New Member - Kimmar

[kb]

Kimmar is a lady whose father was a Kiwi who flew in the RAF, largely in the Middle East. She has just introduced herself. She has a blog where she has been commenting in chronological order from her father's log book. The address of the blog is in her post.

I have made this entry because I suspect a lot of members will be missing a really good read if the only place it is mentioned is in "Introduce Yourself".

Her father flew lots of aircraft types including a Mk IID Hurricane which he named "Valerie". There's a photo in the blog. She mentions him flying a Typhoon in the Middle East but she hasn't got to that page in his log book yet so I wonder if he finished up in Europe. As far as I am aware only one Typhoon made it to the desert area.

There are lots of photos showing pages from his log book and some interesing people photos as well.

Have a look!

[kimmar]

Thank you so much for telling people about my blog...I'd be most appreciative if those with heaps more knowledge than me read it and commented.

Each post is a page from the logbook. Typhoons are coming up soon - I'm pretty sure Dad finished up in Europe (France I think). But will check that.

I'm happy to contribute anything if members want to know anything in particular and really looking forward to learning from all the experts and enthusiasts in this forum!

[ErrolC]

I've just been reading your blog about your dad, great stuff!

I've just got to the post where you talk about your dad flying the Anson. One of these has recently been restored in Nelson, so you should be able to see it fly at an airshow. It had its first big public outing last week at Ardmore, Auckland.

Lot of detail and photos/video at
rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Airshows&thread=14662&page=1

I'm sure that lots of people here will be able to fill in details that you ask about on the blog.

Cheers
Errol Cavit (not the Errol who was quoted in your blog comments last year, that was errolmartyn, aviation researcher and author).

[kimmar]

Morning Errol

Thank you so much for telling me about the Anson - never seen one and I hope to be able to go see it fly somewhere in NZ. What I'm really waiting for is a Spitfire - I'm aware that restored Spits fly here and there in NZ at airshows, just have to find one near enough to attend.

I've had over 400 people visit my Dad's blog in the last 24 hours!! Very exciting because I know that there will be a ton of expertise and people who can help me fill in all the gaps I don't know about.

There's a lot of language used in the log book that makes absolutely no sense to me.

I've been browsing through the topics in the various forums and can tell I might just become an aviation-obsessive :-)

rgds
Kim

[kiwipathfinder89]

Hello there Kim and welcome to the forum

I'm just starting to read your blog now and it is very nicely done if I may say so!

[ErrolC]

Kim, your best bet to see manyof the aircraft types that he flew in the air is probably Classic Fighters at Omaka, Blenheim in Easter 2013. Blenheim & Picton motels fill up well in advance, so you might want to organise a place to stay now. There will probably also be day trips from Christchurch in the DC-3 which is based in Ashburton.

www.classicfighters.co.nz/
Expect to see P-40's (Tomahawk), Harvards, Spitfires, DC-3's, Anson, Tiger Moths. Also Mustang, FW-190 (he would have encountered these), lots of WWI aircraft, some postwar and modern aircraft.

If you can't wait that long, there is Wings Over Wairarapa in Masterton in January. Will have most of the above.
www.wings.org.nz/

[kimmar]

Thank you Kiwipathfinder :-) and thx for the heads up about Blenheim and Picton hotels and the airshows. Sounds like I'd better get there. When I pass by the Spitfire outside of CHCH airport - I can't get my head around the fact that Dad flew one of those.

So I'd love to see the other planes he flew. The trip down in a DC3 sounds very tempting I must say!
Kim

[corsair67]

I have had a quick flick through your blog, and have to say that I enjoyed it very much. One of the pieces I found intetresting was your mention of the Brevet Club, and the photo you attached of the old club rooms was nice to see, as I had almost forgotten what it used to look like.

Of course, the only part standing now is the concrete wall with the mural of Icarus falling from the sky on it.

The Brevet Club is now located in the Air Force Museum of New Zealand at Wigram, but I am not sure how many members they would have nowadays as the number of WWII veterans thins with each coming year.

[kimmar]

HI Corsair67

Thanks for taking the time to look at my Dad's blog :-) I didn't know about the concrete wall with the mural of Icarus falling from the sky on it.
I'll check that out on Wednesday when I go into Christchurch. Might take a photo and post to the blog since I've had a lot of hits on the Brevet Club post I did.

Might be that people are interested. I couldn't find a local history pamphlet or anything on the Brevet Club.
Kim

[errolmartyn]

First posted this on the 'Introduce Yourself' board but have now caught up with this dedicated thread on Kim's dad, which is a more appropriate place for my post (which now also includes the ship reference which I accidentally omitted previously).

Kim,

The following might be of interest to you - an excerpt from my For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915 (Volume Three: Biographies & Appendices):

22 Jul 41 Dominion Monarch Auckland-Liverpool via Panama Canal and Halifax, arr Halifax 16 Aug and Liverpool 2 Sep.
Disembarking Halifax, RNZAF for att to RCAF . . .

103 APs u/t – died: Baker, C G; Booklass, J G; Bruce, N; Burbidge, K A; Campbell, R R; Chancellor, R N; Chapman, R E; Clouston, W A; Cook, G W; Cottrell, R T; Dillon, M F; Franklin, F J; Gilmour, B M; Goodall, B B; Greenstreet, J F; Hamilton, C G; Hawken, E H; Jones, R M; Kelly, C L; Kempton-Werohia, B; Leigh, R E; Lonsdale, R; McKinley, T; McLean, A W; McLeod, M L; McPherson, A M; McQueen, J S; Roberts, H; Roe, R J; Smith, B le B; Stead, A B; Taylor-Cannon, K G; Turner, A G; Tye, W; Weir, L V; Williams, S S; Woodgate, A J; Young, H S; (38) –

survived: Alexander, B B; Archer, K; Barry, M A; Bell, A E; Blair, J L; Brown, M K*; Bryan, C F; Buchanan, R C; Capstick, J E; Cawthray, F A; Cook, L H; Doyle, P J; Dunn, I G; Edwards, E F; Edwards, M H; Fallows, G*; Finn, J O; Fittall, V C; Forbes, R W; Garvey, L P; Gellatly, W R; Gillard, T A; Gilmore, B F; Hitchins, L W; Hunter, L T; Jackson, A R C; Jackson, A W; Jenkins, J E; Kebbell, T R D; Kleimeyer, R G; Knapman, T S; Lyden, J H; Manglesen, F*; Manners, R A; Martin, L W; Mason, L G; McIlraith, R; Mildon, V J; Molloy, F; Morey, E J; Mortimer, J E; Nordstrand, G S; Oliver, B J; Park, G A; Peet, W W; Rishworth, D H; Roberts, M S; Saward, H C*²; Schrader, W E; Shanahan, J L; Shaw, A L; Shaw, E J; Sinclair, B A; Small, V O; Smith, A H*; Spedding, F M; Strahan, W T H; Sullivan, T G*; Thompson, B C; Thorp, W G; Topham, E; Walker, L; Walker, P M; Wells, M J; Yeatman, J F P; (65).

* = PoW
² = died in postwar service

This was just one of several groups of some several hundred airmen onboard the Dom

You can email me at errol.martyn AT xtra.co.nz if you would like a list featuring their service numbers and full names.

Errol (the other one!)

[kimmar]

Too many Errols I'm emailing you Errol (the other one!).
Kim

[bobajob]

Good luck with your research, you have come to the right place here. All the guys are fonts, no, make that geyser's of knowledge....

[corsair67]

Oct 8, 2012 13:42:24 GMT 12 kimmar said:

HI Corsair67

Thanks for taking the time to look at my Dad's blog :-) I didn't know about the concrete wall with the mural of Icarus falling from the sky on it.
I'll check that out on Wednesday when I go into Christchurch. Might take a photo and post to the blog since I've had a lot of hits on the Brevet Club post I did.

Might be that people are interested. I couldn't find a local history pamphlet or anything on the Brevet Club.
Kim

Kim, the wall with the Icarus mural on it once formed part of the building, and last time I saw it it still had a chunk of the main roofing beam attached to it. You can see the wall on the left hand side of the building in the postcard image on your site.

Craig.

[kimmar]

Hi everyone

I responded via email to Errol (the other one!) Martyn but then thought maybe people might be interested. Errol mentioned 22 Jul 1941 departure of the Dominion Monarch Auckland-Liverpool via Panama Canal and Halifax, arr Halifax 16 Aug and Liverpool 2 Sep. Disembarking Halifax, RNZAF for att to RCAF .

And then there was a list of servicemen who survived incl my father, J.E.Jenkins. I recognised many names from Dad's photo album and one of my favourite photos of 7 pilots, which I posted to my blog on Dad's flying is of some of the men listed.

The names are: T R D; Kleimeyer, DH Rishworth, EJ Shaw, WG Thorp, AW Jackson and VJ Mildon and here's the photo.

jamesevansjenkins.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/the-magnificent-seven/

I think this photo was taken in 1941 at No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School at R.N.Z.A.F station Harewood.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement!
Kim

[kb]

Kim, do you know there is a web site devoted to 127 Squadron and that the owner is writing a book on the squadron. Your dad is listed in the pilots section.

You can see it here www.127squadron.co.uk/index.html

Regards

Keith

[kimmar]

Hi Keith

Thx for that - yes, I know of the website and Andy contacted me to verify a photo of my father. I don't know when the book is due out but hope it's soon!
Kim

[Dave Homewood]

Eric James Shaw DFC was from here in Cambridge, he too went onto fly Spitfires, with No. 485 Squadron, and on No. 185 Squadron in Malta. Here's a page on him on my website:
www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Eric%20James%20SHAW.htm

[ErrolC]

Kim, did you notice the Omaka Flying Day on the Saturday of Labour Weekend?
rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=airshow&action=display&thread=17261

If you can get to it, that would 'tick off' the Anson, P-40, and Harvard.