Cam Malfroy
Encyclopedia
Camille Enright Malfroy (21 January 1909 - 8 May 1966) was a prominent New Zealand tennis player of the 1930s and 40s, competing in numerous grand slam championships of the era. He was also a well known pilot and attested an ace pilot
during World War II
.
and younger brother of the rugby player Jules Malfroy
. The Malfroy family in New Zealand was descended from Jean Baptiste Malfroy originally from Macornay
, Lons-le-Saunier
, Jura, France
, a miller, and his wife, Josephine Pricarde. Jean Baptiste along with two of his sons, Jean Michel Camille Malfroy, usually known as Camille, and Jules Cézar Malfroy, (the eldest of the three brothers), joined the rush to the Victorian goldfields in the 1850s and arrived in New Zealand in the early 1860s.
Cam Malfroy, like his older brother Jules, attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge
where he studied Economics. At Cambridge he received his Blue for tennis and was also a noted rugby player.
. He played 12 matches for New Zealand between 1934 and 1939. Of the singles matches, he won two and lost five, and of the doubles matches he won three and lost two. Away from the Davis Cup
, he was in the final of the New Zealand tennis championships two years in a row from 1932 to 1933, winning it in 1933. He also competed in a number of Grand Slam tournaments, nine times at Wimbledon, and once each in the France and Australian Opens. The furthest he progressed in any of these was to the fourth round of the 1931 Wimbledon championships. After his 1934, the year of his final triumph in the New Zealand championships, he moved to England
and thereafter only competed in Europe, notably at Wimbledon, but also a number of other minor tournaments. As a doubles player he also won the Men's title twice (once in 1929–30 partnering D. G. France and a second time in 1932–33 partnering I. A. Seay) and won the Mixed Doubles in 1932–33 partnering Miss M. Macfarlane.
. Soon after the outbreak of the second world war in August 1939 he was mobilised and joined 501 Squadron. On 10 May 1940, when the German's attacked France, his squadron moved across the English Channel
as reinforcements for the Hurricane units there. It was recorded that Malfroy destroyed an Heinkel He 111
on 11 May near Bethienville. Malfroy's squadron continued to fight until the evacuation from Dinard
in Brittany
on 18 June 1940. The following day, the Hurricanes flew from St Helier, Jersey, to cover the British Army’s evacuation from Cherbourg. Malfroy then became an instructor at an Operational Training Unit, rejoining 501 Squadron in February 1941 and staying with it until December 1941 when he was posted to 417 Squadron at Charmy Down. Malfroy then piloted Spitfires and led 417 until March 1942, when he began to command 66 Squadron. In June 1942 he was posted as Chief Flying Instructor to No. 61 Operational Training Unit. He then had a short posting on the Training Staff at HQ 10 Group Malfroy before returning to operations in June 1943 to become Wing Commander Flying at Exeter. In early 1944, he took command of 145 Airfield. He then moved to the staff at HQ Allied Expeditionary Air Force and in late 1944 commanded RAF Portreath and RAF Warmwell
in 1945. Malfroy was credited with five enemy aircraft destroyed during the war. He was awarded both the DFC
and the DFC (US).
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Camille Enright Malfroy was born in Hokitika on 21 January 1909 the son of Mr. Camille M. Malfroy, of the State Forest Department, WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and younger brother of the rugby player Jules Malfroy
Jules Malfroy
Jules Olmer John Malfroy was a prominent New Zealand lawyer, former legal advisor during the Second World War to the British government and an early twentieth century rugby union international who is known as one of the “lost lions” due to his participation on the 1927 British Lions tour to...
. The Malfroy family in New Zealand was descended from Jean Baptiste Malfroy originally from Macornay
Macornay
Macornay is a commune in the Jura department in Franche-Comté in eastern France.-References:*...
, Lons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier is a commune and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.-Geography:The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the "premier plateau" of the Jura massif...
, Jura, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, a miller, and his wife, Josephine Pricarde. Jean Baptiste along with two of his sons, Jean Michel Camille Malfroy, usually known as Camille, and Jules Cézar Malfroy, (the eldest of the three brothers), joined the rush to the Victorian goldfields in the 1850s and arrived in New Zealand in the early 1860s.
Cam Malfroy, like his older brother Jules, attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
where he studied Economics. At Cambridge he received his Blue for tennis and was also a noted rugby player.
Tennis career
In the 1930s Cam Malfroy was a well-known tennis player and represented New Zealand in the Davis CupDavis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
. He played 12 matches for New Zealand between 1934 and 1939. Of the singles matches, he won two and lost five, and of the doubles matches he won three and lost two. Away from the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
, he was in the final of the New Zealand tennis championships two years in a row from 1932 to 1933, winning it in 1933. He also competed in a number of Grand Slam tournaments, nine times at Wimbledon, and once each in the France and Australian Opens. The furthest he progressed in any of these was to the fourth round of the 1931 Wimbledon championships. After his 1934, the year of his final triumph in the New Zealand championships, he moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and thereafter only competed in Europe, notably at Wimbledon, but also a number of other minor tournaments. As a doubles player he also won the Men's title twice (once in 1929–30 partnering D. G. France and a second time in 1932–33 partnering I. A. Seay) and won the Mixed Doubles in 1932–33 partnering Miss M. Macfarlane.
Performance timeline
| Tournament | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1946 | 1947 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 2R 1930 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles William T. Tilden defeated Wilmer Allison 6-3 9-7 6-4 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1930 Wimbledon Championships.-Seeds:... |
4R 1931 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Sidney Wood defeated Frank Shields w/o in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1931 Wimbledon Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
2R 1932 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Ellsworth Vines defeated Bunny Austin 6–4 6–2 6–0 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1932 Wimbledon Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
A | 3R 1934 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Fred Perry defeated Jack Crawford 6–3 6–0 7–5 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1934 Wimbledon Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
2R 1935 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Fred Perry defeated Gottfried von Cramm 6–2 6–4 6–4 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1935 Wimbledon Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
4R 1936 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Fred Perry defeated Gottfried von Cramm 6–1 6–1 6–0 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1936 Wimbledon Championships, the last time a British man won the Championship.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
A | 2R 1938 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Don Budge defeated Bunny Austin 6–1 6–0 6–3 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1938 Wimbledon Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
3R 1939 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Bobby Riggs defeated Elwood Cooke 2-6 8-6 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1939 Wimbledon Championships.-Final eight:... |
A | 1R 1947 Wimbledon Championships - Men's Singles Jack Kramer defeated Thomas Brown 6–1 6–3 6–2 in the final to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at the 1947 Wimbledon Championships.See also:-Seeds:The seeded players are listed below... |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| New Zealand tennis championships | 2R | 4R | A | SF | A | F | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Auckland championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| North Island championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Canterbury championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Villa d'Este Villa d'Este The Villa d'Este is a villa situated at Tivoli, near Rome, Italy. Listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, it is a fine example of Renaissance architecture and the Italian Renaissance garden.-History:... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| German Covered court championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A |
| Swedish Covered courts championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | A | A |
| Monte Carlo championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | A |
| Roehampton Roehampton Club The Roehampton Club is an exclusive private members’ sports club in Roehampton in southwest London, England.Roehampton Club is set in of parkland, close to Richmond Park... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | A | A | A |
| Queen's Spring Covered Court Championship | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | A | A |
| Paddington | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | A | A |
| British Hard Court Championships British Hard Court Championships The British Hard Court Championships is a defunct Grand Prix tennis and WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1968 to 1983 and 1995 to 1996. It was held in Torquay before moving to the West Hants Tennis Club in Bournemouth in England in the United Kingdom from 1927 to 1983 and in 1995... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 2R | A | A |
| Midland counties championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A |
| Welsh championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | A | A |
| Palace Hotel | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A |
| Herga Club | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | A | A |
- A = did not participate in the tournament
- LQ = lost in qualifying draw
Military career
Malfroy learned to fly in 1931/32 whilst at Cambridge University with the University Air SquadronUniversity Air Squadron
University Air Squadrons are training units of the Royal Air Force which primarily provide basic flying training, force development and adventurous training to undergraduate students at British universities...
. Soon after the outbreak of the second world war in August 1939 he was mobilised and joined 501 Squadron. On 10 May 1940, when the German's attacked France, his squadron moved across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
as reinforcements for the Hurricane units there. It was recorded that Malfroy destroyed an Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
on 11 May near Bethienville. Malfroy's squadron continued to fight until the evacuation from Dinard
Dinard
Dinard is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a popular holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
on 18 June 1940. The following day, the Hurricanes flew from St Helier, Jersey, to cover the British Army’s evacuation from Cherbourg. Malfroy then became an instructor at an Operational Training Unit, rejoining 501 Squadron in February 1941 and staying with it until December 1941 when he was posted to 417 Squadron at Charmy Down. Malfroy then piloted Spitfires and led 417 until March 1942, when he began to command 66 Squadron. In June 1942 he was posted as Chief Flying Instructor to No. 61 Operational Training Unit. He then had a short posting on the Training Staff at HQ 10 Group Malfroy before returning to operations in June 1943 to become Wing Commander Flying at Exeter. In early 1944, he took command of 145 Airfield. He then moved to the staff at HQ Allied Expeditionary Air Force and in late 1944 commanded RAF Portreath and RAF Warmwell
RAF Warmwell
RAF Warmwell was a Royal Air Force station near Warmwell in Dorset, England from 1937 to 1946, located about 5 miles east-southeast of Dorchester; 100 miles southwest of London....
in 1945. Malfroy was credited with five enemy aircraft destroyed during the war. He was awarded both the DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and the DFC (US).