War oral history programme

New Zealanders in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force

As it got lighter and lighter you could see more ships and more ships, behind you and ahead of you – and the French coast was covered in smoke, but you knew it was there.

Jack Ingham, lieutenant, DSC, Royal Navy

They said, – We've been losing fifty to sixty bombers a night. We're badly in need of bomber pilots. We want you fellas to be bomber pilots.

John Morris, flight lieutenant, 75(NZ) Squadron, RAF

Before you interview any veterans who served with the Royal Navy or the Royal Air Force, we recommend you read our Guide to recording oral history.

• Background notes for the Royal Air Force
• Background notes for the Royal Navy
• Suggested questions for Royal Air Force veterans
• Suggested questions for Royal Navy veterans

Background notes

Many New Zealanders were in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

Royal Air Force

Twelve thousand New Zealanders served with the RAF between 1939 and 1945.

When the war began, around 550 were already in service in the United Kingdom – and 7000 more were sent to the Empire Air Training Scheme in Canada before being posted to RAF squadrons. Others were trained in New Zealand.

New Zealand airmen helped man seven 'New Zealand' squadrons in the RAF, and they also served in ordinary RAF squadrons. They were to be found everywhere the RAF operated, in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific.

In the RAF's Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain in 1940, New Zealanders were the third largest national group, after Britons and Poles. They also made a substantial contribution to Coastal Command during the vital Battle of the Atlantic. Many served in Bomber Command, enduring heavy casualties in dangerous missions over enemy territory. Most of the New Zealanders serving in the RAF played a role in operations related to D-Day and the Normandy invasion in June 1944. [Find more about New Zealanders at D-Day on NZHistory.net.nz.]

Suggested questions for veterans who served with the RAF

Royal Navy

About 7000 New Zealanders served in the Royal Navy during the course of the war. A draft of 400 left for the United Kingdom in early 1940. Others followed in a series of recruiting schemes. The New Zealanders did not serve as a national contingent, but were posted as individuals to ships throughout the fleet. They were in battleships and aircraft carriers and in small craft, such as motor torpedo boats. New Zealanders were well represented among the Fleet Air Arm as airmen, and several hundred served in submarines.

New Zealand naval personnel served in every theatre in which the Royal Navy was involved. The first to arrive in the United Kingdom took part in small ship operations in the English Channel during the Battle of Britain. Most, at some stage, participated in the Battle of the Atlantic, and some were on ships protecting the Arctic convoys that provided help to the Soviet Union. Many were present at Normandy on D-Day in a variety of roles. Others served in the ships of the British Pacific Fleet in the final operations of the war in Japanese waters.

Suggested questions for veterans who served with the Royal Navy

Suggested questions for veterans of the Royal Air Force

These questions are suggestions only. You can choose those that are relevant to your interviewee, and add your own, too.

Background questions

• What is your name, date of birth and place of birth (don't forget to spell out names)?
• Tell me a little about your life before the war (parents, school, childhood and early working life).
• Did either of your parents serve in the First World War? If so, where? Did they talk about it? What did they tell you?
• Where were you when you heard about the outbreak of war?
• What were your feelings?
• What were your reasons for joining up (enlisting)?

Air force service

• Why did you choose to served with the air force?
• Where did you train in New Zealand?

Training in Canada

• If you trained in Canada, when did you leave New Zealand? Describe the journey.
• Where were you based in Canada?
• Describe your training there.
• What did you do on leave in Canada?
• What are your lasting memories of Canada? Did you ever visit the United States of America? If so, describe this.
• When did you leave Canada for the United Kingdom?
• What rank were you at that stage?

Service in the United Kingdom

• Which squadron(s) were you assigned to? Give the dates.
• What sort of plane(s) did you fly in, operationally?
• What was your role (pilot, navigator, air gunner etc.)?
• Did you enjoy flying? Why?
• Where were you based?
• What were your living conditions like? Describe the sleeping arrangements, food and spare time.
• What do you remember of your first operational flight?
• How did you deal with fear?  How did you deal with tension?  How did you deal with tiredness?
• Did you have any superstitions about flying? Did you carry any lucky object with you when flying? Was there any ritual you used to do before taking off for operations?
• If you were flying with a crew were you close-knit?
• Were you commissioned? If so, when? What was your rank?
• How did your life in the RAF change after you received your commission? Ask about differences in sense of responsibility, living quarters, mess arrangements and food.
• Describe any particularly memorable operations.
• Did you fly during D-Day? If so, describe your activities. What are your strongest memories of D-Day?
• What did you do on leave? Where did you go? Did you have any contact with British civilians? What were your impressions of the impact of the war on England? Were you ever on the ground in an air raid? If so, how often? Describe this (where, when, what happened).
• Were you ever captured? If so, did you have to bail out of your plane? Describe what happened. What time of day/night was it? What happened before the order was given to abandon the aircraft? If you were with crew, what happened to the others? Where did you land? What happened then? Describe what happened. Did you have contact with the French Resistance? Describe this.
  If captured under other circumstances, describe your capture. Describe what happened then. See Suggested questions for POWs.

The end of the war

• Where were you on VE Day (8 May 1945)? What do you remember of that day?
• Where were you when you heard that the war had ended?
• What was your reaction?
• What did you do between the time the war finished and your return to New Zealand?

Returning to New Zealand

• Were you met on your arrival back in New Zealand?
• How did it feel to see your family again? Did New Zealand seem different to you after your time away?

After the war

• When did you go back to work? Describe how it felt to be back at work?
• Did you feel as though you had anything in common with people who had not been fighting?
• How was your health? Did you ever experience nightmares?
• How long did they continue after the war? Do you have them now?
• Did you drink much alcohol after the war?
• Did you join the RSA on your return? (Reasons?)
• What level of involvement did you have?
• What was your attitude towards conscientious objectors?
• What did the battle for the Pacific mean to you at the time?
• What does that battle mean to you now?
• Why do you think it is so well remembered by those who fought there?
• What did you do on Anzac Day? Has that changed over the years?
• What does Anzac Day mean to you?
• What are your feelings about war in general?
• What is the impact of your war experiences on your life?

Suggested questions for veterans who served with the Royal Navy

These questions are suggestions only. You can choose those that are relevant to your interviewee, and add your own, too.

Background questions

• What is your name, date of birth and place of birth (don't forget to spell out names)?
• Tell me a little about your life before the war (parents, school, childhood and early working life).
• Did either of your parents serve in the First World War? If so, where? Did they talk about it? What did they tell you?
• Where were you when you heard about the outbreak of war?
• What were your feelings?
• What were your reasons for joining up (enlisting)?

Royal Navy service

• Why did you choose the navy? Were you in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR)?
• What training did you do in New Zealand? Describe it.
• Where did you train? How long was it?
• What were your first impressions of navy life? What did you think of your uniform?
• When did you leave New Zealand? Did you have any farewells? Did anyone come to see you off?
• When did you arrive in the United Kingdom?
• Where did you arrive?
• What were your first impressions of navy life in the United Kingdom?
• What training did you do in the United Kingdom?
• What sort of ship were you on? What was its name?
• What was your rank and role?
• Describe what this involved.
• What were your living conditions like? Ask for details on sleeping quarters, food, discipline and recreation.
• If you did training to gain a commission, describe this. What rank were you then?
• What did the training involve?
• Did you know what you were training for?
• What length of time was spent in training?
• Where were you based through this time?
• What did you do when you had leave in England? Where did you go? Did you have any contact with British civilians? What were your impressions of the impact of the war on England? Were you ever on land in an air raid? If so, how often? Describe it (where, when, what happened).
• If you served in the Atlantic, describe your role and events.
• If you served in the Mediterranean, describe your role and events.

If involved in active service on D-Day

• How much did you know about what was going to be expected of you on D-Day? What was the first you knew that D-Day was set?
• How secret was it?
• What were conditions at base in this regard?
• What was the atmosphere like?
• What was your actual task on D-Day? Where were you heading for (which beach)?
• Describe setting out. What could you see? What could you hear?
• How many other boats were in your flotilla?
• What were conditions like? Note: before and during D-Day the sea was rough.
• What was the impact of these conditions?
• What happened when you reached your position? Describe the scene.
• Describe what happened through D-Day.
• Did your ship suffer any losses? Explain. What was all of this like for you? What were your feelings? Was there any damage to your boat? If so, describe it.
• What were your feelings on returning to England?
• What were your duties after D-Day?
• If you made later trips to France, did you have any contact with French people? If so, describe and explain this.

The end of the war

• What do you remember of VE Day (8 May 1945)? Describe this.
• Where were you when you heard that the war had ended?
• What was your reaction?
• What did you do between the time the war finished and your return to New Zealand?

Returning to New Zealand

• Were you met on your arrival back in New Zealand?
• How did it feel to see your family again? Did New Zealand seem different to you after your time away?

After the war

• When did you go back to work? Describe how it felt to be back at work?
• Did you feel as though you had anything in common with people who had not been fighting?
• How was your health? Did you ever experience nightmares? How long did they continue after the war? Do you have them now?
• Did you drink much alcohol after the war?
• Did you join the RSA on your return? (Reasons?)
• What level of involvement did you have?
• What was your attitude towards conscientious objectors?
• What did the battle for the Pacific mean to you at the time?
• What does that battle mean to you now?
• Why do you think it is so well remembered by those who fought there?
• What did you do on Anzac Day? Has that changed over the years?
• What does Anzac Day mean to you?
• What are your feelings about war in general?
• What is the impact of your war experiences on your life?