Wigram 1930's

[propwash]

I have recently acquired a few photos taken at Wigram in the late 1930's. Here are two of a Vildebeest crashed on 24 March 1938 by Vern Reynolds while night flying. (Reynolds was only slightly injured).
Standing in front are No 2 Pilot's Course trainees Roy Max, Jim Dermody and Pat Fisher.
This is my first post so I hope that I get the photos uploaded correctly!!

[Dave Homewood]

Wow, fantastic photos Propwash. Welcome to the forum.The por Vildebeest looks a bit of a mess.

[baz62]

Welcome aboard propwash! Poor old Dave you must have nearly cried seeing one of your favourite RNZAF aircraft in that state!! ;D
Brilliant photos though hope you have more.

[shorty]

For those who keep track of such things it was NZ 106 and it crashed at Ashburton and was trucked back to Wigram three days after the crash (i.e. on 27-3 38)

[sqwark2k]

Tailwheel still looks serviceable....

[baz62]

Sept 20, 2010 20:49:43 GMT 12 sqwark2k said:

Tailwheel still looks serviceable....

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[errolmartyn]

For those who wonder what became of Reynolds:

REYNOLDS, Pilot Officer Vernon Sinclair.
NZ40742 (no No. 1st time RNZAF, then A40742); b Lower Hutt 29 Nov 15; Hutt Valley HS (Athletic Champ); warehouseman - Wellington Woollen Co. Selected for SSComm Apr-May 37; RNZAF Wigram/FTS as Pilot u/t & Comm 8 Jun 37, [civil 'A' Licence 1 Dec 37], Pilots Badge [Dec 37?], slightly inj in crash 24 Mar 38, Comm relinquished 31 May 38; Re-enlisted at Levin/GTS in LAC rank & as Air Observer u/t 12 Mar 40, AOS 8 Apr 40, Air Observers Badge 26 Jul 40, Comm 27 Jul 40, att RAF & emb for UK 11 Aug 40, 1 Depôt 30 Sep 40, 17OTU (Blenheim) 5 Oct 40, [remust as Pilot?], kao 29 Dec 40. Birmingham (Lodge Hill) Cemetery - 21B. joint grave 18669, War., England. Son of Edward & Helen Barbara Reynolds (née Sinclair), Lower Hutt. [phot. TWN 22.1.41].

Source: my 'For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915 (Volume Three: Biographies & Appendices)'

And from Vol One (Fates 1915-1941):

Sun 29 Dec 1940
Bomber Command
Night training
17 Operational Training Unit, RAF (Upwood, Huntingdonshire - 7 Group)
Blenheim IV L4868 - shortly after take off the observer drew the pilot’s attention to what he believed was the rear light of an aircraft ahead. The pilot’s attention was thus momentarily diverted from his instruments while engaged in an emergency turn at about 1000 feet. Control was lost and L4868 stalled, crashed and caught fire near the base at 1935. Only the air gunner survived, seriously injured. His two comrades are buried at Birmingham. The ‘light’ seen by the observer was most likely that of a star.
Pilot: NZ40742 Plt Off Vernon Sinclair REYNOLDS, RNZAF - Age 25. 241hrs


Errol

[propwash]

Many thanks for the encouraging posts and thank you Errol for the details on Reynolds.

Here are some more photos of aircraft at Wigram in 1938(in better shape than Vildebeest NZ106!!!)

Vildebeests in formation

Avro 626's(Presumably one of these is the preserved 626?)

Hawker Tomtit

Gloster Glebe

[Dave Homewood]

More nice photos there propwash.I love the Vincent formation shot. That's a Grebe, not a Glebe. Note the half a Tomtit (?) in the background of the Grebe shot. Did they break in half there for maintenance sake? Or is this a very heavy overhaul/rebuild going on I wonder?

[corsair67]

Great photos - thanks for sharing.

I wonder if that is Riccarton Racecourse in the background of the Vildebeest/Vincent formation shot?

[propwash]

Dave, sorry about the Grebe mistake---finger trouble on my part!!

Corsair67, I don't know the Canterbury landscape very well. The handwritten caption on the back of the photo is "Vickers Vildebeests in formation Canterbury 1938" which doesn't help us much.

Will sort out a few more photos, some of which show various Wigram buildings in the background. I understand some of your forum members are interested in researching the early barracks etc ?

John

[Dave Homewood]

That would be great John. We will be looking forward to more shots, thanks.

[propwash]

More Wigram Photos.



This barracks block housed the No. 2 Pilots Course members in 1937/38. Is this one of the original barracks? On the other hand it could be a newer building as it looks a bit like the rough ground of a construction site at the right side of the building?
Interesting to note the laundry hung out to dry along the veranda!!




An air gunnery lecture with Sgt Pope of the armaments section 1937. I wonder what the interesting shaped building on the right is? Can anyone identify the machine guns?
Interesting to note that the course members are still wearing civilian clothes.



Course members with their newly issued flying kit 1937.
Two rather non descript buildings in the picture.

[shorty]

The barrack block is the one that was known as "the stables" and is now part of the museum stock.
The building with the curved roof is one of the original 2 hangars, the last of these ended up serving as the Gym. The guns look like Lewis "K" type.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes the barrack block is from the days of CAC when they trained WWI pilots, under Henry Wigram's ownership.

The photo of the armourer course is a curious one. If they're in civvies it's probably a Territorial course I would think. So in 1937 if he date is write they'd be NZAF(T) members.

My feeling is they are standing in front of one of the round roofed workshops (The Armoury no doubt) that was parallel to what became No. 4 Hangar in modern parlance, and beside the Technical Squadron hangar. See this photo, the three rounds of the roof can be see, just behind the concrete hangar. The WWI hangars are 90 degrees in orientation to this, and so cannot be the building in the photo.
christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Photos/Collection22/02119.asp

[propwash]

Good to get the feedback on the Wigram buildings and to see the aerial photo of the pre-war station.

To clarify the photo of the air gunnery group with Sgt Pope, these are all members of No 2 Pilots Course 1937/38. They had been selected for RAF short service commissions in June 1937 and as Wigram did not have the room to accommodate them at that time, their ab initio flying training had been contracted to the aero clubs at Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. (When this photo was taken they had all already gained their Civil "A" licences.) They had reported to FTS Wigram on 15 November 1937 and were then commissioned as acting Pilot Officers in the RNZAF. Most of them gained their Pilots Badges in May 1938 before heading off to the UK to take up their RAF commissions.

I am indebted to Errol Martyn's wonderful trilogy" For Your Tomorrow"and to Errol for various personal communications over recent years which have enabled me to piece together a lot of information about No 2 Course. My uncle was a member of the course and I have quite a lot of info from our family archives.
The last surviving member of the course died in September last year (2009) and I was fortunate to be able to talk to him on many occasions about Wigram 1937/38 and about his subsequent WWII Bomber Command service.

Dave, if you think it would be of interest to your members I would be happy to start a new thread about No 2 course, some of whose members went on to distinguished RAF WWII Bomber Command service (Roy Max and Len Trent were on the course)

[Dave Homewood]

Yes please! That would be a fascinating thread and you my well find more information come forward to.

[oggie2620]

Those are all fab photos...

[Dave Homewood]

I just came across this older thread again by chance on a Google search, and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed revisiting these photos.

[kiwiquail]

The photo of Sgt Pope; could you please tell me what his first name is? Do you have names of the other men also? Thank you.