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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2020 16:20:36 GMT 12
That building where the Waikato Winter Show was held was taken over by the RNZAF in 1942 and became No. 1 Stores Depot till Te Rapa opened and then was part of 1 Repair Depot till the end of the war. it's a massive building. The building is now at Mystery Creek and where it used to stand is now Farmers (I think, been a while since I last went to Hamilton.)
So looking at Paper's Past the Waikato Winter Show was cancelled in 1942 when the Heath Department took over their building (and later that year the Air Force moved in). There were no further shows through the war.
On 20th of August 1945 it was announced the RNZAF was vacating the Winter Show building after three years. A report in September 1945 said the Air Force would be vacated from the building by December 1945.
The Waikato Winter Show did not get held again till June 1948. So it had a six year recess.
So my question now is, was this P-40 actually an exhibit at the Waikato Winter Show in or after 1948? Or did the reference on the photo to the Waikato Winter Show only refer to the building and not the show (as it was always known as the Waikato Winter Show building) and in fact it might have been in the building during the war as part of a recruitment or bonds drive. This seems much more likely to me.
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Post by baz62 on Sept 16, 2020 17:02:29 GMT 12
I mentioned to Dave on FB that it could be a lucrative bet made if someone says no RNZAF P40s wore sharkmouths......they might get sucked in if they think you are thinking of the colour scheme on NZ3009.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2020 17:37:11 GMT 12
Or NZ3125.
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Post by shorty on Sept 16, 2020 17:42:50 GMT 12
That puts me right off NZ Kittyhawks now!
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Post by camtech on Sept 16, 2020 18:01:24 GMT 12
That building where the Waikato Winter Show was held was taken over by the RNZAF in 1942 and became No. 1 Stores Depot till Te Rapa opened and then was part of 1 Repair Depot till the end of the war. it's a massive building. The building is now at Mystery Creek and where it used to stand is now Farmers (I think, been a while since I last went to Hamilton.) So looking at Paper's Past the Waikato Winter Show was cancelled in 1942 when the Heath Department took over their building (and later that year the Air Force moved in). There were no further shows through the war. On 20th of August 1945 it was announced the RNZAF was vacating the Winter Show building after three years. A report in September 1945 said the Air Force would be vacated from the building by December 1945. The Waikato Winter Show did not get held again till June 1948. So it had a six year recess. So my question now is, was this P-40 actually an exhibit at the Waikato Winter Show in or after 1948? Or did the reference on the photo to the Waikato Winter Show only refer to the building and not the show (as it was always known as the Waikato Winter Show building) and in fact it might have been in the building during the war as part of a recruitment or bonds drive. This seems much more likely to me. Looking at the alleged date of the photo (1944), I would suspect your assumption is probably correct. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2020 18:04:13 GMT 12
Where down you see the 1944 date?
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Post by camtech on Sept 16, 2020 18:06:34 GMT 12
Where down you see the 1944 date? Look at the photo on the fotoweb, and you see the preview tab, then the other tabs, including date. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2020 18:09:01 GMT 12
Oh right, I missed that. Thanks. So it has to be some sort of recruiting thing or a bonds drive as there were no shows 1941-1948. Thanks.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2020 18:30:09 GMT 12
Sorry but I have looked and still cannot see 1944 on the preview tabs.
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Sept 16, 2020 20:10:02 GMT 12
What is a "standard beam approach"? And, how does it differ from a non-standard one?!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2020 20:22:23 GMT 12
Okay, so obviously the modeller in me now wants more details and photos of this! Wow! I've never been a sharkmouths-on-P-40s fan but this is just so weird, combined with the name, I kinda like it!! Sorry but I have looked and still cannot see 1944 on the preview tabs. Next to the filename and the five rating stars it says Preview, File Details, Dates, Rights and Camera Details. Click on dates and |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2020 20:32:54 GMT 12
Oh right, got it now. Thanks.
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Post by camtech on Sept 16, 2020 23:11:59 GMT 12
Sorry but I have looked and still cannot see 1944 on the preview tabs. Under the date tab. should have read previous post first - bad me. |
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Post by tbf2504 on Sept 17, 2020 9:27:41 GMT 12
in the right foreground of the P40 photo is a wing. Both the P40 nf=d the wing do not have bars on the roundel suggesting this is an early wartime pic (1942?)
SBA Standard Beam Approach was The RAF's ground radio beam approach systemusinf directional transmissions to indicate to the pilot via the SBA receiver in the aircraft whether he was right/centre/left of a runways heading
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 17, 2020 14:05:16 GMT 12
It is definitely not 1942. With the glasshouse canopy it is either a P-40N-5 (the first of which arrived in NZ in July 1943), or an P-40N-15 or P-40N-20 (the first of each arrived in NZ in November 1943), or a P-40N-25 (the first of which arrived in March 1944).
Not all P-40's had bars on their roundels, it was only mandatory to add them in the Pacific combat zones, and they had the bars and white stripes and spinners added after arriving in the Pacific in most cases. The ones that stayed in New Zealand and never went to the Pacific did not necessarily have any bars or stripes or white spinners, as it was theatre-only ID markings.
This particular aircraft looks to be freshly repainted, which was indeed often done after major servicing at Rukuhia, so if this is 1944 as thought, and is post-March 44 or so, there would have been no need for bars to be added as they were about to be withdrawn to NZ and become training types.
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Post by tbf2504 on Sept 17, 2020 15:16:42 GMT 12
Hi Dave, yep didn't look closely at the P40 canopy. What do you reckon the wing is off?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 17, 2020 15:26:54 GMT 12
The wing is also P-40 according to Mike Nicholls.
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Post by fwx on Sept 22, 2020 11:22:53 GMT 12
Some beautiful early Mark 1 Spitfire photos have been published from the photo albums of New Zealand Squadron and 75(NZ) Squadron foundation pilot Trevor Freeman. I was aware that he had later flown Kittyhawks in the Pacific, but until I saw these I hadn’t realised that before the war, Trevor had originally trained and flown as a fighter pilot, serving with 74 Squadron.  The original Supermarine Spitfire Type 300 prototype K5054 in RAF camo and markings, from above, performing aerobatics over a docks area. - Ref: ALB8737528017, Air Force Museum of NZ, Trevor Freeman collection.  Civilian inspection of an unknown Spitfire squadron - Ref: ALB8737528010, Air Force Museum of NZ, Trevor Freeman collection.  Three Spitfires taking off from grass field - Ref: ALB8737528013, Air Force Museum of NZ, Trevor Freeman collection.  Mk1 Spitfire JH-E in flight - "Taken at Hornchurch, July 1939. Sgt Jack Flinders 'in tight' on Sgt Johnny Bushell". Sgt Jack Flinders was Sgt John Layton "Polly" Flinders, 74 Sqdn RAF, Hornchurch. Later to become an "Ace" (5 destroyed, 1 probable) and S/L. Survived the war, died 1998. - Ref: ALB8737528021, Air Force Museum of NZ, Trevor Freeman collection.  Line of early Mark 1a Spitfires at a maintenance unit, mid-1939. K9912 FZ-O of 65 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch in front with "Serviceable" sign attached, "FZ" code partially visible. Re-coded YT-O with pilot P/O Kenneth Hart this a/c was damaged by Bf109 and crash-landed on beach at Dunkerque 26 May 1940. This photo appeared in "Flight" magazine, July 27 1939 issue. - Ref: ALB8737528002, Air Force Museum of NZ, Trevor Freeman collection. Trevor Freeman joined the RAF in 1936 and served with 74 Squadron in the RAF before the war, flying Gloster Gauntlets and then Spitfires. He transferred to the RNZAF in July 1939 and joined the NZ Squadron to help fly the Wellingtons back to NZ. After his tour with 75(NZ) Squadron he went to 3 Group HQ and then served his 2nd tour as CO of 115 Squadron. Returned to NZ as Director of Operations, Air HQ, then posted to the Pacific in command of the New Zealand Fighter Wing, Solomon Islands. Kia 17 December 1943 over Rabaul.  Portrait of Wing Commander Trevor Owen Freeman, DSO, DFC and Bar, NZ1026, Commander, New Zealand Fighter Wing. - Ref: MUS030064, Air Force Museum of NZ, Trevor Freeman collection. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2020 11:48:11 GMT 12
Yes those are terrific shots.
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Post by Bruce on Sept 23, 2020 12:50:51 GMT 12
With the shot of K5054 over "a docks area", I suspect that the large "warehouse - type' building below it is the Supermarine Factory at Woolston, Southampton. I think I have seen the photo elsewhere captioned as that.
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