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Kia ora koutou.
We hope you enjoy this latest issue of our quarterly newsletter and are seeking contributions from our
members for future issues. If you have an idea for a subject you would like to see covered, a brief article or
perhaps a photo you would like to share with other members, please forward them, under the title
‘Newsletter’, to the email address given on the Contacts page.
Officers of the Upper Hutt RSA:
The following members were elected at the Annual General
Meeting (delayed due to Covid19 restrictions) held on 11 July
2020 to serve for the forthcoming
year.
President: A J (Tom) Cormack JP
Vice President: Mick Pendlebury
Executive: Roy Adams,
Dave King,
Peter Moore,
Dennis Oldridge,
Sandra Tomasi
Support Dennis Ayrton
Officers: Roy Adams
Now Grand-Dad
Ode of Remembrance
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
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UPPER HUTT RETURNED & SERVICES ASSOCIATION (INC.)
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER – SEPT.2020
CONTENTS
President’s Message 2
Welfare/Cadet Liaison 3 Life Membership Awards 3
Poppy Places Trust 4
Kiwis in Bomber Command
5, 6 & 7
Events Calendar 8
Important Contacts 9
SSAANZ Article 10
President’s Message:
“Thank you for reconfirming me as your President for a further year.
I, along with Vice-President Mick Pendlebury (also reconfirmed) and your Executive
Committee elected at our delayed AGM in July, will continue to serve you in the best
interests of our association. Your Committee this year is Roy Adams, Dave King, Peter
Moore, Denis Oldridge and Sandra Tomasi.
We want to focus this coming year on developing our support for veterans and their
dependants and are exploring ideas such as introducing home visits. The support team
will be led by Vice President Mick and if you have any thoughts or suggestions about
Support, you should discuss these with Mick.
At the AGM we also appointed three new Life Members, Roy Adams and Dennis Ayrton
for their long and valuable service in the Welfare/Support areas and also Wayne Myers
for his work in Commemoration including leading the team that brought to fruition the
“Now Grand-dad” memorial at the entrance to the Council Chambers. The Life
Membership Certificates and badges were presented at our recent Members Evening by
the newly appointed Wellington – West Coast – Taranaki District RSA President Jack
Steer. Jack replaced me when I stepped-down from that rôle due to work commitments at
the District AGM held in Wanganui. I have resumed the rôle of one of two District Vice-
Presidents.
Also present at the awards ceremony were the Upper Hutt Mayor, Wayne Guppy and the
President of the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club, Gavin Bannatyne.
Armistice Day this year falls on a Wednesday and apart from our normal 11 am. Service at
the Civic Centre, we are also planning to unveil the recently planted Gallipoli Pine at
Trentham Memorial Park.
National RSA has explored the idea of holding Poppy Day on 11 November because of
earlier cancellation, however that is not proceeding as it is thought to be too close to our
traditional Poppy Day of 23 April 2021.”
Kei Wareware Tātou / Lest we forget.
Tom Cormack
President Upper Hutt Returned and Services Association
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Welfare and Cadet Liaison Reports
Due to Covid19 restrictions, Welfare visits have been on hold. Similarly, the Cadet Forces have only just
begun to operate again. We hope to have further updates in the next Newsletter.
Important Welfare Appeal: It has been suggested that the Welfare Committee consider the introduction of home visiting for ex-service men and women (whether RSA members or no) in addition to the regular hospital and residential care visits they carry-out. We need you; our members, to help us identify anyone you feel might welcome such a call. Similarly, we need to be kept informed of those entering hospital or care facilities to ensure we can fully carry-out our Welfare duties. If you feel you know someone who might benefit from such a programme, please contact either Roy Adams or Dennis Ayrton of the Welfare Committee whose details can be found on the Important Contacts page further on in this newsletter.
Life Membership Awards
At the recent Members evening on 18 September, Life Membership Certificates and badges were awarded
to Roy Adams and Denis Ayrton for their long-time and continuing work in Welfare and also to Wayne
Myers for his efforts in bringing to fruition the ‘Now Grand-dad’ Memorial which stands outside the Civic
Centre. The evening was well attended by fifty-five members and guests who included the Upper Hutt
Mayor Wayne Guppy, the Cossie Club President Gavin Bannatyne and the Wellington-West Coast-Taranaki
District RSA President, Jack Steer, who presented the awards. Thanks to all those who attended to help
celebrate the event.
Jack Steer presenting the Life Member Awards to (L to R) Roy Adams, Denis Ayrton and Wayne Myers.
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THE UPPER HUTT RSA AND POPPY PLACES TRUST
PROMOTING THE POPPY IN OUR REGION
The Upper Hutt RSA has been working closely with both the New Zealand Poppy Places Trust and the Upper
Hutt City Council in promoting the “Poppy” and what it stands for within our area. The Poppy Places Trust is
responsible for, “The Places of Remembrance Project”, which is about identifying and recording many of the
street names and places throughout New Zealand that are directly related to people and events from our
overseas military history. The Trust works with community groups and local councils, to identify these places
and develop the story behind the naming. The Trust has identified and written the stories for 287 Streets and
places across our country. Each location is identified by a Poppy. The locations and stories of each site can be
seen on the Trust website (www.poppyplaces.nz). The website also provides information on the Trust role,
how it operates, the Trustees and contact details.
Upper Hutt has 31 Poppy Places and streets identified. This would have not been achieved if it were not for
the support of the local Mayor and his Council. Where appropriate, our RSA has supported the Project and
we are very proud to have been part of the planning of a number of sites, in particular those led by recently
appointed Upper Hutt RSA Life Member, Wayne Myers, with the establishment of the Garden of
Remembrance in front of the Civic Centre where we hold all of our remembrance activities including our
Anzac Day Service.
The Upper Hutt RSA sees this work as a significant way to help keep our military history alive and to promote
the sacrifice of servicemen and women throughout recent history. The significance of this project prompted
not only our contribution to assist with the planning, but also the desire to donate to the Trust an annual
Koha, so they can continue with their good work.
The relationship with Poppy Places has been well worthwhile in so far as it complements the role and aims of
the RSA, and brings together people with the same passion.
The Trust needs support from volunteers to be city and town champions to identify Poppy Place streets and
places, and work with local authorities to research the background for the name of the street or place.
Donations to the Trusts “Poppy Places” give-a-little web page is another way to support the Trusts work.
The Upper Hutt RSA would strongly recommend that other RSA’s, if they have not done so already, contact
Poppy Places Trust ([email protected]) to find out how they can support the Project and develop the
relationship that we enjoy with the Trust Members and the Upper Hutt Mayor and Council.
Kiwis in Bomber Command
Avro Lancaster
Following the fall of France, the evacuation of the BEF and until Germany entered the North African
campaign; it fell to the RAF and in particular, Bomber Command to take the war to Germany. The bombing
campaign was to last more than 5 years and while it had strong public support at the time, post war
concerns about the ethics of ‘area bombing’ meant that no Campaign Medal was awarded to the
thousands of men and women who took part.
An estimated 125,000 men of 60 nationalities served as aircrew in Bomber Command during the period of
WW2 and of these, 57,205 were killed – a loss rate of 46%. A further 8,403 were wounded and 9,838
became POW’s. No other individual service of the armed forces suffered such high fatalities. The only other
armed force with a higher mortality rate was the German U-Boat service with the deaths of 28,000 men
from a total of 40,900 men who served - an attrition rate of 68%.
At the outbreak of WW2, the RAF was little more than 30 years old. It went into immediate expansion and
relied heavily on the Dominions to help supply the manpower it needed. Most prominent among those to
respond were Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
At that time, New Zealand had a population of around 1,600,000 and of these; around 140,000 men and
women would eventually serve in the armed forces before the end of the war. The 2NZEF swallowed
104,000 with the remainder divided between the navy and air force. At the outbreak of the war New
Zealand undertook to supply 880 trained pilots with a further 1,992 personnel composed of pilots,
observers (later known as navigators) and air gunners who were sent to Canada to complete their training
and many of these served with the RAF in the European conflict. While the majority of NZ aircrew flew in
regular RAF squadrons, with crews often comprised of a mix of predominantly British, Australian, Canadian
and New Zealand aircrew, there were a number of designated RAF (NZ) Bomber Squadrons. Of these, two
are most prominent.
5
No.75 Squadron RAF (NZ)
Vickers Wellington
Initially flying Wellington bombers, the squadron later converted to the Short Stirling, then to the Avro Lancaster and finally, the Avro Lincoln. As a squadron, they flew more sorties, suffered the most casualties and dropped the second greatest weight of bombs than any other RAF squadron. A pilot of the squadron, Sgt James Allen Ward, was awarded the Victoria Cross when he climbed along the wing of his Wellington in flight to extinguish a fire.
No. 487 Squadron RAF (NZ)
Lockheed Ventura
Formed on 15 August 1942, the squadron initially flew the Lockheed Ventura, a rather poor performing
light bomber. It was with these aircraft that the squadron attacked the Phillips factory at Eindhoven in the
Netherlands with the loss of three aircraft. More raids followed until it met with disaster on 3 May 1943
when, during an 11 plane raid on Amsterdam, with one plane forced to return to base after an attack by
German fighters, the remaining ten aircraft pressed on only to lose more aircraft to the fighters until only
the leader, S/Ldr Leonard Trent was able to drop his bomb load before he too was shot down and taken
prisoner. Trent was awarded the Victoria Cross and later took part in the ‘Great Escape’.
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No. 487 Squadron RAF (NZ) The squadron was reformed and in August 1943 was
re-equipped with De Havilland Mosquitos and it was
with these aircraft it took part in the famous
Operation Jericho – the attack on the prison at
Amiens which breached the walls and allowed the
escape of more than 100 members of the resistance
being held there awaiting execution. The squadron then went on to carry-out more low level precision
raids, first on the Gestapo Headquarters at Aarhus, then at Copenhagen. The squadron was finally
disbanded on 19 September 1945 having flown 3,112 sorties.
Of the New Zealanders who served in the RAF/RNZAF during the war, 4,150 made the supreme sacrifice.
The above bronze memorial to aircrew of Bomber Command stands in Green Park, London close to
Piccadilly and Hyde Park. The roof of the enclosure is designed to replicate the geodesic design of a
Wellington bomber air frame and is made from aluminium donated by Canada from metal salvaged from a
RCAF Halifax bomber which crashed in Belgium and was disinterred from a swamp in 1997. The memorial
carries an inscription from a speech by Pericles, the Ancient Greek orator, statesman and General;
“Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.”
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Events Calendar 2020
Wednesday November 4th
Contact: [email protected] to register for tickets (please specify number required)
Wednesday November 11th
11.00 am Memorial Service at Upper Hutt Civic Centre.
!1.30 am Dedication Service for the Gallipoli Lone Pine at Trentham Memorial Park.
N.B. As the above events are subject to change due to potential Covid19 restrictions please consult the
RSA Notice Board for updates nearer the time.
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Important Contact Details
Upper Hutt RSA Upper Hutt Cossie Club
Phone: 04 529 0016 Phone: 04 529 0009 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Facebook: @upper hutt returned & services association Facebook: @upperhuttcossieclub Welfare Support Officer: Website: www.cossieclubs.org.nz Dennis Ayrton: Mob. No. 021 130 9312 District Support Officer: Russ Cooke: Email: [email protected]
RNZRSA Veterans’ Affairs Phone: 04 384 7994 Phone: 0800 483 8372 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Facebook: @RSANational Facebook: @NZVeteransAffairs Website: www.rsa.org.nz Website: www.veteransaffairs.mil.nz
Other Organisations
New Zealand Malaya Veterans Association No Duff
Phone: 07 576 7757 Phone: 027 566 3833 (027 5NODUFF)
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
Website: www.malayavets.co.nz Website: www.noduff.org
Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen’s Association of NZ S.E. Asia Veterans Association
Phone: 021 725 481 Phone: 021 379 895
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
Facebook: SoldiersSailorsandAirmensAssocNZ Website: www.seava.co.nz
Website: www.ssaanz.co.nz
Vietnam Veterans and their Families Trust NZDF Archives
Phone: 0800 824 824 Phone: 04 527 5280
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
Website: www.communitymatters.govt.nz
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