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12848 Vol 9 QU-S6 436693 P/O Neville Benton QUIGLEY (redacted PARENTS: Mr. F.M. Quigley of Hastings). Mother Mrs. C.C. Quigley of Napier (redacted Divorced)
Neville Quigley was born at Hastings on November 12th 1924. He was educated at Napier Intermediate School and at Napier Boys High School where he passed the University Entrance and School Certificate Examinations. He was interested in all forms of sport, including Rugby, association football, tennis, cricket and swimming and was also High School tennis champion in 1939.
Upon leaving school, he was employed as a clerk in the office of the New Zealand Insurance Co. at Napier. He held this position until his enlistment in the R.N.Z.A.F. in May 1943. From May 1941 until the time of his enlistment he served in the Intelligence Section of the Napier Battalion of the Home Guard. P/O Quigley served with the aerodrome defence unit from May until August 1943 when he was posted to Rotorua for initial aircrew training. From Rotorua he proceeded to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School, at Ashburton where at the conclusion of his course he was recommended for a commission. He proceeded to Canada in January 1944 and completed his training at No. 6 Service Flying Training School, Dunnville. He was awarded the pilot's badge on September 22nd 1944 and was commissioned in the rank of pilot officer on the same date. He returned to New Zealand in November and after a period of leave was posted to No. 1 Service Flying Training School, Wigram for a refresher course on Harvard II and Harvard III aircraft. He successfully completed the course at the beginning of March 1945 and then proceeded to No. 4 (Fighter) Overseas Training Unit at Ohakea for operational training in Kittyhawk aircraft.
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On March 21st, he lost his life when his P.40 collided with another aircraft during a take off at Ohakea.
Find a Grave link with a photo of P/O Quigley: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121027508/neville_benton-quigley/photo
Auckland Museum link with a photo of P/O Quigley: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C31016?n=neville+benton+quigley&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch&ordinal=0
5/2/17962 318 hours as pilot.
Mrs. C.C. Quigley (M) (right aligned) 4 MacDonald Street (right aligned) NAPIER (right aligned & underlined)
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KC/NF (right aligned) 4210077 : Flight Sergeant Eric James QUINN. PARENTS : Mr. & Mrs. H.J. Quinn of Wellington.
Eric Quinn was born at Wellington on the 29th February 1924, and received his secondary education at Wellington College, where he was successful in passing the Matriculation examination, also gaining the Higher Leaving Certificate. He furthered his education by studying at the Teacher's Training College and at night classes at Victoria University College for his Bachelor of Arts Degree. At the time of his making application for enlistment for aircrew training on the 1st May 1942 he was employed as a student teacher by the Wellington Education Board.
Flight Sergeant Quinn was enlisted on the 22nd August 1942 at the Initial Training Wing, Rotorua for training as aircrew and on the 10th January 1943 embarked for Canada to continue his training under the Empire Air Training Scheme.
F/Sgt. Quinn arrived in Canada on the 29th January 1943 at No. 3 "M" Depot, Edmonton, Alberta and was posted on the 21st February 1943 to No. 7 Air Observers' School, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba where on the 9th July 1943 he was awarded the air navigator's badge and promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He was further promoted to Flight Sergeant on the 9th January 1944. Meanwhile on the 20th July 1943 he had proceeded to No. 1 "Y" Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia to await embarkation to the United Kingdom.
F/Sgt. Quinn arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth on the 12th August 1943 and was posted to No. 4 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit, West Freugh, Scotland, on 14th September 1943 where he remained until posting early in November to No. 11 Operational Training Unit, Westcott, Buckinghamshire. At this unit and its nearby satellite airfield at Oakley, he crewed up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. Early in May, 1944 F/Sgt. Quinn was posted to No. 1651 Conversion Unit,
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H.J. QUINN. 2. (centre aligned) Wratting Common, Cambridgeshire, for converting to Stirling bomber aircraft, and thence in June to No. 3 Lancaster Finishing School, Feltwell, Norfolk, where he trained on Lancaster bomber aircraft. On the 26th June 1944, F/Sgt. Quinn was posted to No. 75 (NZ) Squadron at Mepal, Cambridgeshire, where as navigator of Lancaster bomber aircraft he took part in 8 operational flights, including 3 raids on V.1. weapon sites in France; the marshalling yards at Shalona sur Marne and Aulnoye, in France, and a raid on a Panzer Unit at Cagny, in France.
F/Sgt. Quinn was the navigator of a Lancaster bomber aircraft which took off on the night of 20/21st July 1944 to attack the target of Homberg, in Germany and failed to return to its base and all the members of the crew, including F/Sgt. Quinn were classified as missing. No further news was heard of F/Sgt. Quinn and subsequently his death was officially presumed as at 21st July 1944.
Find a Grave link with a photo of F/Sgt. Quinn: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15261670/eric_james-quinn/photo
Auckland Museum link with a photo of F/Sgt. Quinn: https://media.api.aucklandmuseum.com/id/media/public/2dfc9a43-7c5c-4ce5-9e15-b9659ee2e282/original.jpeg
5/2/15521 AS2 335 hrs. as navigator
Mr. H (was A). J. Quinn (F) (right aligned) 207 Hanson Street (right aligned) WELLINGTON (right aligned & underlined)
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2171 Squadron Leader Paul Wattling RABONE (surname underlined) WIDOW: Mrs. P.B. Rabone of Sussex, England PARENTS: Mr. and Mrs. C.N. Rabone of Keri Keri, Bay of Islands.
Paul Rabone was born at Salisbury, Wiltshire, England on March 2nd 1918, and accompanied his parents who were both New Zealanders to the Dominion at an early age. He received his secondary education at the New Plymouth Boys' High School and the Palmerston North Technical College. He played football for his College 1st XV and afterwards Senior Football for the Hastings Club, also taking part in tennis and cricket. He served in the 7th Field Battery of the Territorial Army from September 1935 to June 1936. In April 1938 he was selected for the Civil Reserve of Pilots obtaining his Pilots "A" License as a pupil of the Middle Districts Aero Club. He completed further training with the Auckland Aero Club, proceeding late in July, 1938 to Wigram for his service training. He was awarded the Flying Badge on October 13th. On acceptance for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force, he embarked by the "Tainui" for the United Kingdom early in February 1939.
Squadron Leader Rabone arrived in England on March 15th and was appointed to a commission in the rank of Pilot Officer. He was further promoted to Flying Officer on September 3rd, 1940, to Flight Lieutenant on December 27th 1940 and was granted the acting rank of Squadron Leader on July 7th 1941. He transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in March 1944 while still serving with the Royal Air Force, being confirmed in the rank of Squadron Leader on July 1st 1944.
Meanwhile Squadron Leader Rabone had been posted in April 1939 to No. 88 Bomber Squadron on flying duties and early in September was attached to the Advanced Air Striking Force in France. In August 1940 he transferred to No. 145 Squadron (location redacted), then to No. 83 Squadron early in May 1941. He assumed command of No. 1451 Flight of this Squadron in October, proceeding a month later to Kenley for training as air controller. In December he was posted to No. 1528 Beam Approach Flight as Flight Commander. On May 14th 1942 he went to Kirton Lindsey as Squadron Commander for No. 96 Squadron. Other postings included to No. 488 Squadron, Church Fenton in August 1942; No. 51 Operational Training Unit, at the end of April, 1943; and to No. 23 Squadron, Middle East in June. He was appointed flying instructor at No. 60 Operational Training Unit in December 1943.