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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 28, 2010 18:23:28 GMT 12
George Hitchcock, who was the last known pilot to have flown the Short Singapore operationally, passed away earlier this week.
George was the last of the small band of pilots who flew the lumbering giant flying boat operationally keeping Fiji and Tonga's waterways safe in WWII with No. 5 (GR) Squadron.
George Condor Hitchcock OBE, DFC, MB ChB, MD, FRACS, FRCPA, NZ412006, was a professor of medicine. He had also flown operationally in Bomber Command's Pathfinder Force from Britain after serving on Vildebeest in Singapore, and RNZAF and US Navy Catalinas the Pacific war. he later flew Catalinas. His was a varied and probably unique career in RNZAF terms.
He was 87.
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Post by Andy Wright on Feb 4, 2010 8:34:27 GMT 12
Dave, I'd be very interested in an obit if one makes the papers etc over there please.
Sad news but by golly he flew a lot. Love his middle name. RIP.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 4, 2010 9:29:19 GMT 12
I've not seen anything in the press here, though I don't get the New Zealand Herald which would be the likely paper it would go into. However I did send a very brief 250 word obit to James Kightly for one of the Aussie magazines.
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