Post by gibbo on Mar 4, 2022 23:32:04 GMT 12
krisd,
Have made an earnest attempt to find the source of the information on suspected sabotage of NZ2020 resulting in the accident of 21st December 1941, but so far have failed to find my original source, which would have been an Air Department file or other official document. However I can provide another source (also a file), the original accident report for this aircraft. This was Air 25/2/452, Flying Officer E F Holdaway and crew. You may require further information to obtain this file, which I cannot supply, as the filing systems at (New Zealand) National Archives (now known as Archives NZ) have changed somewhat over the years since I first hand copied my lists of air accidents, and they may require a Series number for the full reference. However most staff working there today would probably know about this large group of files, and may be able to help you locate it regardless. I am suspecting you may not be domiciled in New Zealand, in which case you may have to obtain the assistance of a local researcher, perhaps resident in Wellington (or close by), although not certain of their "Covid 19" status at this time. As noted in previous post, I have not personally studied this particular file, but one additional fact I have discovered is that at least one Hudson in Fiji was found to have similar faults in the aileron control system which required rectification, but that is all (from my file on the original published article).
Since I got rather keen on aviation history in about 1968, I have not been a particularly commercial author, and was definitely not trained in the scholarly rigour of noting source of ALL IMPORTANT FACTS (although for direct quotations I often provide source). This habit has naturally proved to be a serious failing when somebody questions something 50 plus years later. However I can usually attribute source, or provide a good guess in maybe 80 - 90 % of cases after a good search. I was of the old school, and rather than photocopy everything, I generally took notes by hand (much cheaper, but not really that searchable) - not an excuse, just a fact.
I understand the wreckage was buried in the 1990's as the site was planted out with pines and having fossick around the area 6 years ago or so I simply couldn't get my bearings as the pines were almost ready for harvest. My brother in law at the time worked in the forest and it was him who took me up there to see it in the first instance. Solid detective work after that visit gave us a 100% positive identification as NZ2020. Still got some washed out prints of the wreckage somewhere.