Mutiny and Boycott.

[tedheath]

Three things interested me in my 27 yrs in the airforce.

1. The post war groundies mutiny,  Ces Beer told me a bit about it in 1974, seems they had to work Saturday mornings and some places compulsory church parade on Sunday

2. Singleys mutiny groundies Singapore 1960s  I think. Mike Naus told me when he was a singely in Singers he got less than a dependent child allowace for a marriedy.

3. The boycott of the Wigram baggies club in 1970s Cliff Breteton told me about it something about Canteen Council running it. 

Be interested if anyone had any firsthand knowledge of these events, the Navy mutiny post war is well documented but not these three.


Cheers
Ted

[seashore]

No 2 is true.

[tedheath]

1 and 3 were true as well, I am not doubting Ces Beer and Cliff Brereton.

[Dave Homewood]

The mutiny in No. 1 began at Whenuapai from memory but spread to other stations. There's a lot about it on Papers past if you search, it was big news.

There was a wartime mutiny at Nelson too when No. 2 (GR) Squadron when on strike.

[vansvilla]

No 2, the reasons are true however it was 1972.

[tedheath]

Apr 18, 2017 17:26:06 GMT 12 vansvilla said:

No 2, the reasons are true however it was 1972.

Thanks for that, I never knew when it was but heard it happened from a few people but always light on details.

[tbf25o4]

The Singapore mutiny in 1972 arose from grumbles that the "singlies" living at RAF Tengah were eating in messes that the food quality was much poorer than that experienced at Changi. (The living on RNZAF personnel at Tengah were in receipt of an allowance for eating in an RAF mess)
Additionally we were going through a "Pay Rise/Allowances Down" syndrome where our base NZ pay would rise, but the Singapore allowances were reduced and the allowances were reduced to
a lower state, meaning the net pay was gradually reducing.
Ironically those of us living in the ANZUK base at HMS Terror did not receive a messing allowance so we were financially worse off than our mates at Tengah.
In respect of allowances for dependents of "Marriedies" yes very true. My married mate Barry had a son born at Singapore and the day he was born, Barry received a $5.00 per day extra allowance. As a singlie I received a $1.00 daily location allowance!!
When the mutiny of the Tengah troops was known, us Kiwi airmen at Terror were raced into our boss who was an Australian Army Signals Major, who told us in very blunt terms that if we had similar ideas to downing tools, his No.11 sized boot would be firmly placed in each or our rear-ends!!

[Dave Homewood]

The punishment for both mutiny and treason under military law was death by firing squad if found guilty. But was there ever in the history of the RNZAF anyone found guilty of either? I suspect all complaints were worked out amicably without any blood spilled?

[davidd]

There were also several "strikes" in the wartime RNZAF, in NZ and in the Pacific. The NZ one was at the Delta in, I think, 1944, and at the core was that frequent irritant, allegations of rotten food! This one was eventually settled, I believe, by getting rid of the private contractor, and posting out the Catering Officer concerned, and posting in a new one. There was talk of weevils in much of the stock, and much of the food was considered all but inedible. This was quite a large strike, but I have an idea that it was not covered in the papers at the time due to the prevailing censorship. I also believe there were allegations of corruption in this instance, but I cannot confirm or deny anything, as have found nothing about it "in the record". There also seems to be no surviving unit history for station Delta, which is a great pity.
The one in the Pacific was at Espiritu Santo, in late 1944 or 1945 (it is recorded faithfully in the unit history of one of the units involved), and came about due to the preference given to officers when arriving at and departing from the picture theatre. One of the SU's involved gave a good account of this incident, which lasted for only a day or two, and was inflamed by the commanding officer at the time, and was also marked by the airmen being scrupulous in not infringing any regulation or standing orders, and always maintained respectful communications with the officers. Another senior officer was flown in from, I think, NZ, who was held in high esteem by most non-commissioned personnel, and he sorted the whole thing out pretty quickly with tact and without fuss. Off top of my head, this officer MAY have been Frankie Dix or maybe even Tiny White - I will have to check up on this one as soon as I can figure out which SU was involved!


David D

[davidd]

The wartime "strike" at Nelson mentioned by Dave was, I think, actually at Ohakea in about August 1943 and involved ground personnel of 2 BR Squadron about 3 months before the aircraft and aircrew, but NOT the technical staff, departed for the Pacific islands. This seems to have been an "unintended consequence" of the splitting off of the ground staff from the squadron (which was a major break from tradition in the RAF-orientated RNZAF), which quickly resulted in a mock funeral "for the spirit of 2 Squadron", including a coffin, and various wreathes and much solemn ceremony. The CO of the station was not very impressed with this irregular behaviour, and then the new Deputy CAS (a New Zealander in the RAF) made some adverse comments about the men involved in this protest, with particular reference to their lack of efficiency and discipline. When it was learned that the goundstaff were not to accompany the squadron to the forward area, the former took this as a slur on their character, and things got a bit more serious. The aircrew also took this hard and in a final salute to Parliament in mid-November, 17 Venturas from Ohakea flew south and buzzed the sitting MPs during a formal formation run over the capital - the 18th aircraft and crew were held back as a standby strike aircraft. This demonstration was intended to show that 2 Squadron air and its groundcrew could do their jobs well, as exemplified by their 100% rate of aircraft and crew serviceability. It seems that the powers that be had not been particularly effective themselves in explaining just why the groundstaff had been split away from their parent squadrons, and the former members of 2 Squadron believed this action to be some kind of punishment for their earlier antics. In fact all the bomber reconnaissance squadrons had been split in half in this manner at the same time, with No. 2 Squadron's technical staff now collectively described as No. 11 Servicing Unit. However, within a month or two, quite a proportion of these men were duly posted overseas to join No. 12 SU at Espiritu Santo, which had the general effect of healing the unfortunate rift.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Nope, the one at Nelson was earlier, and it was over the treatment of the men by a certain Warrant officer. The entire squadron below the rank of Warrant Officer paraded and then refused to move when dismissed to go off to work, from memory. I interviewed one of the squadron members involved. It was before they went to Ohakea and had further troubles up there. No. 2 Squadron seems to have been a pretty tight unit who all stood up and said something when they felt they didn't like they way they were being treated. I cannot recall the finer details right now.

What I love is that all those years later in 2001 when the squadron had been again shafted, this time by Clark and co, they once again held the funeral service for the Spirit of No. 2 Squadron (which they used to raise from the dead with a ceremony and light show at their postwar reunions by the way) and buried another coffin.

[Dave Homewood]

There was also very nearly a mutiny at RNZAF Base Auckland in late 1989, over the Government making changes to pay rates and superannuation from memory or something that they were altering in the RNZAF contract without consent of the signees. I recall being told to come with others to the Wheel Bay or Skin Bay or some such place and there were well over 50 members of the Maintenance Support Squadron in there being briefed in total secrecy by some Flight Sergeants and Warrant Officers about possible mutinous action that was being proposed. I had no real idea of what was going on, I was just a u/t. But is seems a lot of the older guys were going to get severely screwed by the new laws. They suggested we all go and sit on the runway, which is exactly what had happened in 1945 there. No decisions were made and I never heard anything further again. It would be nice to know if anyone else here remembers this.

[tedheath]

Fascinating comments, I was on Wasp Flight in 1989 and never heard about the near mutiny at WP. Was it 1989 when we lost a weeks leave?
I was in the first RNZAF C130 to land at Timor in September 1999 and we were near the Aussies at Dilli. Their allowances were moonbeams more than us and tax free I think.
I remember talking to an Aussie who was happy as it was $1000 day the fifth day of allowances. There was a bit of **** going down as it was embarrassing the brass when they turned up to our camp.
I was impressed how the young LACS and CPLS got stuck into these puffed up clowns about the allowances while our officers said nothing. It must have worked Shipley upped our allowances a bit.

[pjw4118]

Just to add to the Delta saga , Dean Inksters booklet has a number of insights , salad made of cabbage , and water soup with onion and condensed milk so the bottom of the pot was not seen! Some where I have the report of an officer specifically sent there to sort out the mess problems.
Tom Whyte was an AG u/t there and called it Siberia freezing cold , or mud or blowflies. His Mother used to send him food parcels . I think that part of the problem was too many RNZAF trainees at a time when most were not going to be needed , so the old forces rule of ...hurry up and wait certainly happened. Frustrating to all.

[Dave Homewood]

The officer sent to Delta to sort the Mess problems and quell the complaints was none other than Squadron Leader James "The Bull" Duncan, and from what I have heard he really kicked arse and got it sorted out. Lots of veterans remember it as a very miserable place there at The Delta. There were seven camps there in total, each more miserable than the next, if legend is true.

Yet just down the road at Woodbourne, Fairhall and Omaka things were much better for the staff. Amazing how The Delta could get so bad when in such close proximity to other well run stations.

[eieio]

My dad was at Delta briefly,as well as Girvan road .Some stirrer [ at Delta] convinced every one to sit on the parade ground .After a bit of thought Dad decided his 3 army stripes [and a clean slate]were worth more than the grizzle .So he stood up ...followed by the majority.Dont have any recall of the reason for the gripe.Nor any comment on the camp conditions.Due to the thousands going nowhere in the air force he went back to the army ,to New Caledonia until the call for those interested to return to NZ to man the farms .

[Dave Homewood]

Strange, I know I read up on the postwar Whenuapai strike in the old newspapers, and there was a lot of coverage over possibly two weeks, but now I cannot find anything about it on Papers Past. I'm now wondering if I was looking at it in actual newspapers in an archive rather than online, does anyone know the date it occurred? I thought it was about Oct 45?? I remember the reports stated the unrest spread to several other stations.

[Dave Homewood]

I did find this though, RNZAF Station Te Rapa - from the NZ Herald on 10 October 1945.

MEN STOP WORK

AIR FORCE STORES

FIVE-DAY WEEK GRANTED

(0.C.) HAMILTON, Tuesday

Men at the Air Force stores at Te Rapa stopped work for two hours this morning as a protest against the delay in demobilisation and against the conditions of work. When the men were advised that their request for a five-day week had been conceded by the Air Department they returned to duty.
The officer in charge. Squadron Leader G. Wilson, stated that the men must remember that they enlisted for the duration of the war and six months after, or as long as their services were required. The Te Rapa stores depot, which is not under the control of the Hamilton station, contains large quantities of valuable air equipment, and men will he required to guard these stores for an indefinite period.

[Dave Homewood]

Here's another industrial dispute from the NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 25 OCTOBER 1945

OFFICERS PROTEST

SLEPT IN HAMMOCKS

REQUEST FOR SPECIAL PAY

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday
Hundreds of Air Force officers returning in the Andes from Britain held an indignation meeting while the ship was crossing the Tasman and decided to send a telegram to Air Headquarters asking for hard-living pay. They complained that although they were officers they were forced to travel under conditions that were unsatisfactory, even by third or fourth-class standards. Their case is to be taken up officially with the Government. The officers objected to being quartered on the lower decks in hammocks by the hundred and to having to do cleaning and general duties which, as officers, they would not normally be required to do. One group took a visitor down into their sleeping quarters, where they said 130 men lived during the voyage and where only four washbasins were available. This detail was typical of numerous grievances they were keen to air.
The "Andes carried 1500 airmen to New Zealand, of whom 1000 were officers. The officer commanding the Air Force draft, Wing Commander J. R. Maling, of Christchurch, said it had "been decided some months ago that because of the shipping position all officers would have to be prepared to accept reduced standards of accommodation. That was agreed to by the various chiefs-of-staff and Governments concerned. Owing to the shortage of first-class accommodation in the Andes, a large number of officers had to travel under troop conditions. The officers concerned held a meeting while the ship was crossing the Tasman and discussed a demand for some financial compensation by way of hard-living pay, which under certain conditions was available to Air Force personnel. He said he intended to carry the men's representations to the authorities. They objected strongly to the principle involved in their having to quarter as they did.

[tedheath]

Apr 29, 2017 19:12:34 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Here's another industrial dispute from the NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 25 OCTOBER 1945

OFFICERS PROTEST

SLEPT IN HAMMOCKS

REQUEST FOR SPECIAL PAY

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday
Hundreds of Air Force officers returning in the Andes from Britain held an indignation meeting while the ship was crossing the Tasman and decided to send a telegram to Air Headquarters asking for hard-living pay. They complained that although they were officers they were forced to travel under conditions that were unsatisfactory, even by third or fourth-class standards. Their case is to be taken up officially with the Government. The officers objected to being quartered on the lower decks in hammocks by the hundred and to having to do cleaning and general duties which, as officers, they would not normally be required to do. One group took a visitor down into their sleeping quarters, where they said 130 men lived during the voyage and where only four washbasins were available. This detail was typical of numerous grievances they were keen to air.
The "Andes carried 1500 airmen to New Zealand, of whom 1000 were officers. The officer commanding the Air Force draft, Wing Commander J. R. Maling, of Christchurch, said it had "been decided some months ago that because of the shipping position all officers would have to be prepared to accept reduced standards of accommodation. That was agreed to by the various chiefs-of-staff and Governments concerned. Owing to the shortage of first-class accommodation in the Andes, a large number of officers had to travel under troop conditions. The officers concerned held a meeting while the ship was crossing the Tasman and discussed a demand for some financial compensation by way of hard-living pay, which under certain conditions was available to Air Force personnel. He said he intended to carry the men's representations to the authorities. They objected strongly to the principle involved in their having to quarter as they did.


Typical moaning whinging officers, nothing much changed since 1945 then.