Moth Accident in 1935

[Dave Homewood]

This obituary from The Press dated 29th of June 1956 details a nasty accident in a Tiger Moth:

OBITUARY

MR CECIL HAIGH

Mr Cecil Herbert Haigh, formerly well known in Christchurch as a theatre manager, has died in Napier He was aged 49. He had been ill for a short time. Mr Haigh followed his father, Mr Claude Haigh, into the business of Christchurch Cinemas, Ltd. About 20 years ago he was appointed manager of tne Majestic Theatre, and served there until the war. After that, he was in charge of the Tivoli for a short time, and a few years ago transferred to Napier as manager of the Gaiety Theatre.

During the Second World War, Mr Haigh served overseas with the 2nd N.Z.E.F., and rose to the rank of captain in the Army Service Corps. He was a member of the Canterbury Officers’ Club, and played golf at the old Harewood club.

Mr Haigh survived a serious aeroplane accident on January 19, 1935. He was returning from Wellington with Mr Noel Roake, then manager of the Regent Theatre and a pilot in the Territorial Air Force, in a Tiger Moth. There was heavy fog over the sea. When a cliff loomed up about 10 miles north of ’the Waipara river, Mr Roake banked steeply, but his wing tip struck the water, and the aircraft dived into the sea about 250 yards from the shore. Mr Haigh. was able to extricate Mr Roake, and they kept afloat on the wheels of the aircraft, which had become detached, while trying to shed their heavy flying suits.

Mr Roake made a dash for the shore, and reached a rock 100 yards away, but was washed off. When Mr Haigh reached him, he was unconscious and had a deep wound in the head. After towing Mr Roake the remaining 150 yards to the beach. Mr Haigh iound that he was dead. Although severely shocked and exhausted, Mr Haigh walked for five hours until he found the homestead of Mr William Mackintosh.

Mr Haigh insisted on leading a rescue party back to the beach, but Mr Roake’s body could not be found in the fog and darkness. Mr Haigh again accompanied the successful rescue party next morning, and thus covered the seven-mile stretch between the beach and the homestead five times in 17 hours.

[davidd]

Was January 1935 a bit too early for Tiger Moths in NZ? I have a list of prewar NZ civil accidents around somewhere, but cannot lay my hands on it at the moment! I think it more likely that this was a Gipsy Moth of some kind.

[Dave Homewood]

A good point, David. I found this in the Ashburton Guardian on 21 January 1935:

PILOT DROWNED

AEROPLANE IN SEA.

PASSENGER REACHES SHORE.

GRIM BATTLE WITH WAVES.

(Special to the " Guardian.") CHRISTCHURCH, This Day.

A grim battle was fought with fog and sea on Saturday by pilot and passenger of a Canterbury Aero Clubs 'plane which crashed into the sea 15 miles beyond Waipara. The pilot, Mr Noel Roake, was killed, but the passenger, Mr Cecil Haigh, is safe. Mr Roake was widely known as manager of the Regent Theatre and as a sportsman. Mr Haigh is manager of the Majestic Theatre.

The tragedy is lessed only by the gallant attempts at rescue made by Mr Haigh. When the machine struck the sea and overturned in banking to avoid a cliff in a dense fog, Mr Haigh freed himself from his straps and assisted Mr Roake to do the same. Mr Roake gained a perilous hold on an exposed sloping rock, only to be hurled back into the sea by the first wave. He struck his head on the rock, for, when Mr Haigh, himself in an exhausted condition, got Mr Roake ashore, he did not respond to artificial respiration. The crash occurred 250 yards from shore, and it will be impossible to salvage the machine.

A Brave Action.
The desperate rescue attempts by Mr Haigh were executed with coolness and determination earning the highest praise.

Mr Roake and Mr Haigh left Christchurch early on Saturday morning in the Canterbury Aero Club's Gipsy Moth ZX-ABQ, with the intention of proceeding to Wellington. On arrival at Blenheim, however, conditions were found to be unfavourable owing to fog. Flying conditions were not of the best on the way there. After spending the remainder of the morning at Blenheim they decided to return to Christchurch, leaving for the Sockburn Aerodrome about mid-day.

Conditions were worse on the return journey and the 'plane encountered dense banks of fog. The weather was overcast and dull, though warm. There was only a light breeze blowing, not sufficient to disperse the fog. It was in order to avoid the fog and follow the coastline that the pilot descended to a few hundred feet.

'Plane Overturns.
Seven miles along the coast from the Glenaffric Station, near MacChesney's Bay, the 'plane lost height in the fog and before the pilot and the passenger loomed the cliffs, which rise in places more than 200 feet. The pilot banked the machine to avoid the clifts. It lost speed and struck the water 250 yards from the shore.

Caught, probably, by a gust of wind, it overturned and settled on its back in the water. The pilot and passenger were underneath, strapped to their seats.

Mr Haigh was the first to free himself and get clear of the machine, which was now settling deeper in the water. He went to the assistance of Mr Roake and freed him also.

Together they hung precariously to the 'plane as it gradually sank, the weight of the engine pulling it down by the nose. Both were able to swim, and it seemed that they had been able to extricate themselves from a dangerous position.

Tyres Used as Floats.
The light wheels and tyres of the machine were either detached by the two men or they came adrift from the undercarriage. These were used as lifebuoys serving to support them in the water. Mr Haigh by this time had removed most of his clothing, but Mr Roake had not divested himself of his trousers and this impeded his progress.

Mr Roake gained the impression that he and his companion were being carried out to sea on the improvised floats. He abandoned his wheel and swam to a low-lying rock, with only a foot showing at high tide. It was not sufficient protection from the seas and the first wave swept him off, hurling him with some force against the rock, which struck his head.

Brought Ashore.
Mr Haigh saw his companion's predicament and went to help him. He found that Mr Roake was unconscious. It was only with the greatest difficulty that Mr Haigh brought him ashore on the rock headland. Forgetful of his own condition, he attempted artificial respiration; but it had no effect.

Realising the hopeless-ness of the situation, Mr Haigh, unaware even of the locality in which the 'plane had crashed, set out for help. The country in the vicinity is wild in the extreme. At high tide the waves beat against cliffs rising two hundred feet or more, and it is impossible to follow the coastline. Only occasional beaches occur round the coast, and even under normal conditions at low tide is it difficult to make progress. The tide was nearly at its height when the crash occurred.

A bridle track runs close to the beach, but it was a matter of hours before Mr Haigh came across it and found his way to Glenaffric Station, owned by Messrs William Mackintosh and Sons.

Search for Help.
The 'plane came down in the sea about 2 p.m., and it was after 7 p.m. when Mr Haigh finally stumbled on the homestead, where Mr W. D. Macintosh resides. For five hours he had been seeking help, unable to locate any houses. He was dressed only in his shirt.

There Mr Haigh expressed his determination to return to the scene immediately and could not be dissuaded. He was fitted out with clothes, and, accompanied by Mr Mackintosh and others from the station, set out to return to the scene of the smash. Darkness was falling and he was unable to locate it. The fact that the tide had ebbed was another factor in making the country more difficult to recognise.

An all-night search was fruitless, although Mr Haigh and the station hands explored miles of the coastline. Sheer exhaustion drove him back to the homestead, where he snatched two hours' sleep.

With the arrival of Flight-Lieutenant M. W. Buckley, of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Mr R. A. Kirkup, instructor to the Canterbury Aero Club, and Mr J. J. Busch, commercial pilot to the club, Mr Haigh again led the search. They were accompanied by Mr Mackintosh, Mr Mackintosh, jun. Constable J. Kennedy, of Amberley, and others. Three pack horses were taken out by the party. Others who arrived at the scene early in the morning were Mr Claude Haigh, the father of Mr Cecil Haigh, Mr H. Waters, and Mr R. Hall.

Under better conditions it was not long before the search ended. It was a journey of seven miles from the homestead, most of the way by bridle track, but a steep cliff had to be negotiated to get the horses down by the beach. Only a portion of the tail of the 'plane was visible at low water, and it was considered that any attempts to salvage the machine would be futile.

The body of Mr Roake was taken first to the homestead, and later to Christchurch. The body of Mr Roake was examined by Dr. Rich, who found that death was apparently due to concussion of the brain or fracture of the skull. Mr Haigh's condition was reported last evening to be satisfactory, although he would be confined to bed for several days.

ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE.

PRAISE FOR MR HAIGH.

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day.

Mr R. A. Kirkup (instructor to the Canterbury Aero Club), said he could not praise sufficiently the work of Mr Cecil Haigh and the part he played in attempting to rescue Mr Noel Roake. Mr Haigh had been up nearly all night, said Mr Kirkup, but he could not be dissuaded from accompanying the party which went out to recover the body of Mr, Roake. Mr Haigh had shown conspicuous bravery and endurance. "Honestly, after seeing the scene, I don't know how he managed it," he said.

[errolmartyn]

The following account was published in the Journal of the AHSNZ in March 2017 (the issue is available to members on the Society's website):

SATURDAY 19 JANUARY 1935
Canterbury Aero Club’s de Havilland DH.60G Moth ZK-ABQ
Richard Roake had flown his friend Cecil Haigh to Blenheim in the morning on a day trip and was returning with him to Christchurch in the afternoon when they struck very thick misty weather, fog and low lying cloud. Roake then flew along the coastline at a few hundred feet in order to keep the breaking surf in view. Shortly after 1.40 pm, when about seven miles north of the Waipara River, a cliff suddenly loomed up in front of him. On executing a sharp, steep turn to the left to avoid collision the biplane stalled, its port wing hitting the water, causing the Moth to crash inverted into the sea.
Haigh managed to struggle free out of his cockpit and then assisted Roake out of his. Roake had lost consciousness in the process but Haigh was able to revived him once they got to the surface. The pair were handicapped by their bulky flying clothing. Fortunately the Moth’s main wheels had broken free in the crash, and the airmen were able to support themselves on these while removing some of their clothing. They then held on to the wheels while attempting to make for the shore about 50 to 100 yards distant. Aware that they were not making much progress and in danger of being swept out to sea, Roake then decided to swim for the shore. He finally reached a rock which he then clung to until a large wave swept him back into the sea, whereupon he disappeared. Haigh eventually found him floating under the water in an injured and semi-conscious condition. He was unsuccessful in attempts to revive Roake but succeeded in pulling his friend to the beach. Roake was beyond help, however, and Haigh himself was partly exhausted from the ordeal.
Nevertheless, Haigh immediately set out towards Waipara, covering some five miles over rough country before finding help at a farmhouse at about 7 pm. He then accompanied searchers back to the coast, but darkness thwarted their efforts to locate the crash site, so the party returned to Waipara. After a just a few hours of rest he set out with the searchers again early next morning, when Roake’s body was finally found and recovered from the beach. At the inquest the Coroner praised Haigh for his gallant effort in getting his companion ashore and for his long and sustained participation in the recovery operation that had continually occupied him for some seventeen hours.
† Flying Officer Richard Noel ROAKE, NZAF, aged 36 (Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch)
Irish-born Roake had migrated from England to New Zealand following war service with the British Army. In July 1930 he was appointed to a commission in the NZAF, and was still serving at the time of the accident while also managing Christchurch’s Regent Theatre. He obtained his ‘A’ Licence (525) in March 1933 which was endorsed two months for the carrying of passengers.
Cecil Herbert Haigh, aged 28

Errol
Haigh was manager of Christchurch’s Majestic Theatre.