Kiwi, AVM Sir Alan Boxer KCVO, CB, DSO, DFC

[Dave Homewood]

Why is this New Zealand airman not better known? Sure he served in the RAF rather than the RNZAF but he was a Kiwi born and bred.

HE WAS AWARDED THE POLISH VICTORIA CROSS!! The War Order of Virtuti Miitari, which is the highest medal of valour for courage and heroism in the face of the enemy, so the exact equivalent of the Victoria Cross. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtuti_Militari

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Air Vice Marshal Sir Alan Hunter Cachemaille Boxer KCVO, CB, DSO, DFC

Born in Hastings, New Zealand on the 1st of December 1916, and educated at Nelson College from 1927 to 1935, Alan Boxer joined the Royal Air Force in January 1939.

He flew with No. 161 (Special Duties) Squadron at RAF Tempsford, a highly secret squadron that dropped agents and supplies behind the lines with Lysanders, Wellingtons, and Whitleys.

He was then made a flight commander with No. 138 (Special Duties) Squadron doing the same work using Lysanders and Whitleys, and this squadron included a Polish Special Duties Flight, as C Flight.

Next he was posted back as Commanding Officer of No. 161 (SD) Squadron from 1943. Around this time the squadron was also equipped with Halifax bombers for special duties work.

Following that tour, he joined on the staff in the Directorate of Intelligence at the Air Ministry from September 1943 and then on the staff at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command from February 1945.

Boxer stayed in the Royal Air Force when the war ended.

He underwent an exchange to the USAF and flew Boeing B-29 Superfortresses of the 92nd Bombardment Wing in action during the Korean War. He became the only New Zealander to lead a B-29 squadron on operations.

Returning to the RAF he became Officer Commanding No. 7 Squadron in 1956, an RAF Bomber Command squadron flying Vickers valiants.

He was then appointed as Station Commander at RAF Wittering in 1958. This was a Bomber Command base, and at that time the RAF Valiants based there were testing the Blue Danube nuclear bomb.

In 1959, as a Group Captain, he was responsible for Plans at Bomber Command Headquarters.

He went on to be Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters No. 1 Group in 1963, Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters RAF Bomber Command in 1965 and Defence Services Secretary in 1967 before retiring in 1970.

Alan Boxer died in Hampshire, England, on the 26th of April 1998, aged 81.
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During his service he was awarded the following honours according to the Auckland War Memorial Museum:

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) AWMM
KCVO awarded 13 June 1970. AWMM

Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) AWMM
CB awarded 1 January 1968. AWMM

Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) AWMM
DSO awarded 23 March 1945. Citation: "Wing Commander Boxer has commanded his squadron with great ability for a long period. He has been very keen to fly on all types of operations, irrespective of the hazards involved. By his skill and determination, he has set a fine example to all in his squadron. He has completed several special flights to Poland and others which have involved being airborne for long periods." (Haigh & Polaschek, p303) 

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) AWMM
DFC: London Gazette, 26 March 1943. Citation: "Within the last 2 months, Squadron Leader Boxer has successfully completed several long-range sorties. On one of them, when some hundreds of miles from base, one engine of his aircraft failed. Despite this, he succeeded in flying the bomber home. Some time later, he completed the return flight from a distant target in similar circumstances. He is a most reliable and determined pilot.” AWMM

1939-1945 Star AWMM

Virtuti Militari (Poland) awarded 21 Jan 1944. AWMM

Air Crew Europe Star AWMM

Bronze Star (United States) awarded 25 May 1951. AWMM

Defence Medal AWMM

Air Medal (United States) awarded 25 May 1951. AWMM

War Medal 1939-1945 AWMM

Korea Medal (EIIR) AWMM

United Nations Medal for Korea AWMM

[Dave Homewood]

So, he was awarded the equivalent of the Victoria Cross but we hear nothing anything about him in books and Air Force lore, like we do with Trigg, Trent and Ward.

This makes me wonder, how many other Kiwis serving in the RNZAF or other Air Forces like the RAF, FAA, RAAF, etc., were awarded the equivalent of a Victoria Cross but it goes unmentioned because it was 'foreign' and not from King George VI? Are there any others with the Virtuti Militari, the US Medal of Honor, etc?

[Dave Homewood]

By the way my info for the above comes from the Auckland War Memorial Cenotaph Database, and Wikipedia.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I can vaguely recall seeing his hame on one of many plaques in the entrance foyer of the Hastings Memorial Library when I was a kid.

The new library opened in the early 1960s and featured a huge war mural painted by Peter McIntyre in the entrance foyer, above the doors from the foyer into the library proper.

However, the library has been considerably remodelled since I left Hastings in 1978, so I don't know if the plaque or the mural is still there.

I seldom go to Hastings these days since my parents died in 2011 and 2012.

[11SQNLDR]

Just catching up on the forum after my 3 weeks in the UK & found this.

Excellent Dave - in all honesty I can say I don't recall his name so have found this thread to be most interesting.

Like KTJ I'm a Hastings lad & remember the impressive entrance to the local War Memorial library. I will check it out when I'm back visiting mum later in the year and in the meantime I'll do some more digging on him.