Grandfather (on my Dad's side)
Left NZ shores in October 1938 on a short service commission to join the RAF as an airframe apprentice. When he arrived to cold wintry dockside in Portsmouth early December 1938 he found that they had enough airframe apprentices, so he was "informed" that he could opt to become aircrew.
Not having finished his 5th form he joined as a pilot cadet into the RAF as a sergeant.
By June of 1940 he had completed his conversion training and was posted to No 54 (spitfire) squadron, Hornchurch, 11 group fighter command where he joined a mix of Poms, Ozzies, and a couple of New Zealanders with whom he served with great courage throughout that turbulent summer.
Along the way he was shot up a couple of times, and was shot down and slightly wounded once. On the plus side of the ledger, he claimed 2 BF110 destroyed, 1 Ju87 destroyed, 1/2 Bf109.
He had also achieved the rank of Pilot Officer, and was a section leader before he was rested in the early stages of 1941, and sent to a sleepy back water in the Mediterranean for some much needed R & R to help him overcome health problems bought on by high levels of stress and the UK's cold and damp climate.
That sleepy little place was a small Island called Malta.
Trouble seemed to follow him around, as it seemed that as soon as he arrived the Germans bolstered by Italian forces decided that they needed to bomb Malta out of existence.
Over the next 2 years he flew with a mixture of units, and a mixture of Spitfire V's, and Hurricane 11B's, he even did a circuit in one of the original Gloster Gladiators as bet with one of his squadron mates.
After the invasion of Sicily he was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader, transferred to the RNZAF and posted to Ohakea.
It was here in 1945 that he spent the rest of his service days training new fighter pilots before being demobbed.
He returned back to the Waikato, where he went back to work on the family dairy farm.
To the best of my knowledge he never flew on-board any aircraft of any description ever again.
He passed away in his comfy chair after watching a particularly poor performance put on by the Auckland Blues in 1993.
These guys gave their youth so that we may be free.
Lest we forget.