THE NEW ZEALAND SPORT & VINTAGE AVIATION SOCIETY INCORPORATED
PO BOX 669, MASTERTON, NEW ZEALAND. PH 00 61 6 3773466
email info@wings.org.nz website www.wings.org.nz
THE YEAR OF THE VETERAN CELEBRATED IN THE WAIRARAPA
At 2.00pm on Saturday 18 November the New Zealand Sport and Vintage Aviation Society unveiled two Honours Boards in the foyer of what will become the George Hood Aviation Museum at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton.
Up to 100 people, including 17 war time pilots and the relatives of many others who flew during the war, gathered at the unveiling to celebrate the records of 240 men from the Wairarapa who flew for their country in WWI and WWII.
WWII Veterans attending the unveiling assemble by one of 14 Squadrons original P40 aircraft now owned by the Old Stick & Rudder Co. Click on image to enlarge
Of those 240 pilots who will be remembered, 107 died on operations, 29 were decorated and 10 mentioned in dispatches. These young men served overseas as air crew in the Royal Flying Corp, the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm.
Also unveiled was a second Honours Board recording the names of all pilots and engineer officers who served with No. 14 Fighter Squadron from it’s formation at Hood Aerodrome in April 1942. From the original 24 pilots in the squadron who left Masterton in 1943 to go to war, 3 were killed on operations, 11 decorated and 10 mentioned in dispatches
Air Commodore Peter Stockwell, Air Component Commander, Joint Force Headquarters, Peter Norman and Geoff Fisken at the unveiling
Invited guests had the opportunity to be photographed alongside the last surviving (and flying) RNZAF F4U Corsair and one of only three surviving RNZAF Kittyhawk P40E’s (itself a former 14 Squadron aircraft which was based at Hood Aerodrome) both of which were flown in WWII. For those veterans and relatives it was a very special day celebrating the memory of some of the Wairarapa’s greatest.
Tom Williams, President of NZSVAS commented “In this year of the veteran we felt it was more important than ever to recognize those air crew from the Wairarapa who served overseas. We wanted to establish a permanent memorial to them as part of the George Hood Aviation Museum at Hood Aerodrome so that their contribution will be recognized by future generations. We feel the Honours Boards, alongside the soon to be opened museum, will go some way to doing that.”
Geoff Fisken in the Old Stick & Rudder Company's P40 which he test flew originally in 1942
This project has been driven by former WWII pilot and the NZSVAS patron, Peter Norman, who has worked tirelessly for years to research and document these names to ensure that those he served along side and those who had been before were remembered. The Honours Board naming the Wairarapa Air crew was unveiled by Peter while the second, 14 Squadron Honours Board was unveiled by Geoff Fisken himself a former pilot with 14 squadron and widely recognized as RNZAF’s top scoring ace in the Pacific theatre during WWII. Over the duration of the war he shot down 11 aircraft and was subsequently known in the South Pacific air battles as the Wairarapa Wildcat. He is now in his nineties and living in Rotorua but will made the journey down to Masterton for the weekend especially for the unveilling.
Significant contributions to the construction of both these Honours Boards have also been made by local companies Michael Atkinson Native Timber, Trimform Joinery Ltd, Rigg-Zschokke Ltd and The Sign Factory Ltd.
For further details, photos or any additional information please contact:
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TOM WILLIAMS PRESIDENT NZSVAS PH: 0274 435396 Email tom@wings.org.nz |
PETER NORMAN PATRON NZSVAS PH 06 3049808 Email petertnorman@xtra.co.nz |
LIZ POLLOCK EVENT MANAGER WINGS OVER WAIRARAPA PH 0274 774717 Email info@wings.org.nz |
PO BOX 669, MASTERTON, NEW ZEALAND. PH 00 61 6 3773466
email info@wings.org.nz website www.wings.org.nz