Blackball war memorial

A J Kinsella was a 19 year old pilot who was killed while flying a Harvard. From the book For Your Tomorrow Vol 2 by Errol W. Martyn. Mon 4 Mar 1957 Army Co-operation exercise at Hopuhopu Military Camp, Ngaruawahia. North American Harvard 111 NZ1074 - took off at about 1450 and proceeded to the camp, where a series of low-level runs were made so that the Army could exercise their Territorial field gun crews in tracking and training. At 1605, released from his duties, the pilot dived over the camp from the south, climbed and executed a wing over. Diving again from the opposite direction, he carried out a climbing roll and lost control, the Harvard flicking into a high speed stall and crashing onto an unused airfield adjacent to the camp. The pilot was thrown out as the aircraft disintegrated. He is buried at Blackball and the navigator at Karori, Wellington. Pilot: 78247 Plt Off Alan John KINSELLA, RNZAF Age 19 133hrs solo (80 on Harvard) Navigator: 78143 Plt Off Graeme Robert ASKEW RNZAF Age 19. The two airmen belonged to the Transport Support Unit at Whenuapai at the time.