Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 28, 2009 0:48:37 GMT 12
War veteran Colin James Fraser dies
Last updated 18:07 26/06/2009
Colin James Fraser, a decorated World War 2 veteran who was later involved in the Berlin Airlift, has died in Lower Hutt, aged 90.
Mr Fraser enlisted with the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1940 and went to Britain two years later, joining the Royal Air Force 70 Squadron.
His Wellington bomber was shot down, landing in the Qattara depression during the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt on November 2, 1942.
All the crew survived and they walked east in the desert, carrying water from their aircraft and using torn up parachutes as signal markers.
After 10 hours walking they were spotted and rescued by an Australian crew in a Wellington.
The effort led to Mr Fraser's membership of the Late Arrivals Club, an unofficial club for RAF personnel who had been shot down in the desert and made it to safety.
Mr Fraser served in bombing and transport squadrons in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific.
After the war, he was awarded the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.
In 2002 he was awarded one of the inaugural New Zealand Operational Service Medals for his service in Japan from 1946 to 1948 and during the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949.
He served in the Allied occupation force in Japan and was detachment commander for RNZAF crews on the Berlin Airlift, in which the Western allies flew vital supplies into West Berlin, a key Cold War moment that forced the Soviets to lift their blockade strangling the city.
Squadron Leader Fraser later became the RNZAF's Provost Marshal, responsible for discipline through the service.
Mr Fraser, of Upper Hutt, died in Hutt Hospital on Wednesday. He is survived by two sons and their families.
- NZPA
www.stuff.co.nz/national/2543043/War-veteran-Colin-James-Fraser-dies
Last updated 18:07 26/06/2009
Colin James Fraser, a decorated World War 2 veteran who was later involved in the Berlin Airlift, has died in Lower Hutt, aged 90.
Mr Fraser enlisted with the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1940 and went to Britain two years later, joining the Royal Air Force 70 Squadron.
His Wellington bomber was shot down, landing in the Qattara depression during the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt on November 2, 1942.
All the crew survived and they walked east in the desert, carrying water from their aircraft and using torn up parachutes as signal markers.
After 10 hours walking they were spotted and rescued by an Australian crew in a Wellington.
The effort led to Mr Fraser's membership of the Late Arrivals Club, an unofficial club for RAF personnel who had been shot down in the desert and made it to safety.
Mr Fraser served in bombing and transport squadrons in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific.
After the war, he was awarded the King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.
In 2002 he was awarded one of the inaugural New Zealand Operational Service Medals for his service in Japan from 1946 to 1948 and during the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949.
He served in the Allied occupation force in Japan and was detachment commander for RNZAF crews on the Berlin Airlift, in which the Western allies flew vital supplies into West Berlin, a key Cold War moment that forced the Soviets to lift their blockade strangling the city.
Squadron Leader Fraser later became the RNZAF's Provost Marshal, responsible for discipline through the service.
Mr Fraser, of Upper Hutt, died in Hutt Hospital on Wednesday. He is survived by two sons and their families.
- NZPA
www.stuff.co.nz/national/2543043/War-veteran-Colin-James-Fraser-dies
