EARLY RNZAF STATION WOODBOURNE PHOTOS

[SEAN]

[Dave Homewood]

My goodness, there are some absolutely fascinating photos in the lot, thanks for sharing them Sean.

Those early photos of the station under construction are neat. And that one of the funeral party is rather stirring. I had never thought before about transport planes of the wartime RNZAF acting as hearses. I guess this unfortunate airman or WAAF (probably an unlucky SFTS student) was being flown home for burial. Very sad.

I note in that photo white markers on the epilets of most airmen, was that something done for funerals then? Or would they be like the white lash in the hat for aircrew students? I've noit seen that before.

It is also interesting to see the photo of the Vincents and Viles lined up with the Oxboxes and Moth Minors. If that is the early days of the SFTS, I never realised they had so many Oxfords on strength for a single-seat training school. I wonder if instead this is a GR squadron or the Omaka GR School? Perhaps the photo was taken at Omaka, a few paddocks away from Woody Valley?

[Bruce]

Pity the poor Erk gaurding the B17 - it looks like it could be hot, boring work! If he took a couple of steps to his left he would at least be out of the sun.
The photo of the band in front of the Fairey Gordon makes me wonder if this is some form of secret weapon!. I note that the Gordon still has the wing fold jury struts in place (between the wings, next to the fuselage - visible above the bass player extreme left) so I wonder if this aircraft had been in store or in the TTS and dragged out for the photo.
I'm puzzled by the cross shaped bits of timber in the construction photos - what on earth were they for? I cant pick where they would be used in the buildings and they are all uneven sizes - some form of scaffold or bracing perhaps?
thanks for posting these pics Sean, they remind me of my very short time at Woody in 1990. (in the same buildings!)

[Dave Homewood]

Regarding the Gordon, I wonder why it was at Woodbourne at all. My knowledge of that type is small but I always thought the Gordons were all based at No. 1 FTS, Wigram.

I don't think 2 FTS, Woodbourne used them, did they? They had the Vildes and Vincents, plus other types but I've never seen a reference to 2FTS flying Gordons. There was no TTS at Woodbourne before or during the war, the TTS's were all at Hobsonville (No. 1), Wellington (No. 2), Wigram (No. 3) and Rongtai (later Nelson) (No. 4). Woody was a flying training and operational station, no ground training at all in those days. The only reason i can think the Gordon would be on that base is for storage, unless 2FTS indeed had some.

I note in the centre of the band is Cambridge's ace Keith Caldwell, then CO of Woodbourne. I wonder if he's just posing or if he played in the band, probably the former.

By the cross-shaped timber in the photos Bruce do you mean the big stacks of 4 by 2's laid out teepee fashion? If so, my guess is that the wood was stood that way on racks to air dry before nailing down. You can see an empty rack in the foreground of the bottom photo for the purpose. Remember timber wasn't treated and tanalised, etc in those days and the drying process was all important (as it still is.)

I guess that the tall scaffold in the last photo is preoration for the water tower to go up.

You know, I hated Woodbourne when I lived there. All I wanted to do was get out of there and up to Auckland at the time. Now when I study photos of the place, old and new, I have a much more nostalgic affection for the place. It's a shame it no longer bulges with Harvards, Baffins and Vincents...

[Bruce]

Of course, that was when builders actually knew about timber and how to handle it properly!They obviously did alright as most of the buildings of that period still exist on the base.

[Radialicious]

Dave, those white flashes on the uniform are still worn today by Officer Cadets. On day to day uniform the rank slide is either dark or light blue with a large white square. On SD jackets, the white square is positioned on the lapels. The white decoration is also applied to the FS and SD cap.

The RNZAF's equivalent of dog's balls.

[Dave Homewood]

Cheers for that. I knew about the flashes on the hats and rank slide epilets, but I don't ever recall seeing them on SD jackets. Another mystery solved, cheers.

[Calum]

To think Dave, we lived in some of those buildings ...

[Dave Homewood]

Indeed, isn't it amazing to think that. Very historic buildings, and the likes of those who passed through them before us, particularly in WWII as depicted above, is mindboggling.