The 23 Spitfires of No. 485 (NZ) Squadron

[Dave Homewood]

I just happened onto this article on Papers Past which shows where the money came from and how much in the subscriptions to purchase fighters for the first RNZAF fighter squadron in the RAF. Bear in mind that the are taling about provinces as they were then - Waikato was part of Auckland province back then apparently which is why the generous donations from Waikato are not listed seperately.

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 136, 5 December 1940, Page 14

23 FIGHTER PLANES

GIFT TO BRITAIN

RESULT OF RECENT APPEAL

THREE FROM WELLINGTON

The recent appeal for funds for fighter aeroplanes realised £145,607, without the Otago quota, which is now being collected. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) announced today that the total contributions would be remitted to Britain for the purchase of fighters. Twenty-three machines would be provided, and these would be named after the places which provided the money. Three would be named "Wellington." The Otago quota would be forwarded later. The original intention of the Government was to remit £100,000 only.

Mr. Fraser said that the total sum so far received amounted to £145,607 5s sd. This sum had been collected from the following districts:—
..............................£...........s.......d
Northland ..........5,010.......10.....8
Auckland ...........39,599......8......8
Taranaki ............4,625.......6......4
Hawke's Bay ......6,050......17.... 7
Canterbury ........6,823 .....1 ......1
Wellington ........15,662 ....7 ......8
Nelson ...............1,592 .....8 ......6
Marlborough ......1,298 ....15 .....3
Westland .............747 .....15 .....8
Otago ..................529 .....17 .....0
Southland ..........21,000 ..0 .......0
Total............... £102,940 ...8 .....5

In addition to the district collections the following sums had been forwarded direct to the Government:
New Zealand Meat Producers' Board, £30,000;
New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., £7500;
Women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, £5008;
European and native residents of Niue Island £158 17s;
total, £42,666 17s. I

At the request of the Mayor of Dunedin the collections in Otago had been deferred but were now being made.

The appeal generally was originally launched on the basis of £100,000 (New Zealand currency), to be donated for the purchase of fighter planes for the Royal Air Force, and any balance over this sum to go towards the training of pilots under the Empire air training scheme in Canada or the purchase of war machines for the defence of New Zealand.

After further consideration of the matter in the light of the subscriptions received, the Government had decided to donate the whole of the amount collected to the United Kingdom for the purchase of fighter planes. Having regard to the amounts directly contributed in the various provinces, together with a reasonable. allocation of the amount contributed by the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board, a request was being made that 23 planes, representing the £145,000 already collected, should be named as follows: —

Northland, N.Z., 1; Auckland, N.Z., 5; Waikato, N.Z., 1; Taranaki, N.Z., 1; Hawke's Bay, N.Z., 2: Wellington, N.Z , 3; Marlborough, Westland, Nelson. N.Z.. 1; Canterbury, N.Z., 2; Southland. N.Z., 3; Country Women, N.Z., 1; New Zealand, 3.

[Dave Homewood]

Sorry about the spacing on those figures, the forum doesn't seem to like to do columns properly.

Though it was a great effort that NZ raised this money I did not realise till reading this article that they had originally set a limit of £100,000 and nything over might go into buying planes for NZ's own defence. I'll bet they later regretted that change of heart, just as they regretted handing our Wellingotns over to britain when they were suddenly needed here with the German Navy sinking ships on our doorstep and then Japan entering the war.

When this money was being raised the members on No. 258 Squadron hoped the money would come to them, as they were already the unofficial New Zealand fighter squadron in the RAF. About two-thirds of the pilots on that unit were kiwis and all their Hurricanes carried a silver fern emblem on their fuselage. Then the RAF announced they were forming a new squadron for the Spitfires, something of a bummer for those 258 Squadron guys at first till they realised most of them were being posted to No. 485 (NZ) Squadron as formation members.

[errolmartyn]

"to purchase fighters for the first RNZAF fighter squadron in the RAF."

The purpose of the 'Fighter Fund' - no specific aircraft type was mentioned during the 1940 collection period, I think you will find - was not specifically aimed at purchase of fighters for an RNZAF squadron. In fact the presentation aircraft were not allotted to 485 Sqn until August-September 1941, i.e. 5-6 months after the squadron (the first of our Article XV squadrons) had been formed.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

GIFT SPITFIRES

NINE MONTHS' SERVICE

LATER TYPE NOW IN USE

(Special Correspondent) (Recd. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, April 20

The Spitfires flown by the New Zealand Spitfire Squadron, for which the Dominion subscribed £126,000, were excellent value. With the names of the provinces painted on them, they were used by the squadron for roughly nine months—from August, 1941, to April, 1942. During that time the squadron shot down at least 25 German planes.

The squadron was formed in March, 1941, and was equipped with New Zealand-bought Spitfires in August. The aircraft were then the latest Mark V's, equipped with two cannon and four machine-guns. About May, 1942, losses and wastage resulted in the squadron' being re-equipped with a later type of Spitfire, and the practice of using New Zealand names was discontinued.

Named After Provinces
It was an eventful nine months in the squadron's history while those New Zealand-bought Spitfires were used. There were live Aucklands, two Wellingtons, two Southlands, two Hawke's Bays, one Otago, one Waikato, one W.D.F.U. (Women's Division, Farmers' Union) and one Western Samoa. They were used for sweeps, escorting bombers and individual sorties. In February, 1942, they were flown when the New Zealand Squadron shot down four German planes when the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau made their dash through the Channel, which action was one of the highlights of the squadron's career.

One day when four Messerschmitts attacked Flight-Lieutenant E. P. Wells while he was separated from the squadron he shot clown one enemy plane and returned with the Waikato damaged by cannon and machine-gun fire.

Film of Aerial Combat
The late Flight-Lieutenant J. Strang, of Invercargill, flying the Southland 1, who was also separated from his section, was attacked by four Messerschmitts, of which he destroyed one. Later six more enemy planes attacked, but he dodged them finally when he was five miles from Dover.

Flight-Sergeant A. R. Robson, D.F.M., of Hastings, took one of the best films of aerial combats when in the Hawke's Bay he badly damaged a Focke Wulf. The film has been used since in several news reels shown in many parts of the world.

One of the biggest engagements of these New Zealand Spitfires was in April, 1942, when 12 of them were attacked by 52 Focke Wulf 190's. The New Zealanders only lost three Spitfires, from which two pilots baled out. They accounted for one German, The wonder was they were not all wiped out.

Probably one of the last sweeps for which the aircraft were used was the day when the King visited the squadron and saw them returning to their station, after which he talked with the pilots.


NEW ZEALAND HERALD,  22 APRIL 1943