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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 29, 2022 21:21:04 GMT 12
I stumbled into some interesting history of Wigram's No. 7 Hangar in the PRESS, dated 3 June 1960.
TRAINING BASE AT WIGRAM
Medical School To Be Established
The R.N.Z.A.F. medical training school will next month shifted from Ohakea and be established permanently in Wigram. The move is a further step towards reorganisation of R.N.Z.A.F. promulgated in the Defence White Paper of 1957. One of the White Paper’s requirements is the concentration ground training units of the service at Wigram.
Equipment, furniture and ? will be flown from Ohakea by freighter aircraft.
The school will be set in No. 7 hangar with a kitchen, dispensary and model ward. It will take over quarters at present occupied by the Central Flying School which will moved to No. 3 hangar on the station.
Originally the Air Force's No. 6 Trade Training School, the medical school will become a part of the No. 3 school at Wigram. No. 3 school cares for the administrative trades, training stewards, firecrew and accounts and supply staff. The medical school will run courses for orderlies— a basic course lasting 10 weeks and a special lasting 12 weeks. Intakes, with 12 trainees at a time, will comprise women mainly.
After completing basic course trainees will be posted to air station sick quarters throughout the Dominion for practical experience. They will return to Wigram for the specialist course and on completion of that will be posted out again.
Further training and qualification are done outside the station on recommendation. Seniority gained by six months training in a general hospital and the Medical technician qualification to the highest Air Force grade in the field—requires further training and competence in such subjects as radiography, blood grouping, hygiene and sanitation.
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Post by snaphead on Apr 30, 2022 11:28:00 GMT 12
I went through my basic training in 1966, and we used # 7 hangar as our "work area". GSTS had taken over #7 hangar as we did drill and weapons training (Bren gun) in there.
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Post by camtech on Apr 30, 2022 19:26:41 GMT 12
In 1966, part of 7 Hangar was used as a gymnasium. When did the medical school move out to Burnham?
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Post by oj on Apr 30, 2022 19:51:20 GMT 12
This has got me flummoxed. I was at Wigram in 1963 and 1965. Spent many hours in 7 hangar (related elsewhere on the demolition thread). However, I do not recall any Medical School activity there. We need a time-line from a medic to flesh this out, so to speak.
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Post by davidd on May 4, 2022 12:58:56 GMT 12
In 1965 (Air Training Corps) we used 7 Hangar for our weekly parades, also occasionally used the lecture rooms on the Airside. Armoury was on opposite side, east end of hangar only. We never saw what was in the other rooms (I was only a very lowly cadet at the time, and not very inquisitive!) Of course we were only there "after hours" (from about 7 PM I think it was) for about 2 hours or so, when normal "Base" activity would have been minimal.
Then again, by this time they had the decompression chamber for testing potential aircrew for the air force in what is now the Museum HQ building sticking diagonally out of the side of 1 Hangar (in fact that is why that particular building was erected in the first place, so far as I know), cannot recall the proper name for the original installation. Am now fairly certain that the aero-medical unit was moved from elsewhere in NZ (also Ohakea?) and into the building jutting out of 1 Hangar. Possibly the Medical school described in the article (courses for medical personnel, elementary and advanced, etc) was relocated to Wigram in a rationalisation exercise and later merged with the aero-medical unit (or did they remain separate?)
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Post by tbf2504 on May 4, 2022 15:17:35 GMT 12
AMU (Aviation Medical Unit) was the correct title for the building with the decompression chamber Certainly from my time at Wigram 1965-68 there was no medical facilitye in 7 hangar. The photographers had one set of offices next to the armoury on the east side west end.
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Post by davidd on May 4, 2022 15:27:13 GMT 12
Just found that the Aviation Medical Unit (AMU) was formed at Wigram as from 1st November 1955. Previously Wigram had a Flying Personnel Medical Officer on their establishment, who "has in the past undertaken limited research in the sphere of aviation medicine."
"Function of AMU is to provide facilities (a) (i) for assistance in the selection of flying personnel; (ii) for the physiological training and familiarisation of personnel with flying, protective, escape and survival equipment; (b) To investigate and report on specific individual cases referred to DMS (Air); (c), To carry out such other investigations or researches as may be directed. (Reference, AI 56/1955, dated 13/10/55).
On 4th November, 1957, "Pilots and Navigators who have been selected for duty in Canberra aircraft, arrived at the Aviation Medical Unit for de-compression tests" (Ref. Wigram History of this date.)
1/12/57, Flying Clothing : Protective Helmets. "It is now policy to provide protective helmets for all RNZAF pilot and also for other aircrew members in Canberras and Avengers. It will also be a requirement, details of which will be promulgated in an Air Staff Instruction, for all personnel flying in jet aircraft, Harvards, Austers and Avengers, to wear protective helmets when stocks are available. Helmets will be on personal issue to the aircrew concerned. (etc., etc.)
"When they (protective helmets) are available, members of the Aviation Medical Unit (AMU) will visit Stations and fit all personnel concerned." (etc., etc.) (reference ADO N165/1958 of this date.)
By 1974, the AMU (still at Wigram) had been restyled as the Aviation Medicine Unit, and was having its range of duties added to such that a full list of changes in the expectations of the RNZAF in the unit had to be introduced - see AO 3/1974, dated 14/2/74, see also AI 41/1964. By 1976, AMU was located at Hobsonville, possibly in the Clarke house, seem to recall there was quite a bit of information on the latter in a thread which ran a few years ago.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 4, 2022 20:26:57 GMT 12
Interesting that the medical staff were fitting the helmets in the 1950's. That was Safety and Surface's domain when I was in the Air Force.
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Post by davidd on May 5, 2022 9:45:27 GMT 12
We live and (hopefully in my case) we learn! Often throw in these snippets from the 1950s as they can throw a beautiful clear golden light where previously all we could see was dankness and fog (or we just guessed!)
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Post by baz62 on May 5, 2022 21:14:09 GMT 12
In 1965 (Air Training Corps) we used 7 Hangar for our weekly parades, also occasionally used the lecture rooms on the Airside. Yep me too in 77 when I joined 18 Squadron (17 Squadron was there too.) And then around 79 half of the Western end became the RNZAF Historic Center. Was certainly a huge space with nothing in it!
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 5, 2022 21:40:38 GMT 12
Often throw in these snippets from the 1950s as they can throw a beautiful clear golden light where previously all we could see was dankness and fog (or we just guessed!) Absolutely. Anything I find that is remotely interesting I will throw up here as it just might fill a gap for someone, or folks here can fill gaps in the story.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 6, 2022 8:52:26 GMT 12
Out of curiosity I posted the link to this thread onto the RNZAF: Past & Present Facebook Group, to see if any member of the RNZAF from back then remembered the mock hospital set up in Hangar 7.
Mere Wallace replied, "I did my junior and senior medic course in 7 hangar Wigram tutors W O Whitt F,S Thompson and Pat Larter"
I asked, "what years please? And was it laid out as a mock hospital, as the article describes?"
Mere replied, "65 and 66 it did have a complete hospital set up which we used to do practical."
So it was certainly there.
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