Doctor Croke in Air Race Hastings

[Dave Homewood]

I notice an Air Force doctor, S/Ldr Croke, in this article is listed as being from Cambridge. Does anyone know anything about him, or do you remember him?

N.Z. ENTRY IN AIR RACE

Crew Of Air Force Hastings

CAPTAIN FROM KUMARA

"The Press” Special Service WELLINGTON, August 4.

New Zealand’s sole entry in the London to Christchurch Air Race, a four-engined, long-range Handley Page Hastings aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, will carry 25 Service personnel and two civilians when it begins the 12,000-mile race in October.

To guard against fatigue, 15 aircrew members have been chosen; but only five of these will be on duty at any one time. A servicing party of eight will attend to maintenance at stopping points. An Air Force Medical Officer, a Meteorologist (a R.N.Z.A.F. territorial), and two civilians, an English journalist, and a representative of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service, complete the party. The aircraft, which is entered in the handicap section of the race, will be captained by Wing Commander R. F. Watson, A.F.C., of Kumara. Those selected are:—

Aircrew Pilots:
Wing Commander R. F. Watson, A.F.C. (Kumara), Squadron Leader C. L. Siegert D.F.C. (Fairlie), Flight Lieutenant K. B. Smith (Wellington), Flight Lieutenant L. A. R. Hill (Havelock North).

Navigators: Flight Lieutenant R. J. H. Myhill (Auckland, formerly London), Pilot Officer G. C. Petterson (Auckland), Sergeant I. A. Johnson (Wellington).

Signallers: Flight Lieutenant A. F. Jacobsen A.F.C. (Palmerston North), Pilot Officer G. R. Blackett (Auckland, formerly London), Sergeant J. Hobdey (Auckland, formerly of England).

Flight Engineers: Master Engineer D. M. Stark (Auckland, formerly Dunedin), Sergeant H. W. E. Bromley (Auckland, formerly Southampton), Sergeant A. Rose (Picton), Air Quartermasters: Sergeant S. B. Bryan (Auckland, formerly of Ireland), Sergeant R. L. Horne (Christchurch).

Servicing Party Flight Lieutenant J. D. Hurley (Patea), officer-in-charge; Flight Sergeant G. R. Homer, B.E.M. (Dunedin), Flight Sergeant J. B. Barton (Auckland), Corporal G. W. Jackson (Wanganui), Corporal T. C. Foord (Auckland, formerly of Kent, England), Corporal L. T. Kendall (Auckland), Leading Aircraftman H. F. Bucknell (Upper Hutt, Wellington), and Leading Aircraftman G. G. Anderson (Auckland).

Specialist Officers
Medical Officer: Squadron Leader R. J. Croke (Cambridge). Meteorologist: Squadron Leader L. N. Larsen (Westport).

Civilians
Mr W. Courtenay, O.B.E., M.M., an English journalist. Mr A. Wall, O.B.E., of Christchurch, talks officer at 3YA. Christchurch, who will represent the New Zealand Broadcasting Service.

Crew of Wide Experience
Long-range flying is not new to the selected aircrew, most of whom have between 1000 and 5000 flying hours in their logbooks; most too have had wide service experience either in the R.N.Z.A.F. or R.A.F. or both, during and since the Second World War. The ground staff has also had extensive experience.

No. 41 Squadron which will supply the aircraft and most of the personnel for the race, is the R.N.Z.A.F.’s long-range heavy transport squadron. It has built up a splendid reputation since the war with long-range courier flights to Japan during the occupation, on active service, anti-bandit operations in Malaya, in internal transport work in New Zealand, in the airlift of No. 14 (Fighter) Squadron to Cyprus last year and in its monthly courier flights between New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Before leaving the United Kingdom, the Hastings will load service equipment. The carriage of freight and recruits from the United Kingdom to New Zealand are normal features of the squadron’s courier services. Only minor changes will be made to the aircraft for the race. It is hoped that the Hastings will reach Christchurch in a little over two days. Short stops, of about 45 minutes duration, will be made for refuelling and maintenance checks.

Well tried in many parts of the world and used extensively by R.A.F. Transport Command, the Hastings has a maximum range of about 3000 miles. It is powered by four 2000 h.p. Bristol Hercules engines—the same type of engine used by Solent Flying boats and Bristol Freighter aircraft. The maximum speed in level flight is 325 miles an hour. The aircraft’s route and the payload to be carried will be announced later.

PRESS, 5 AUGUST 1953

[errolmartyn]

On 10 Jan 49, NZ2534 Robert John Croke was granted an extended service commission for a period of three years in the rank of Flight Lieutenant. He was still with the RNZAF as late as Dec 1955.
Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Errol, much appreciated.

[davidd]

The presence of several ex-RAF personnel in the crew detailed above does show the extent to which the RNZAF as a whole got rather dependent on the services of men (and also women, although latter not apparent in this group as they were not eligible for any aircrew careers at this stage!) from the far side of the World to keep the equivalent New Zealand service up and functioning. RNZAF (and the Navy) found it very difficult to recruit sufficient suitable local personnel during the immediate postwar period, and it was even worse in the 1950s, with high wages in plentiful civilian occupations here being blamed as one of the reasons why. Even as late as the 1990s at the RNZAF Museum, it was difficult to find any Museum Guide day group that did not have its own "pomme" who had usually been tempted to try their hand in another air force south of the equator in the 1950s, often with a wife and family in tow. They must have believed all the propaganda included in the reasons for heading south given in the recruiting advertisements published in the UK - however some of this propaganda was true. Although I have never heard of it, I have always wondered if the RAAF had the same recruiting problems as the RNZAF over this period.

[hc]

Hi Dave,
Dr Croke was my father. He was born in Cambridge near Hamilton (NZ).
He specialised in aviation medicine and entered the RNZAF after med school in Otago.
He entered the Air Race but they crash landed in Sri Lanka.
After leaving the RNZAF (~1955), he went to the UK and trained in ophthalmology.
He lived and practiced in Auckland. He was born 1924, died 2013.
I've got a newspaper clippings and photos from his time living in Wigram.
Thanks for your interest, 
Hilary

[Dave Homewood]

Hi Hilary, thanks very much for this info.

Did he serve in WWII?

Cheers,
Dave