MUST VIEW - RNZAF Bio's

[Alan SHARP]

A must view for all researching involving casualties within the RNZAF, is the monumental works of researcher Errol MARTYN. (Includes all, even if a new recruit, killed in a civil accident, on their way to duty.) Called 'FOR YOUR TOMORROW' Volumes 1, 2 & 3.

When I first started researching the death of four RNZAF personnel involving my teenaged Mother's boy friend (1) and his best mate, my Mothers cousin (2), Errol's third volume was only in draft form, but after contacting him he obliged with information that I had not been able to obtain at the local library, in the two published volumes. The third is now published.
(1) John Herbert (Jack) ALLEN 10/5/1921 - 8/4/1841
(2) George Switzer DOUGHERTY 21/10/1921 - 4/9/1943

To thank Errol I forwarded extracts from letters to my Mother and the boy's diaries, and he promptly on-forwarded a diary reference, to the death of a pilot at Elgin, to a Dutch researcher to see if he had/wanted the information contained for his European research into casualties, so hooking into these SPECIALISTS could be a great help to your knowledge and understanding. Sadly, with in days, Jack ALLEN had also died at Montrose and later his year younger brother Alistair, died at Kidlingham Oxford. Alistair William ALLEN 3/5/1922 - 15/9/1942 - LEST WE FORGET.

Below is an example of the type of information contained in FOR YOUR TOMORROW. I have extracted it from my project, CALLED TO SERVE re the four Melville, Hamilton, NZ youths.

The copy in the square brackets [....] is my editorial addition, to Errol's reply, for the benefit of laymen readers of my project.

To: "Alan Sharp" <herringbone AT hnpl . net>
Subject: G S Dougherty
Date: Wednesday, 11 August 2004 11:16 PM

The following is an excerpt from Volume Two (Fates: 1943-1998) of my trilogy 'For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915':

Fri 3/Sat 4 Sep 1943
BOMBER COMMAND

Raid on Berlin, Germany (by 316 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes - 24 lost)...

...7 Squadron, RAF (Oakington, Cambridgeshire - 8 [PFF] Group)
Lancaster III JA929/N - took off at 2013 on same raid as the above, and
brought down in the target area, crashing at Reinickendorf. The RAAF air gunner is buried in Berlin, but his six comrades have no known graves and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Captain: NZ403525 Wt Off Thomas Harold HATCHARD, Kcbc, RNZAF - Age 31.
844hrs. 4th op.
Navigator: NZ417275 Fg Off Bernard Frederick EDGE, RNZAF - Age 21. 252hrs.
1st op(?)

Air bomber: NZ421669 Fg Off Frederick Timothy BROSNAHAN, RNZAF - Age 25.
252+hrs. 1st op(?)

Wireless Op: NZ403620 Flt Sgt George Switzer DOUGHERTY, RNZAF - Age 21.
380hrs. 3rd op(?)

Rear Gunner: NZ417244 Flt Sgt Lewis Alfred SQUIRE, RNZAF - Age 21. 159hrs.
1st op(?)
The CWGC register incorrectly records Squire as being of 75 Sqn, RNZAF, a
unit he never served with.

And Vol Three draft:

DOUGHERTY, Flt Sgt George Switzer, NZ403620
b Hamilton 31 Oct 21
ed Hamilton T Coll
occ apprentice motor trimmer - S T Nolan, Hamilton
RNZAF Levin/GTS as WOpAG u/t 29 Sep 40 [Ground Training School, wireless operator/Air Gunner under-]
emb Awatea for Canada 5 Nov,
att RCAF 20 Nov,
2WS 21 Nov, [Wireless School]
1WS 7 Dec,
1BGS 29 Apr 41, [Bombing & Gunnery School]
Wireless Operator & Air Gunner Badges by 23 May,
Sgt 26 May,
1 M Depot 11 Jun,
emb for UK via Iceland & att RAF 18 Jun,
3PRC 17 Jul, [Personnel Reception Centre]
1SS 28 Jul, [Salvage Section]
42OTU (Blenheim) 25 Nov,
614 Sqn (at least 2 ops) 25 Apr 42,
inj (fractured arm) in ldg acc 29 Aug, [[Anti Aircraft Conversion Unit][Heavy Conversion Unit]]
Odiham 6 Sep,rtd to flying & 7AACU (various) 5 Mar 43,
11OTU (Wellington) 23 Mar,
1657HCU (Stirling - 1ASR op) 17 Jun [att 214 Sqn c.19-23 Jul],
7 Sqn (Lancaster - 1 op) 6 Aug [att PFFNTU c.6-24 Aug], [Pathfinder Force Navigational
KAO 4 Sep 43 Training Unit]
Runnymede Memorial, Panel 198.

Son of George Searles & Kathleen Elizabeth Dougherty (nee Switzer),
Melville, Hamilton. Photo in
'The Weekly News' of 27 Oct 43

Errol.
© Errol MARTYN 'FOR YOUR TOMORROW'
Extract reproduction permission granted to Alan SHARP for "CALLED TO SERVE" project.

Good luck with your research. Alan SHARP.

[Currie]

That’s pretty interesting stuff Alan.

Just a reminder to anyone researching aeronautical matters that every issue of Flight Magazine from 1909 to 2005 can be read and searched online free of charge at http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/ ... &x=46&y=11

I can’t remember whether a normal Google search brings up material therein.

All the best,
Alan