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Post by 30sqnatc on Sept 23, 2010 18:15:39 GMT 12
When did the Queen Mary Trailers leave RNZAF service? There was one at Hobsonville in the mid 1970s towed by a short wheelbase Bedford TK tractor unit
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 23, 2010 19:00:42 GMT 12
Yes Zane, No. 9 (GR) Squadron would also make sense.
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Post by zman280 on Sept 23, 2010 19:58:04 GMT 12
Now this is a very interesting photo indeed. The bomb trolley is of a very unusual type from what I understand. I have previously only seen two other photos of them. One loading a Sterling and the other loading a B24 in Italy Not really unusual. It is a fairly standard RAF bomb trolley - is it a Type F? The type F doesn't have springs our the rotating mount for the bomb winch This is the mount up close This is our International I-4 Tractor, When we had the 30 sqn reunion in 2000 the guys said that this was there old tractor but I would love to find a photo of it Note the "C" hook
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Post by trx850 on Sept 23, 2010 23:18:44 GMT 12
Not really unusual. It is a fairly standard RAF bomb trolley - is it a Type F? [/quote]
Not a type F, but a standard RAF 'C' type. Note that the bombs are also RAF bombs which were obviously used by the RNZAF early in the war.
The Ventura photos show the usual US type bombs used for most of the Pacific campaign.
Cheers, Pete M.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 28, 2017 0:19:33 GMT 12
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jul 20, 2019 19:21:57 GMT 12
I'm after some info to assist with my 1/48 model of a 1942 Ford Crash Fire tender with NZ made fire equipment. At least one was sent to the Pacific Initially I thought that the picture below (tender is to the right) was another picture of a 1942 Ford based tender but the distinctive tyre pattern suggests that it is actually one of the Canadian built Marmon Harrington based tenders that were supplied to NZ. So my questions, I assume they were painted green before deployment probably the colour as used on Army vehicles, is this a valid assummption?. Colour photos of US forward areas show fire extinguishers were invariably still red, is this correct? In the first photo the large CO2 bottles behind the cab appear to be a lighter colour than the base vehicle so unlikely to be red or green. Any idea what colour they would have been?
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Post by isc on Jul 20, 2019 22:46:57 GMT 12
The standard colour for CO2 cylinders is green gray AS No. N32. isc
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jul 21, 2019 0:10:53 GMT 12
The standard colour for CO2 cylinders is green gray AS No. N32. isc That makes sense in the black & white photos. Thanks. Paul
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2019 23:49:55 GMT 12
Two interesting RNZAF ambulances here: "Evening Post" Photo The Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, accepting two gift ambulances this morning, one from the Kingsford Smith Memorial Fund and the other from Korma Mills and staff. EVENING POST, 13 APRIL 1942 FOR R.N.Z.A.F.GIFT AMBULANCESRECEIVED BY MR. FRASERTwo gift ambulances for the Royal New Zealand Air Force were formally accepted today by the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) in the grounds of Parliament House. One was the gift of the Korma Mills and staff, Auckland, and the other was presented as a memorial to Sir Charles Kingsford , Smith. They were handed over respectively by Mr. J. A. Gentles, a director of the Korma Mills, and by Mr. B. T. Shiel, a former associate of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and a member of his crew. The Kingsford Smith Memorial Ambulance was purchased by public subscription, the money having been raised as a result of an exhibition made in the Dominion by an Australian, Mr. Austin E. Byrne. The idea of providing the "Korma ambulance originated with Mr. Stanley Korma, Melbourne, and the staff asked to be allowed to assist. The employees contributed one-third of the cost. Both Mr. Shiel and Mr. Gentles expressed pleasure at handing over the ambulances, but said they hoped it would not be necessary to use them often. Accepting the ambulances on behalf of the Government, Mr. Fraser said said that the ambulance in memory of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith represented a further tribute to a man whose great work was admired by the people of New Zealand. It was a very kindly and considerate thought that had prompted the gift of the Korma Mills ambulance, and it was a matter for additional gratification to be told that the Auckland staff of this Australian company had shared in the cost. The two ambulances were equal to any he had seen during his visit to Great Britain last year. DIFFICULT FUTURE. Mr. Fraser said he shared the hope expressed by Mr.. Shiel and Mr. Gentles that it would not be necessary to use the two ambulances often in New Zealand. "But," he added, "we do not know what the future contains for us. The whole immediate future is fraught with danger and menace to our country', and it is a matter of satisfaction that people rally round in this fashion at the present time." Mr. Fraser thanked those responsible for the ambulances. The Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) paid a tribute to the part played by the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his associates in the development of aviation in this country. The size of the Air Force, today was such that good use would be made of the ambulances in attending to normal sickness among personnel. The ambulances were received by Group Captain A. de T. Nevill, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. He said that the Kingsford Smith ambulance would perpetuate the memory of a man whom many in the Air Force knew personally, and for whom they all had the greatest regard. "He did a great deal for our service in the early days." added Group Captain Nevill, "and we will always remember him when we speak of aviation in New Zealand. We welcome the name of the Korma Mills ambulance as an indication of the common ideal's and spirit which industry has with the Services today." The ambulances were ideal for the purposes of, the Air Force, and the Air Force was deeply grateful for them. Among those present at the ceremony were Group Captain S. Wallingford, Air Force Member for Personnel, Lieutenant-Colonel Chisholm, Assistant Director of Medical Services (Air), and Mr. A. W. Bridgford, manager of the Korma Mills. .
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 5, 2019 20:09:42 GMT 12
Here is a story of another wartime RNZAF ambulance, from the EVENING POST, 29 JANUARY 1943
GIFT TO R.N.Z.A.F.
AMBULANCE FROM NEW YORK
"This remarkable story is but one example of the generous interest and aid which the people of the United States, and particularly of those associated with the Anzac Division of the British War Relief Society, have shown towards New Zealand," said the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) on Monday afternoon at a presentation to the Royal New Zealand Air Force of a gift ambulance from Mrs. Marcia Short, of New York City.
The gift was handed over to Mr. Fraser by Mrs. J. E. Macassey, of Dunedin, sister of the donor. A guard of honour was formed by girls of the W.A.A.F. and V.A.D. The Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) and Air Commodore Goddard were present.
"This gift ambulance was made in the United States and sent to New Zealand for the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a memorial of the most practical kind to a New Zealand officer who lose his life on active service with the R.A.F.," said the Prime Minister.
The New Zealander was Flying Officer Michael E. B. Macassey, R.A.F., younger son of the late James E. Macassey and Mrs. Macassey, St. Clair, Dunedin. He made the supreme sacrifice in August, 1940, and his aunt, Mrs. Short, desiring to perpetuate his memory, decided to present a memorial ambulance to the R.N.Z.A.F., and set about raising the sum required for the construction of a suitable vehicle. To do this, she gave the royalties of her songs and poems—she writes a great deal—and when a short account of what she had been doing was published in the British War Relief Society Bulletin Miss F. K. Hascall, a New York resident, and great friend of Marcia Short, realising her sacrifice and earnestness, sent a magnificent cheque to enable Mrs. Short to fulfil her aim.
"Mrs. Short has been a member of the New Zealand Society since its inception," said Mr. Fraser. "I should like to take this opportunity of expressing gratitude on behalf of the people of this, country for the gifts of this kind and others which have been made in the past by the Anzac Division of the British War Relief Society. Their generosity has indeed provided still further evidence of the close bonds existing between the people of the United States and New Zealand.
"This ambulance is to be allotted to an Air Force station where New Zealanders. are training for overseas service," said the Prime Minister. "As it stands in readiness to aid the injured it will serve to commemorate not only the sacrifice of Flying Officer Macassey, but also the very commendable spirit of practical patriotism which inspired its donor."
Mr. Fraser said the story of how the vehicle was bought provided an example of what people could do by way of patriotic effort when their resolve was strong. The Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) also spoke.
The ambulance, which is beautifully fitted, cost 1800 dollars.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 25, 2019 19:23:29 GMT 12
GIFT FROM DANES
AMBULANCE FOR R.N.Z.A.F.
The gift of an ambulance is to be made by the Danish Association of New Zealand (Inc.) to the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The ceremony of handing it over will take place in the grounds of Parliament House next Sunday at 3 p.m. The Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) will accept the ambulance and in turn hand it over to the Air Force. Speakers will be Mr. Johannes Andersen, Wellington, and Messrs. Hadrup and Langkild, both of Auckland. The Prime Minister, Mrs. Fraser, and Consuls for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and many other prominent citizens have been invited to attend the ceremony, which will be one of considerable public interest. Members of the Danish Association from other parts of the Dominion, including 30 from Auckland, are expected to be present.
EVENING POST, 6 OCTOBER 1943
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 25, 2019 23:00:26 GMT 12
More detail on the above from the EVENING POST, 11 OCTOBER 1943:
GIFT FROM DANES
AIR FORCE AMBULANCE
An ambulance from the Danish Association in New Zealand was presented to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in the grounds of Parliament House yesterday afternoon and was accepted on behalf of the Government by the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones). The presentation was made by Mr. C. Langkilde, Auckland, Dominion president, who said he hoped there would be little need to use the ambulance.
Mr. Johannes C. Andersen, the Wellington president, said the Danes who had settled in New Zealand had adapted themselves so quickly to the country that one did not know them from New Zealanders except by their names, but they and their descendants loved Denmark as well as New Zealand, and when a couple of years ago Denmark's enemies of a thousand years entered the country there was among them an upsurge of affection for Denmark. One result of that upsurge of affection had been the formation of the Danish Association in New Zealand. To show that their hearts were with the people of New Zealand and her Allies they had collected enough money to present an ambulance to the Air Force, in which they had sons serving, as well as in the Navy and the Army. Danes in New Zealand hoped that New Zealand would become as great a country, and would produce men as great, as the older country from which they had come.
Mr. O. N. Hadrup, Auckland, said that those who had formed the association realised that the struggle for the freedom of Denmark could be helped only by backing the Allies' war effort, and the association stood for that, as well as to foster a love of the country Danes and their descendants called home. He added that he hoped the ceremony that day would forge another link in the bonds of friendship between New Zealand and the Danes living in the Dominion.
The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) referred to the contribution made by Danes to the life of New Zealand, and Air Vice Marshal L. M. Isitt said that the ambulance would be a reminder to members of the Air Force that Denmark was still in the hands of the aggressor, and they would not relax until the military might of their enemies was totally destroyed. The Minister of Defence said that the gift of the ambulance was a sign of the donors' humanitarian feeling, and it was appreciated because the Air Force, already greatly expanded, was still expanding.
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Post by 30sqnatc on May 1, 2020 18:43:05 GMT 12
Continuing the ambulance story but this is rather different. I've been aware of this photo showing an RNZAF ambulance at Jacquinot Bay in 1944 for sometime. fullsizeoutput_189f by tankienz, on Flickr While it is very indistinct the ambulance body always looked too big for the C8AX truck body commonly used in the Pacific yet not big enough to be a 30cwt or 60 cwt (as seen on the right). Then a recent photo upload on the RNZAF Museum online photo collection showed a CMP ambulance. This one definitely looks like C8AX size. PR6736.t5ea48e08.m600.xAnfr-P3H by tankienz, on Flickr So last night I went searching on the Maple Leaf Up website and discovered that NZ constructed an ambulance body on the C8AX chassis. 31 were in Army stocks just after the war ended. It is described as 'about 8 inches longer', presumably so it is long enough to accomodate the length of a stretcher. Only the body was extended not the chassis so the tow hook appears to be unusable. The photos are of one that has survived in NZ. img_4248 by tankienz, on Flickr It is described a very basic fit out for up to four stretchers. I have contacted the owner for some photos of the interior. MVCC Military_Apr_08 096 by tankienz, on Flickr Just when you think you know it all we can still be surprised. Yes one will be coming to a 1/48 Pacific airstrip diorama near you.
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Post by madmac on May 1, 2020 19:07:00 GMT 12
from Seans post What is that wing from or is it a training aid? its odd as its got full span ailerons.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 1, 2020 20:01:07 GMT 12
Hawker Hind?
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Post by madmac on May 1, 2020 23:35:48 GMT 12
I am going crossed eyed, when I saw it I assumed the curved end on the RH side was the other end of wing but now I think its the wing root cut back, which would mean its a port wing with an aileron and flap so not a hind (only ailerons on the upper wing).
Fairey Gordon maybe, sort of looks like its got flaps on the upper wing in a couple of photos on the web.
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Post by 30sqnatc on May 1, 2020 23:52:33 GMT 12
If the picture of the truck with wings is related to the one with the fuselage being towed its NZ 505.
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Post by madmac on May 2, 2020 9:00:43 GMT 12
If the picture of the truck with wings is related to the one with the fuselage being towed its NZ 505. It does look like the port hills in the back of the wings photo, so quite likely. Given NZ616 & NZ631 written off in the same accident they could wings from any of those three. It does make one ask were those 3 aircraft restored to flight after the accident and if not were they really relocated to Rongotai some time in the following 2 years & reduced to parts, when Wigram was reducing other Grodons to parts at the same time frame. Or was it just a reflection of when the paper work caught up.
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Post by davidd on May 2, 2020 10:52:52 GMT 12
The "flaps" on these biplane wings (Gordon, Fairey IIF, etc) are in reality part of the famous Fairey Aviation "variable camber" wing, which was a rather crude but moderately effective way of changing the aerofoil section at will. To bring about this aerial metamorphosis, the pilot (I think!) had to rotate a rather large and low-geared trimming wheel alongside him in the cockpit, which was connected (probably by chains and sprocket wheels, or perhaps screw-jacks of some kind) to the root ends of all four wings which structurally were made up of the major, fixed leading section, and the hinged "drooping" trailing edge, which also incorporated the ailerons, the latter still retaining their separate role by some cunning means. No doubt owners of the Putnam reference book on the Fairey company can provide additional information on this innovation, which as far as I know was never used by any other company (unless under Fairey license), and was not used by Fairey either after the mid-1930s - even the Fairey Swordfish was too modern to incorporate this type of gear. However, to be fair, a modern version of this general idea is still in use on some aircraft, which are equipped with large landing flaps and cunning drooping ailerons to enable steep, slow approaches and probably also dramatic take-offs from short/difficult fields. Not certain which aircraft, but could included Lysander, Fiesler Storch, Prestwick Pioneer (single and twin), Stinson L-1, Beaver, perhaps also Pilatus Porter, etc, probably some larger commercial or military aircraft. Comments invited. David D
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Post by camtech on May 2, 2020 13:14:42 GMT 12
If the picture of the truck with wings is related to the one with the fuselage being towed its NZ 505. I assume you mean NZ 605?
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