The New Zealand Squadron
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Squadron was the name given by the Royal Air Force
to the men of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
in the United Kingdom to train on the 30 Vickers Wellington
Mk1C bombers the New Zealand Government ordered in 1938 to introduce the latest in aviation military technology to the Royal New Zealand Air Force. RNZAF aircrew were sent to the UK and others already there were posted to the group training on the new aircraft based at RAF Marham
in Norfolk commencing on 1 June 1939, with Sqn Ldr M. W. Buckley, MBE as Commanding Officer. The crews were to fly the aircraft to New Zealand in batches of six, to their new airbase, RNZAF Base Ohakea
in the country's North Island, that was being built to receive them.
RAF official records name this group of airman as "The New Zealand Squadron", and shared RAF Marham with No. 38
and No. 115
Squadrons. They moved to RAF Harwell
, and then to RAF Feltwell
on 12 February 1940. Those aircraft initially delivered and being used by the New Zealand crews had their RNZAF serial numbers painted under the wings, "NZ301" to "NZ305".
As a result of Britain delaring war against Germany, the New Zealand Government made the airman and the aircraft - that had so far been delivered and those still on the production line - available to the RAF to help with the new war effort. Also called or known as The New Zealand Flight, they completed several operations of their own across to various European destinations. The New Zealand airman were concerned that they would be split up and posted to existing RAF squadrons, however a decision by the Air Ministry
to give them the defunct No. 75 Squadron numberplate on 4 April 1940, meant that the nucleus of The New Zealand Squadron personnel remained together but under the command of the RAF as No. 75 (NZ) Squadron
.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
to the men of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
in the United Kingdom to train on the 30 Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
Mk1C bombers the New Zealand Government ordered in 1938 to introduce the latest in aviation military technology to the Royal New Zealand Air Force. RNZAF aircrew were sent to the UK and others already there were posted to the group training on the new aircraft based at RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
in Norfolk commencing on 1 June 1939, with Sqn Ldr M. W. Buckley, MBE as Commanding Officer. The crews were to fly the aircraft to New Zealand in batches of six, to their new airbase, RNZAF Base Ohakea
RNZAF Base Ohakea
RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is near Bulls, 25 km north west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu...
in the country's North Island, that was being built to receive them.
RAF official records name this group of airman as "The New Zealand Squadron", and shared RAF Marham with No. 38
No. 38 Squadron RAF
No. 38 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a bomber squadron formed in 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1967.-World War I :...
and No. 115
No. 115 Squadron RAF
No. 115 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force squadron during World War I. It was then equipped with Handley Page O/400 heavy bombers. During World War II the squadron served as a bomber squadron and after the war it flew in a similar role till 1958, when it was engaged as a radio calibration unit...
Squadrons. They moved to RAF Harwell
RAF Harwell
RAF Harwell was a Royal Air Force airfield in former Berkshire, England, near the village of Harwell, later the site of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. The site is now in Oxfordshire....
, and then to RAF Feltwell
RAF Feltwell
RAF Feltwell is a Royal Air Force station in Norfolk, East Anglia that is currently used by the United States Air Forces Europe. The station is located about 10 miles west of Thetford, and is in the borough of King's Lynn at approximate Ordnance Survey grid reference .A former Second World War...
on 12 February 1940. Those aircraft initially delivered and being used by the New Zealand crews had their RNZAF serial numbers painted under the wings, "NZ301" to "NZ305".
As a result of Britain delaring war against Germany, the New Zealand Government made the airman and the aircraft - that had so far been delivered and those still on the production line - available to the RAF to help with the new war effort. Also called or known as The New Zealand Flight, they completed several operations of their own across to various European destinations. The New Zealand airman were concerned that they would be split up and posted to existing RAF squadrons, however a decision by the Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
to give them the defunct No. 75 Squadron numberplate on 4 April 1940, meant that the nucleus of The New Zealand Squadron personnel remained together but under the command of the RAF as No. 75 (NZ) Squadron
No. 75 Squadron RAF
No. 75 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated as a bomber unit in World War II, before being transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1945.-First World War, Royal Flying Corps, Home Defence Squadron :...
.