Every year, Anzac Day is an opportunity for families to reflect on the impact war, conflicts and sacrifices made during service have on them. The archives of the Air Force Museum hold stories of these losses and further research sometimes shows that such experiences tragically repeated themselves within New Zealand families. The effects on those families can only be imagined. While recently cataloguing some papers of Air Commodore James Lloyd Findlay and researching him for an upcoming exhibition, I came across a certificate to a Flying Officer Ian Thomas Findlay. On checking, I realised it re ..read more

With Anzac Day approaching, what better book to restart our Reading Room blog series than For Your Tomorrow by Errol W. Martyn. Louisa Hormann of the Research Team discusses how these reference books assist in researching air force casualties, and their significance as a memorial to those New Zealanders who died while serving with the RNZAF or other air forces. ‘When you go home Tell them of us and say, For Your Tomorrow We gave our today.’ This famous epitaph, attributed to English poet John Maxwell Edmonds, is the namesake of a trilogy of reference works authored by New Zealand aviation hist ..read more

Alan Mitchell’s passport photograph, 1938. From the collection of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. (2016.171.11) Wing Commander Alan Cunningham Mitchell, Royal Air Force (RAF) As Staff Officer (Personnel) at RAF Headquarters in Aden, Alan Mitchell was responsible for ensuring families of RAF personnel were kept safe once Italian forces began bombing in June 1940. Wives and children were often evacuated for safety, including Alan’s own wife Dorothy and baby daughter Alison, who were sent to Bombay, India. Sadly, the family were never reunited, as Alan died of peritonitis while Dorothy and ..read more

In his book The Flyer: British Culture and the Royal Air Force 1939-1945, Martin Francis observes that while airmen often suppressed feelings of fear and grief experienced during the war, ‘letters, diaries, and memoirs composed by the men of the RAF often virtually vibrate with emotion, and can be startlingly frank about the flyer’s longing for love.’ (Francis, 69) These examples from our collection relate to the lives and loves of three New Zealanders serving in the RAF and RAF Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) during World War Two. ‘My Wife, I’m awfully drunk…’ For many young couples separated by th ..read more

When thinking about the Air Force, boats are probably not what first springs to mind, yet once upon a time the RNZAF had its own maritime branch, which included a fleet of small vessels.   The operation of seaplanes and flying boats in the RNZAF’s early days, and their widespread use throughout the Pacific during World War Two through to the mid-1960s presented a unique set of challenges. For a start, operating with water as your taxiway meant that all the usual ground-based support vehicles were uselesss. Boats had to be used instead, for ferrying passengers to and from the aircraft, loa ..read more

When collections are gifted to the Museum, they can reveal amazing stories we were not previously aware of. Among recent donations are the archives and photographs of Squadron Leader Horace Alexander Nash (nicknamed “Walter” in the RNZAF after the New Zealand politician). Nash was an experienced RAF pilot, loaned to the RNZAF during World War Two. In 1943 he was an instructor on Supermarine Walrus aircraft, with the Seaplane Training Flight at Hobsonville. While we were cataloguing his papers, a remarkable story was revealed. RNZAF Seaplane Training Flight Walrus NZ151 flying over Auckland. Th ..read more

Unknown chef with Christmas cakes on display in No. 1 Mess, RNZAF Station Whenuapai. Why have one Christmas cake when you can have seven? If these cakes – on display in No. 1 Mess, RNZAF Station Whenuapai – are anything to go by, Christmas of 1943 was going to be a bountiful occasion, not to mention a well-decorated one. Purists would argue that it’s a bit late to be making a Christmas cake now, but these recipes from our archives could help you get the jump on next year. They both come from a notebook of handwritten recipes that was given “To Cynthia , with very best wishes for her future hap ..read more

While cataloguing a recently acquired collection, I noticed that it contained a small New Testament intended for use by the pilot whose collection I was working on. As we approach Christmas, one of the most important Christian holy festivals, it struck me that we must have other bibles and religious texts in the collection. I started to investigate to see if they might have individual links or stories to tell, above and beyond their intended purpose of confirming religious faith in an individual and society in general at times of great uncertainty. New Testament belonging to Sergeant Kenneth J ..read more

When serving overseas, nothing could say ‘home’ quite as well as receiving a parcel of lovingly handmade baked goods. In 1940, Air Force Relations published a booklet of useful information, and an airman might have been lucky enough to sample some of the recipes it contained. But what were these recipes like? Well, they’re timeless, and just nuts. Cover of “Provisions Of Comforts To N.Z. Airmen At Home And Overseas” booklet. From the collection of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Before I came to work in the archive at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, I imagined it as rows of dusty box ..read more

Residing in contented retirement at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand is one grand old aircraft with a very special history. Dakota NZ3551 on display in the Aircraft Hall at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Image: Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Douglas C-47 Dakota NZ3551 is a ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Air Force Museum’s collection. One of the most successful aircraft designs of all time, the C-47 was the military version of the well-known commercial airliner, the DC-3, and was also the RNZAF’s first transport aircraft. The significance of this particular aeroplane goes far beyond its ..read more