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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 1, 2010 2:32:27 GMT 12
When searching for something else I spotted this article from the Argus newspaper (which is Australian) dated Thursday 24 December 1953: " RNZAF enlists 1,000 BritonsThe Royal New Zealand Air Force enlisted 300 re- cruits in Britain this year. Since the recruiting campaign in Britain began in 1947, more, than 1.000 Bri-Fix this text tish men and women have been enlisted by the R.N.Z.A.F."[/color] newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/23317221?searchTerm=RNZAFNow, I know that the RNZAF was strugling to retain enough men, particularly ground staff, in the postwar period but this large number of Brits recruited to fill the gaps is something of a surprise to me. I recall vaguely that not too long before I joined up in 1989 there was apparently another campaign to get British airmen to join the RNZAF. I recall talking to one guy who had gladly dropped from the rank and pay of Sgt in the RAF to become a Cpl in the RNZAF. What was it that the RNZAF used to entice these British people to come here? Did they offer an easy route to dual citizenship perhaps? or was it simply the usual adventure and lure of a better life that brought them here? It obviously wasn't the better pay and the chance to work on more exciting aeroplanes. Does the RNZAf still recruit in Britain like this now when numbers are down and critical?
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Post by phil on Aug 1, 2010 9:24:57 GMT 12
There was a specific recruiting drive about five years ago the netted quite a few RAF pers across a range of trades, at the time the RAF were downsizing considerably.
Applying for lateral enlistment by someone from a commonwealth air force is always an option, although under the current climate it is rather less common.
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Post by shorty on Aug 1, 2010 11:52:12 GMT 12
Looking through my 1950s RAF Flying Review magazines there are ads seeking recruits for the RNZAF (and Rhodesia)
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Post by trx850 on Aug 1, 2010 21:04:27 GMT 12
Hi to all. The influx of ex-RAF personnel into the RNZAF in the early 1950's was always a sore point with my Mum!
My late Father had been posted from Hobsonville down to Woodbourne in 1950, and due to the shortage of 'married patch' housing due to the 'imports', she ended up living in a basic cottage up in the Rai Valley. Not too good for a young mum with two nippers!
She never had a bad word to say against these new Kiwis, and in fact was a great friend to many of them. It was the RNZAF she held a grudge against, and still does to this day!
For the 15 years that Dad served at Woodbourne, we lived off base at the Rai Valley, then after about a year, moved into Blenheim as it was just a bit too much to handle for my Mother.
Cheers, Pete M.
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Post by bobajob on Sept 21, 2012 23:32:39 GMT 12
My father Harry Howard came out from England mid to late 1952 on the "Dominion Monarch" did his basic? training at Tieri. He was demobbed from the British Army after WW2 and had applied to join the RNZAF. He signed on in London (presumably) the NZ High Commision or Embassy and then left for NZ on his own. In late 1952 Mum, my sister and myself left the UK and arrived in Wellington early Jan 1953. We boarded at the Fairhall farm just out side Woodbourne for some time. My Father helped to milk the cows as help towards our lodgings. Later my folks rented a flat/house in Picton. There was an Airforce truck that used to run to and from, as a bus service from Picton to Woodbourne for all the other base personnel/trainees? There must have been quite a few. We then moved to a rental house I think in High Street, Blenhiem in early 1954 possibly. I was five in March 1955 and started school at Blenhiem Borough School. approximately six weeks later we finally had enough points on the housing list to qualify for a married quarter opposite the base in Woodward Street. I then attended Renwick school until my father was posted to Wellington. He was Admin trade. Finished up as Base W/O at Te Rapa when he retired in about 1977.
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Post by phil82 on Sept 22, 2012 4:19:46 GMT 12
I have heard a figure of 12 percent of the current RNZAF is ex-RAF, not including the RAF Maritime guys seconded/posted to the RNZAF while they decide on the new MPA aircraft! There isn't anything new about UK recruiting to boost the experience levels in the RNZAF, it's always been an option and has been since the end of the war, right through the 1950s and 60s, and even today.
I served five years in the RAF, 1957-62, three of which were overseas and my final posting was to RAF Cottesmore [10 and 15 Squadrons Victors] but in those days of nuclear derterrents it was difficult to get a posting out of Bomber Command and I wanted an overseas posting! I saw an ad in a UK paper one day for the RNZAF, applied, and was signed , sealed, and delivered as they say. I left the RAF in 1962 and joined the RNZAF the next day; but wait, there's more! I had to wait for an RNZAF flight from Mildenhall to NZ which turned out to be a DC6 but which didn't leave the UK until January 1963 and took three weeks to get to NZ, though that's another story.
What I found in 1963 was that the RNZAF was really almost an identical structure to the RAF but with less bullshit, and there were lots of ex-UK people already here. In my subsquent experience there has been a steady drip-feed over the years to maintain manning in a whole variety of trades and aircrew, and it's still going on. For the record I did a further twenty years with the RNZAF, have held NZ citizenship for well over 40 years, and of course travel on a NZ passport.
Some names that may be recalled here and who arrived with me were: Joe Hall: Accounts, Morrie Scott: Accounts, Ray Tweddle: Accounts, Wilf Young: Accounts, Red Harrison: Admin, Frank McColgan, Medic.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2012 9:33:20 GMT 12
With that many Pom's in the RNZAF it's amazing they haven't formed a union and gone on strike. I wonder what the percentage is that has gone the other way.
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Post by phil82 on Sept 22, 2012 9:48:17 GMT 12
With that many Pom's in the RNZAF it's amazing they haven't formed a union and gone on strike. I wonder what the percentage is that has gone the other way. Possibly because they weren't all from Liverpool! Lots went the other way. There have been at least three Kiwi Sword of Honour winners at Cranwell, numerous aircrew and a fair number of Red Arrows out of all proportion to the size of the RNZAF. We used to train engineers on some Cranwell courses.
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Post by bobajob on Sept 22, 2012 10:06:30 GMT 12
When my family left the UK back in 1952 there was still rationing of food items and other restraints on the over all business. One of the jobs my father did to support the family was door to door salesman selling vacuum cleaners. That was a very difficult time as the income was not that good. He said it was the best thing to do at the time. We certainly became better off regarding the abundance and price of food clothing and even a more prosperous future for the whole family
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Post by davidd on Sept 22, 2012 12:18:55 GMT 12
If you have a quick read throught the annual reports of the RNZAF for period 1947 through to mid-1950s, you can see why they had to advertise for "rankers" in the UK - they simply could not gain sufficient volunteers from among our local lads! Without the "imports" the RNZAF would have ground to a halt through lack of just about all essential services - the CAS was continually going on about the lack of local recruits (with exception of WAAFs - always seemed to be plenty of females trying to get in!), and was extremely grateful for the flow from north of the equator. Although I mentioned above that there was no shortage of WAAFs (above), this was certainly true in the 1950s, but there must have been some lack in the late 1940s when they decided to recruit 100 women in the UK in about 1948/49, which resulted in the "99ers" coming out in 1950. They did not have to be ex-British WAAFs either - any military service, or nursing service, office work, etc, although a previous government job would have helped. And as for the incentives offered to sign up, you can read much of this in the above posts, also higher pay for the ranks in NZ. Many of the imports were NCOs, with quite a large number having young families and were promised Air Force houses (always in very short supply). David D
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Post by ngatimozart on Sept 22, 2012 13:40:51 GMT 12
I remember Wilf Young: Accounts quite well. He had a knack for avoiding parades and if by some misfortune he got volunteered for one he turned up,waited until the premarch on inspection then came to attention, shouldered his rifle and marched off to the ambo. reported ill, handed his rifle back and promptly went to the bar at the WO & SNCOs mess.
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Post by oj on Sept 22, 2012 20:33:58 GMT 12
Yes Colin, and there was Geoff Geddes (a Scot), "Butch" Hailwood, (a Scouse) .... I might recall some more when the EOA kicks out again!
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Post by phil82 on Sept 22, 2012 21:06:25 GMT 12
Geoff Geddes... a con-man if ever there was. He was only two years older than me, and yet according to him had served in both the Royal Navy and as a steward on some UK airline, not to mention being a Detective in "the Met". All Walter Mitty stuff, but he was a real charmer. Eventually kicked out of the RNZAF at which point I lost track of him, not that I was that bothered. There was another Jock, Henderson, who disappeared the minute the contingent arrived at Wigram. Simply disappeared, probably to Australia! There was an ex-Royal Marine too, name of Colin Murphy, also accounts. Found dead on a park bench in Palmy many years after leving the RNZAF. I should write a book!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2012 22:12:13 GMT 12
There was a girl like that on my recruit course, thankfully in another Flight. Over time people came to realise that every person she talked to she told she'd done something else previously. She reckoned (each scenario told to a different person) she'd been already in the Army and the Navy and switched to RNZAF, she'd served in the USMC, the RAF, the US Army, had been a firefighter and all manner of other lies. Her stories were all believed until those people she told mentioned it to others, and things didn't add up. She'd already made a name for herself by being completely lazy, ignoring her duties and relying on others to do them so the dorm didn't get in trrouble. In the end a load of people went and complained to the GSI's, and they looked up her record and found she'd done NOTHING previously.
The GSI's were very cunning, instead of kicking her out they all piled into her and worked her harder than anyone else, really had her doing twice the work in the end. And then a week before graduation, they kicked her out. Everyone thought it was a brilliant strategy.
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Post by oj on Sept 23, 2012 22:35:50 GMT 12
Geoff Geddes was once rebuked or charged (or got off a charge) for ignoring the commands of the Station Warrant Officer, "Strawballs" Haycock when walking somewhere (probably on the sacred grass). The SWO was shouting to him about something and Geoff took no notice. Eventually when the SWO finally got to him Geoff said "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were the man from the YMCA". The YMCA uniform and hat was very like a Warrant Officers, but had the YMCA hat badge. Geoff got off scot free in both senses!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2012 22:42:31 GMT 12
It's a funny thing, I do not recall meeting any ex-RAF personnel at all in my time of 1989-1993. There were probably a few around but I don't recall any. Must have been the good old days when people from NZ wanted to join up, thanks to both Top Gun and the great The Sky Is The Limit advert campaign. These days the cureent advert gives me the impression that there's so few staff left they each have to be in several different trades!
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Post by oj on Sept 23, 2012 22:45:28 GMT 12
I think it was Morrie Scott that had the little grey Austin A35 van. I went with the group to that huge open-plan pub on Columbo St south (near Lancaster Park) in the little van, several of us squatting in the back on the floor. There was a Derek in the group.
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Post by phil82 on Sept 24, 2012 3:15:04 GMT 12
Morrie Scott was a Londoner, and had used London Public Transport all his life and never learned to drive until he came to me one day and said he'd bought a car and would I teach him to drive! I suggested he go and ask someone else, but gave in and he did get his licence, in Christchurch, which as everyone knows has a lot of intersections!. He did have a slight collission, and was explaining what had happened:"the other guy didn't give way" sort of thing, then there was a pause: "you didn't teach him to drive did you?"
A very droll character was Scotty. He died of a particularly nasty cancer in Palmerston a few years ago.
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Post by cluffy68 on May 31, 2016 9:24:46 GMT 12
Yes Colin, and there was Geoff Geddes (a Scot), "Butch" Hailwood, (a Scouse) .... I might recall some more when the EOA kicks out again!
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Post by cluffy68 on May 31, 2016 9:29:48 GMT 12
Yes Colin, and there was Geoff Geddes (a Scot), "Butch" Hailwood, (a Scouse) .... I might recall some more when the EOA kicks out again! This is a photo of the recruit course Wigram September 1965, Butch is on the right. The five older blokes in the middle sitting were all ex UK armed services.
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