Simon Moody

D-Day Stories – 80 years on

D-Day special: To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we will be publishing the stories of five Kiwi airmen who took part in the invasion of Europe. In this introduction, Research Curator Simon Moody outlines the significance of D-Day and the story of Air Marshal Sir Arthur ‘Mary’ Coningham, who played an extraordinary role in the events of that momentus day.

Eighty Years On: Remembering the Forgotten Air Force, Imphal and Kohima, 1944

Taking the scenic route – the story of the RNZAF Singapore ferry flight

In 1941, RNZAF crews embarked on an epic delivery flight across Asia and the Pacific as war clouds gathered with the Empire of Japan. This is their story.

How They Remembered: The New Zealand 1914-18 Airmen’s Association

Veterans of the two world wars and later conflicts have frequently grouped together to remember their service, lost comrades and shared experiences together. This is the story of those New Zealanders participated in World War One as airmen and who met to remember their service at a time when New Zealand had no Air Force of its own.

A dramatic rescue

When collections are gifted to the Museum, they can reveal amazing stories we were not previously aware of. Among recent donations are the archives and photographs of Squadron Leader Horace Alexander Nash (nicknamed “Walter” in the RNZAF after the New Zealand politician). Nash was an experienced RAF pilot, loaned to the RNZAF during World War Two. In 1943 he was an instructor on Supermarine Walrus aircraft, with the Seaplane Training Flight at Hobsonville. While we were cataloguing his papers, a remarkable story was revealed.

Volumes of Faith

While cataloguing a recently acquired collection, I noticed that it contained a small New Testament intended for use by the pilot whose collection I was working on. As we approach Christmas, one of the most important Christian holy festivals, it struck me that we must have other bibles and religious texts in the collection. Read all about them here!

“Dear Daisy and Norrie”: The letters home of Squadron Leader Herbert George Percy Blackmore (RAF) to his sister, 1938-1941

rough a variety of ways. Letters were by far the most common during the two World Wars and provide us with an insight into New Zealand families separated by war.

Brief Encounters: The short histories of No. 7 and No. 8 Squadrons RNZAF, 1942-1943

The entry of Japan into the Second World War in December 1941 led to the creation of a number of short-lived squadrons to fill the immediate defensive needs of New Zealand and train personnel for future operations of the RNZAF against the Japanese in the Pacific. These are the stories of two of these squadrons, which are closely linked together.

The Hush Hush Boys: An Untold New Zealand Story of the Defence of Singapore, 1941-1942 (Part Two)

leet at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii and British forces in Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. This anniversary seems an appropriate time to continue and conclude our previously untold story of a small group of New Zealanders serving as Air Force ground officers in Malaya and Singapore.

Occupying Japan: the RNZAF and J-Force 1946-1948: Part 2

In a previous blog we looked at how RNZAF personnel were sent to Japan in 1946 with ‘J-Force’, part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF). In a continuation of this 75th anniversary blog, we’ll take a look at what those RNZAF personnel did as part of J-Force and how it ended.