New Zealanders who held Senior Air Force rank

[flyinghilly]

The previous post was about The NZ defence Force but I woiuld like to dig a little deeper and identify every NZer who held an Air Force Rank of Air Vice Marshal and above - in NZ (the Air Force or Defeence Force) the RAF or in fact any other air Force

I would appreciate it if members could look at this list and tell me if I have missed anyone

Chief of the Air Force


1. Gp Capt Ralph Cochrane (Apr 1937-March 39) RAF

2. Air Comm Hugh "Ding" Saunders (March 39 - Dec 1941) RAF

3. AVM R.V. Goddard (Dec 1941 - July 1943) RAF

4. AVM Len Isitt (Jul 43 - May 46)

5. AVM Arthur Nevill (May 46 - Jan 1951)

6. AVM D. Carnegie (Jan 51 - Feb 54) RAF

7. AVM Walter Hugh Merton (Feb 54 - June 56) RAF

8. AVM Cyril Kay (June 56 - July 58)

9. AVM Malcolm Fredrick Calder (July 58 - July 62)

10. AVM Ian Morrison (July 62 - July 1966)

11. AVM Cameron Archer Turner (July 66 - July 69)

12. AVM William Hector Stratton (July 69 - July 71)

13. AVM Douglas Fitzclarence St. George (July 71 - Sept 74)

14. AVM Sir Richard Bolt (Sept 74 - Oct 76)

15. AVM Larry Siegert (Oct 76 - Oct 79)

16. AVM David Ewan Jameison (Ewan) (Oct 79 - April 83)

17. AVM David Crooks (Apr 83 - Oct 86)

18. AVM Pat Neville (Oct 1986 - 1988)

19. AVM Peter Adamson 1988 to 1992

20. AVM John Hosie 92 to 95

21. AVM Carey Adamson 1995 to 1999

22. AVM Don Hamilton 1999 to 2002

23. AVM John Hamilton 2002 to 2006

24. AVM Graham Lintott 2006 2011

25. AVM Peter Stockwell 2011 to 2014

26. AVM Mike Yardley 2014

27. AVM Tony Davies MNZM 23 March 2016

28. AVM Andrew Clark 10 September 2018



NZ Defence Force

1. AM Sir Richard Bolt

2. AM Sir Ewan Jamison

3. AM David Crooks

4. AM Kevin Short


5. AVM Bruce Ferguson
7. AVM Robin Klitscher

2. AVM Dave Bamfield

3. AVM Dave Hill




Others from the RAF

1. Marshal of the RAF Lord Sam Elworthy
  (only NZer to hold this rank)
2. ACM Sir Keith Park        (Very high ranking WW2 Officer - WW1 fighter ace)
3. ACM Arthur Coningham (very high ranking WW2 Officer - WW1 fighter ace)

4. AVM Alan Boxer

5. AVM Graham Reese Magill

6. AVM Charles Gibbs

7. AM Roderick Car

8. AVM Denis Barnett

9. AM Sir Sydney Weetman Rockford Hughes

10. AVM Bill Crawford-Compten (WW2 fighter ACE)

11. AM Sir Kenneth Hayr

12. AM Hector McGregor
(Battle of Britain Pilot)
13. AVM Cuthbert McLean (WW1)
14. AM Sir Charles Broughton
  
15. AM Sir Robert Clark-Hall


Any help in identifying other men who weer AVM or above would be appreciated

[davidd]

Note that a few of the earlier men were NOT New Zealanders, such as Cochrane, Saunders, Goddard, Carnegie and Merton, all of whom were of course RAF officers, and of various nationalities (perhaps honorary Kiwis!)
David D

[tbf25o4]

Correct AVM Bruce Ferguson to AM Sir Bruce Ferguson CDF

[ebw]

A missing name for NZ efence force is AM Carey Adamson who preceded AM Sir Bruce Ferguson

[Dave Homewood]

Hi Larry, this chap may also interest you - from The Press newspaper dated 17 August 1977:

N.Z.-born R.A.F. chief retired

NZPA staff correspondent London

The Royal Air Force’s last serving flying-boat pilot, Air Commodore John Matthews, a New Zealander, has retired. Until recently he was senior air staff officer at the headquarters of No. 1 Group — the successor to Bomber Command — in South Yorkshire, at the end of 34 years service with the R.A.F.

Air Commodore Matthews spent the early years of his life in Fiji, where his father was in business, but joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942.

He flew Catalina flying- boats on maritime reconnaissance and air-sea rescue duties over the South Pacific in 1944-45, from bases in the New Hebrides, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and New Britain. He transferred to the R.A.F. in 1947, and joined Coastal Command to fly Lancasters. He was later in V Force, in which he commanded a Victor bomber squadron. The R.A.F. will still be represented in the Matthews family. One of Air Commodore Matthews’s sons will soon enter the R.A.F. College at Cranwell for training as a navigator.

[kiwirob]

ACM Arthur Coningham is Australian, he was born in Australia to Australian parents.

[errolmartyn]

Sept 30, 2022 18:48:13 GMT 12 kiwirob said:

ACM Arthur Coningham is Australian, he was born in Australia to Australian parents.

Born at Brisbane on 19 Jan 1895, but educated in New Zealand (by 1905) and served with the NZEF in WWI before being returned to New Zealand and discharged as medically unfit. Then made his own way to UK to join the RFC, having given thought to but flagged the idea of taking up flying training with the Walsh Brothers flying school at Kohimarama. Had no desire to return to Australia, apparently, and was returning to New Zealand when lost on Star Tiger as it headed to Bermuda on 30 January 1948

Cheers,
Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Larry, more for your list:

Air Commodore H. B. Russell, C.B.E., served with the RAF and by 1948 was A.0.C. Cyprus. He is reported as formerly being from Hawke’s Bay, on this article.
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19481011.2.7

The same article states:

One important post is that of Commandant of the R.A.F. Officers’ Advanced Training School at Hornchurch, where commissioned officers are given a two months’ course of training to fit them into the highly complex organisation for the post war Air Force. This is filled by Air Commodore A. McKee, C.B.E, D.S.O., D.F.C.. A.F.C., formerly of Oxford. During the later stages of the war he commanded three stations in Bomber Command.

[avenger]

An addition to the Defence Force, A.V.M, A. E. Thomson. Was Deputy 1988 - 1989.

[Dave Homewood]

Here is a little biography of Air Marshal Hughes, No. 9 on Larry's RAF list. He sounds like a chap that would have had lots of interesting stories to tell. It is from The Press dated 18th of May 1966.

High R.A.F. Position For New Zealander

(N.Z P. A.-Reuter —Copyright) LONDON, May 17.

Auckland-born Air Vice Marshal Sidney Hughes has been appointed commander of Britain’s Far East Air Force, the Defence Ministry announced in London yesterday. The 51-year-old former Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot will take up his new post as head of Britain’s largest and most active command in August, with the new rank of air marshal. He will direct operations from the chief base at Changi on Singapore Island. Other bases in the Far East Command include Hong Kong, Sarawak, North Malaya and the Maidive Islands.

Air Vice Marshal Hughes, who transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1938, is at present Deputy Controller of Aircraft at the Ministry of Aviation, London. He commanded a squadron in the Western Desert during World War II, and survived a forced landing in 1941 when his British air crew ‘sailed’ their Sunderland flying-boat to the Libyan coast after disposing of two German aircraft.

After being captured by the Germans, the crew escaped and walked back to the British lines, taking with them 150 Italian prisoners. Air Vice Marshal Hughes was a reporter on the “New Zealand Herald" before the war.

[11SQNLDR]

Not an AVM or above as specified but thought I'd mention Air Commodore KB 'Bruce' Latton RAF - originally from Hawkes Bay.

Graduated from Cranwell with the Sword Of Honour and had a full career by the looks. He visited my ATC Squadron in Hastings in the mid 80's at the request of his nephew who was a cadet & did a great talk about life in the RAF as a pilot.

www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Latton_KB.htm

[Dave Homewood]

An Air Commodore is Air Rank, so he counts.

[11SQNLDR]

Feb 9, 2023 20:51:50 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

An Air Commodore is Air Rank, so he counts.

Indeed it is Dave, I was just quoting the OP who made the statement requesting info on "AVM's or above" in rank.
I reckon there's a few more out there we haven't stumbled across, I'm carrying on with my searching

[11SQNLDR]

Add to the 'Served With The RAF' list:

Air Vice-Marshal FHM Maynard CB, AFC - born in Waiuku

www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Maynard_F.htm

[11SQNLDR]

and since I'm on a bit of a roll.... another for the RAF list

Air Marshal Sir Andrew McKee, KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC - born in Oxford, Canterbury

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_McKee_(RAF_officer)

[Dave Homewood]

Another for your list, Larry, Air Marshal Sir John Bagot Curtiss KCB, KBE, FRAeS (6 December 1924 – 14 September 2013).

His mother was a Kiwi, father was Australian. He attended Wanganui Collegiate. he served in Bomber Command during WWII as a navigator, and then stayed on in the RAF. The year before he retired he was Air Component Commander during the Falklands War.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Curtiss_(Royal_Air_Force_officer)

[Dave Homewood]

An interview with John Curtiss

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80017587