronic document(s) - transcript. 1 transcript(s) - printed. 1 interview(s). 6 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - transcript(s) available OHDL-000404, OHA-6147. Search dates: 1923 - 1939 - 2005 - 1945

Date: [1943-1992] - 2018

By: Cox, Bryan Barker, 1925-

Reference: ATL-Group-00465

Description: Comprises 12 log books relating to pilot Bryan Barker Cox and one log book for Bryan Cox's brother John Grant Cox. Logbooks contain details of flights flown, flight dates, other pilots or passengers onboard and some volumes also contain photographs, certificates and ephemera. Two log books relate to the Second World War. The remaining eleven logbooks relate to Bryan Cox's career as a flight instructor in New Zealand. Also includes a "Pacific Scrapbook" compiled by Bryan Cox between 1943 and 1947. Scrapbook includes a contents list, includes photographs (most captioned), small photocopied maps, charts and instruction manuals, casualty lists, and some photocopied pages of the scrapbook (inserted). Includes a video recording featuring Bryan Cox and Phil Rowse [Rouse]. Cox speaks about his experiences and involvement in 'Black Monday', a fatal Royal New Zealand Air Force operation in the Pacific on 15 January 1945. Directed and produced by Cameron Sly as part of a research project at Mt Roskill Grammar School for the 75th anniversary, 15 January 2020. The "Pacific Scrapbook" was published in 1997 as: "Pacific scrapbook 1943-1947 : a pictorial history of a young New Zealand Corsair pilot in the Pacific and Japan and of Allied co-operation in the Pacific War" by Bryan Cox. Bryan Cox wrote the book 'Too Young to Die: The Story of a New Zealand Fighter Pilot in the Pacific War', Random House New Zealand, 1988, on which 'Black Monday' is based. Quantity: 13 volume(s). 1 digital video disc(s). Physical Description: Hard bound logbooks; and an unbound large scrapbook of loose sheets with pasted on photoraphs, photocopies, DVD, and printed ephemera, with handwritten text Transfers: Donated at the same time were 40 issues of [Journal] / The New Zealand Fighter Pilots Association / [edited by] Bryan Cox. The range covered issue [No.1, 1986?] to No. 43, September 2006. These were transferred to the NZ&P collection. Missing from the donated range were nos. 2,3, and 8..

Date: 1941-1945, 1997

By: Smith, John Joseph, 1918-1997

Reference: MS-Group-1346

Description: Training manual kept and maintained by Smith while serving with the Royal New Zealand Air Force from 1941 to 1945 and photocopies of accompanying papers about Smith's service from military records held in the NZDF Personnel Archives Source of title - Supplied by Library Quantity: 1 volume(s). 1 folder(s). 0.05 Linear Metres. Physical Description: Duplicated and printed matter with annotations; also photocopies of personnel records Provenance: Donor/Lender/Vendor - Purchased from Ms J Chambers, Wellington, per Trademe, Feb 2005

Date: 1939-1945

From: New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency

Reference: PA1-q-291

Description: Photographs of military activities and war work in New Zealand during World War 2, 1939-1945, taken by various photographers and compiled for official use. Views show the manufacture of various military weapons, machinery and vehicles and the men and women involved in the work. They include munitions (manufacture of hand grenades); Bren gun carriers, airframes, building navy trawlers and mine sweepers in Auckland; airplane construction at Rongotai, at the De Havilland Aircraft Factory; making caterpillar tracks; making sten guns; and constructing army huts. People from various military and civilian groups are shown working as fitters, flight riggers, flight mechanics; aircraft maintenance; welders, camouflage nets (made by Girl Guides). Activities include army exercises (p 106-110); river crossing exercises; preparation for a dawn departure of a New Zealand Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron; army training (p 76-97); and the New Zealand Air Training Corps for elementary instruction for youths aged 16 to 18 1/2. RNZAF training includes blind flying practice, Hawker Hind training planes, aircraft maintenance, flight mechanics, and Airspeed Oxford training planes. Other activities include the planting and growing of linen flax, used in the manufacture of planes, tires, gun covers and fighting equipment; agricultural and horticural work, including using bullock teams for breaking in new ground; army manouvres (in part in Franklin area, and in winter conditions in the South Island near the Southern Alps); territorial manoeuvres; coastal defence; Home Guard training; a remedial physical education training camp for recruits suffering from foot troubles, painful backs etc.; the making of a new raft designed in NZ which could be constructed in a few minutes and was easily transported; training despatch riders on motor bikes in the snow. Women, in different organisations including Women's National Service Corps, Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the Lady Galway Guild, were engaged in driving and maintaining military vehicles; driving for Red Cross vehicles; digging trenches; on parade; as signallers; in clerical work; hospital duties; cooking and other branches of essential war work. Pages 63-75 show the arrival in New Zealand of the American forces; and pages 111-121 portray a visit to New Zealand of Australian and Netherlands personnel from the hospital ship Oranje when the NZ Government, as a mark of appreciation for their efforts in bringing Australian and New Zealand wounded troops, placed a special train at their disposal and took them to Chateau Tongariro for rest and relaxation. Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s). Physical Description: Album with dark blue cloth cover, black corners and spine; 34.5 x 22.0 cm

Date: 4 March 1946

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-01380-G

Description: photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Glass negative, 3.25 x 4.25 inches

Date: 15 Mar 1946

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-01979-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, ¼ plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13910-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13882-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 25 May 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13097-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13902-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13905-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13909-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13881-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate

Date: 1948

From: Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs

Reference: WA-13908-F

Description: Photograph taken by Whites Aviation. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Cellulosic film negative, 1/2 plate