|
|
Post by spitfire14 on May 9, 2011 8:22:35 GMT 12
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 9, 2011 11:01:52 GMT 12
Very, very sad. He was a truely great gentleman.
Not many New Zealanders flew in both WWII and the Korean War
RIP John.
|
|
|
|
Post by flyjoe180 on May 9, 2011 11:36:43 GMT 12
Crikey, and a Defiant survivor too. RIP.
|
|
|
|
Post by kiwithrottlejockey on May 9, 2011 14:35:11 GMT 12
Battle of Britain pilot diesBy ANDREW CAMPBELL - SunLive | 12:10PM - Monday, 09 May 2011 John Gard’ner shortly before his trip to London last year.THERE ARE only three of the 95 New Zealand pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain alive after Tauranga resident John Gard’ner died in Tauranga Hospital on Friday.
He died after a brief illness, and now Bernie Brown, also of Tauranga, Alan Gawith of Nelson and Keith Lawrence, who is in England, are the final three alive.
John was active to the end, with his friends at Classic Flyers earlier this year arranging to fly him to the Wairarapa, says chief executive officer Andrew Gormlie.
“We were going to take him to the Masterton Airshow from here in an aircraft, but the weather turned rubbishy, and that sort of put the lid on that,” says Andrew.
“At 92 it’s a bit tough on a rough day.”
“He was a friend of ours, we knew him quite well, but at the end of the day some of these really old fellows don’t bother to join up with these things, but he used to come and go at times and he frequented our place as an interested party.”
“He was a member of the Aviation Historic Society, which is some of the old chaps that meet here every month.”
John Gard’ner joined the Royal Air Force in 1938 because he wanted to see the world.
He began the war flying Boulton Paul Defiants for 141 Squadron, a single-engined aircraft that carried no forward firing guns and a gunner in a dorsal turret.
It was reckoned one of the RAF’s worst aircraft.
John was shot down over Folkestone on July 19, 1940, nine days after the Battle of Britain started. Messerschmitt 109s attacked the flight of nine Defiants, sending four into the sea including John’s. A fifth crashed at Dover and a sixth fell short of its base.
John was the only one of eight men in the sea including fellow New Zealand pilots John Kemp and Rudal Kidson, to survive. Afterwards, 141 Squadron operated at nights.
John flew mostly on night fighters with 141, 409 Royal Canadian Air Force Squadron, on Beaufighters, and 219 and 488 (NZ) Squadrons on Mosquitoes for the rest of the war. When John finished, he was a squadron leader and flight commander on 488. His only kill was a Focke Wulf 190 he shot down over France on November 1944.
He remained in the RAF and after the war transferred to jet aircraft, flying Gloster Meteors, the RAF’s first jet fighter.
John was seconded to the US Marine Corps in 1950 and flew F3D Skyknights in the Korean War.
He retired from the air force in 1965. His last military post was as air attaché in Brussels, and his final rank group captain.
The last time John flew an aircraft was in Tauranga for his 90th birthday. With an instructor on board he took off, flew around ‘did a few tight turns’ and landed.
John bought an orchard in the Bay of Plenty after returning to New Zealand. Late last year he flew to England to attend the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the dedication of the statue of Sir Keith Park, the New Zealander who directed the day-to-day operations of the RAF fighters in the key defence sector during the battle.
John was born in Dunedin on June 14, 1918. He is survived by his wife Suzanne, two sons and two daughters.www.sunlive.co.nz/news/12934-battle-of-britain-pilot-dies.html______________________________________ posted at 10:19am Monday 09 May, 2011GARD’NER, John Rushton(Group Captain retired RAF 41841) On 06 May 2011, peacefully in Tauranga, aged 92 years. Dearly loved husband of Suzanne and the late Ghita and Martha. Loved father of Carolyn (Belgium), Charles (USA) and Richard (Tuakau). Loved father-in-law to Ros and the late Barry, and stepfather to Cindi Fielding (Australia). Much loved grandpa to his ten grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A funeral service for John will be held at St John’s Anglican Church, 94 Bureta Rd, Otumoetai, Tauranga, on Wednesday 11 May at 1.00pm, followed private cremation. In lieu of flowers donations preferred posted to Alzheimers Society, P.O. Box 15553, Tauranga. Communication to the Gard’ner Family c/o PO Box 8139 Tauranga.— LEGACY funerals www.sunlive.co.nz/news/12927-gardner-john-rushton.html
|
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on May 9, 2011 15:32:41 GMT 12
Wow he had a varied flying career. Sad to see so few left.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 9, 2011 21:36:17 GMT 12
Yes, he had an amazing career. He told me too that as a kid growing up in Nelson one of his best mates was Bob Spurdle, and they and another boy built a little yacht together and went sailing often. Bob went on to also fly in the Battle of Britain, becoming an ace.
Of all the veterans I have met and interviewed John was one of those really amazing and surprising chaps, I didn't know a lot about him till we met and he had done so much in his long life. A wonderful, friendly man.
When his USAF squadron (which he was attached to from the RAF) converted from piston engined aircraft to Skyknights, the CO made him the training officer as he was that respected and admired byt the US heirachy they reckoned he was the guy to train their pilots how to fly a jet. I recall asking if the Skyknight had an ejector seat, and he said no, but in the event of an emergency the procedure was to pop the canopy off, undo the straps, climb up over the back of the seat and down behind, and drop out through a hole in the floor!! I'm sure he was glad there was never an emergency that bad. I'm trying to recall what the type was he flew before the Skyknight, I think it was the Firebrand or something like that. A big US piston type.
After his tour in Korea he went to the Middle East and was made commander of a small station. There he had command of a Lancaster and several Venoms and he flew both, out into the desert hunting bandits, which they bombed. He said he once bombed a cave full of bandits with his Lancaster and caved in the opening so they couldn't come out! His life really was like a Boys Own Adventure. He later became Air Attache to Belgium and acted as the Aide de Camp to the King and Queen of Belgium when they visited the Queen in London. He was invited to dinner with the Belgian Royals and QEII, and he said he was sat next to a fascinating Lady in Waiting who was asking him all sorts of questions. He was nattering away to her and suddenly realised everyone else was silent. He looked around and saw Queen Elizabeth was staring at him intensely. She was waiting for him to shut up and finish his dish so the next course could be served. He felt very small and insignificant right then, he said. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Andy Wright on May 9, 2011 21:57:25 GMT 12
What a truly amazing man and obviously someone whose love of aviation extended well beyond his time in the service. RIP.
|
|
|
|
Post by kb on May 9, 2011 22:34:06 GMT 12
Dave!!!!!! I have referenced this page to a couple of my friends who are retired U.S. Marines. Clearly they haven't read the page yet coz there haven't been any reports of massive explosions in the Northern Hemisphere.
To call the Marine Corps USAF and then add fuel to the fire by equipping them with one of the FAA crappiest aircraft! Heck!
I think the unit was probably VMF(N)-513 and that it's previous aircraft was our beloved Corsair in it's F4U-5N variant. You are quite right though about how to get out of a Skynight in an emergency.
|
|
|
|
Post by errolmartyn on May 9, 2011 22:42:59 GMT 12
Dave,
"a I'm trying to recall what the type was he flew before the Skyknight, I think it was the Firebrand or something like that. A big US piston type."
The (Blackburn) Firebrand was British, Old Boy! The 'big US piston type' you were thinking of was possibly the Douglas Skyraider.
Errol
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 9, 2011 23:27:06 GMT 12
Whoops. You're right it was USMC. Sorry. Trying to recall what he told me, as the tapes are not here right now from when we interviewed him. I talk with a lot of veterans and sometimes it gets confusing as to who did what. It wasn't the Skyraider or the Corsair they were flying, I rememebr now it was the Grumman Tigercat!! I'll bet you never knew there were any kiwis flying USMC Tigercats! They were then based at Marine Corps Air Staton Cherry Point. The unit, which I think you're right was VMF(N)-513, then moved to California to convert to the Skyknight jets under John's instruction. I think from memory he's flown the Meteor in the UK before this so he was the experienced jet pilot in the unit. Sadly his logbooks were stolen at some stage, like so many Battle of Britain pilots. I wonder where they all ended up? After training in California they deployed to Japan and then entered the Korean War. Here's a photo of the RAF Detachment to the USMC in Korea - Left is Sqn Ldr N. Poole (Radar Op, also RAF on detachment) and right is Sqn Ldr John Gard'ner (pilot) - in Korea in 1951 with one of their Douglas F-3D Skyknights in the background.  |
|
|
|
Post by kb on May 10, 2011 7:33:22 GMT 12
That's very interesting Dave. Yes VMF(N)-513 did fly Tigercats as well as Corsairs in Korea before being equipped with Skynights. They managed to shoot down a couple of Po-2 Biplanes at night by lowering everything including their undercarriage in order to fly slow enough.
It would be an interesting exercise to model the planes John flew but lost logbooks would make it difficult to identify specific aircraft.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 10, 2011 12:13:14 GMT 12
I don't believe that John ever flew the Corsair. He went onto Tigercats when he arrived in the USA at Cherry Point. Then onto Skyknights in California. I do recall that his wife at the time got very ill and actually died while he was in the USA, so maybe this is why he missed out on piston flying in the Korean conflict. He recalled that his squadron mates had a little bit of success but he said in all the patrols he did he never saw another aircraft in Korea.
|
|
|
|
Post by apteryx on May 25, 2011 2:50:57 GMT 12
|
|
