RNZAF Biographies of Deceased Personnel: 1939 - 1945, Qu - Sl

36276 Pilot Officer Peter Knox Sigley (surname underlined) Parents: Mr. and Mrs. C. Sigley of Palmerston North (town underlined)

Peter Sigley was born at Napier on the 30th August 1915. He received his secondary education at the Boy's High School at Timaru and Palmerston North. His sports were tennis and golf. He was employed as a factory foreman by Vacuum Products (N.Z.) Ltd., Palmerston North. Early in 1938 he applied for enrolment in the Civil Reserve of Pilots and on being accepted was assigned to the Middle Districts Aero Club for training, being successful in passing the tests for the "A" Flying Licence. In January, 1939 he applied for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force but was unsuccessful due to the outbreak of hostilities and on the 11th September, 1939 he applied for war service in the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve.

He was enlisted in the rank of Pilot Officer on the 20th September 1939 at the Ground Training School, Rongotai and on the 24th October was posted to No. 1 Service Flying Training School, Wigram. While here, on the 1st January 1940 he was awarded his flying badge. Later in February 1940 he embarked at Auckland to proceed to the United Kingdom.

On arriving in England on the 12th April, 1940, Pilot Officer Sigley reported to R.A.F. Depot, Uxbridge, Middlesex, and proceeded on the 29th April, to No. 1 Flying Practice Unit, Meir, Staffordshire. Following this he was posted on the 12th May 1940 to No. 12 Operational Training Unit, Benson, Oxfordshire, for training on Battle fighter aircraft.

-2- (centre aligned) Pilot Officer Sigley was pilot of a Battle fighter which crashed on the 24th May 1940 at Bowd Croff on the Exeter Sidmouth Road, Pilot Officer Sigley being killed. He was buried in the Plymouth (Old) Cemetery.

Find a Grave link with photos of P/O Sigley: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59999301/peter_knox-sigley/photo Auckland Museum link with more info on P/O Sigley: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C26941?n=peter+knox+sigley&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch&ordinal=0

18/1/834 A.S.2. 216 hours as pilot.

Mrs. K. Sigley (M), (right aligned) 78 Savage Crescent, (right aligned) Palmerston North, (right aligned)

403995 Flying Officer Robert James SIM (surname underlined) Parents Mr. & Mrs. P.S. Sim of Gisborne. Widow Mrs. P. Sim of Frankton.

Robert Sim was born at Gisborne on the 28th June, 1919 and received his secondary education at Gisborne High School attaining matriculation standard. Outstanding in sport he played both rugby and cricket for his school first fifteen and first eleven respectively. After leaving school he accepted an appointment as a clerk with the Cook Hospital Board, Gisborne. His application for war service in the Royal New Zealand Air Force was mde on the 29th September 1939.

It was on the 26th October 1940 when he was enlisted at the Ground Training School, Levin and after completing a short ground training course was posted on the 23rd November to No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School, Harewood, to commence his flying training. From here he proceeded on the 17th Janaury 1941 to No. 2 Service Flying Training School, Woodbourne, where on the 3rd March he was awarded his Flying Badge and on the 12th April received his promotion to Sergeant. Later, when serving in England on the 1st November, 1941 he was further promoted to Flight Sergeant and on the 1st June 1942 to Warrant Officer. On the 29th October 1942 he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer and on the 29th April 1943 promoted to Flying Officer. Meanwhile, after completing his course at the Service Flying Training School on the 29th April 1941 he had embarked for the United Kingdom.

The journey was made by way of Canada and it was on the 29th June 1941 when Flying Officer Sim arrived in England and reported to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth remaining here on attachment until posted on the 15th July to No. 58 Operational Training Unit, Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland for operational training on Spitfire fighter aircraft. At the end of this part of his training he was retained at the Operational Training Unit for duty as a staff pilot. He remained here until the 17th September 1941 when he was posted to No. 130 Squadron, then at Portreath, Cornwall, and later at Harrowbeer, Devon, and Warmwell, Dorset. Commencing operational fliyng with this squadron he took part in twenty-nine operations comprising eighteen convoy patrols, four fighter sweeps and seven enemy aircraft interception flights. This tour of operations complete, he embarked on the carrier

-2- (centre aligned) H.M.S. Eagle on the 23rd February 1942 to proceed to the Middle East on posting to No. 249 Squadron, Takali, Malta. When approximately eight hundred miles off Malta, he took off in his Spitfire to arrive four hours later at Takali. As during this flight his aircraft was liable to be intercepted by enemy aircraft this counted as an additional operation. Incidentally, this was the first occasion on which a Spitfire had been flown off an aircraft carrier. With No. 249 Squadron he carried out a further eight operational flights, the total now being thirty-eight operations. These additional operations comprised seven enemy aircraft interception flights and one bomber escort flight. He was next posted on the 6th April 1942 to No. 185 Squadron stationed at Hal Far also in Malta and with this squadron he carried out thirty-eight enemy aircraft interception flights, one air-sea rescue flight and one armed patrol, his total of operations now standing at seventy-nine. During these additional operations he had destroyed two Messerschmitts 109 Fs, and a Junkers 88 and damaged another Junkers and his squadron leader endorsed in his log book. "Recommended that this pilot be recommended for D.F.C when he has destroyed on more enemy aircraft. A very reliable section leader."

On the 23rd July 1942 Flying Officer Sim left Malta by air to return to England where he arrived on the 29th July and after a brief period of leave was posted on the 20th August to No. 52 Operational Training Unit, Aston Down, Gloucestershire, for duty as an instructor. He remained with this unit until the 5th May 1943 when he resumed operational flying with No. 616 Squadron, Mosley, Hampshire, taking part in nine fighter sweeps, four shipping strikes, three armed patrols, one convoy patrol and one enemy aircraft interception flight. These operational flights brought his total to ninety-seven.

On the 15th June, 1943, Flying Officer Sim was pilot of a Spitfire fighter engaged on a shipping strike off the Channel Islands. During the course of this operation his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and was last seen gliding down towards the sea. When he failed to return to his base he was classified as missing and after due time had elapsed his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 15th June, 1943 as the result of air operations and that he lost his life at sea.

Find a Grave link with a photo of F/O Sim: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15263232/robert_james-sim/photo Auckland Museum link with more info on F/O Sim: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C26954?n=robert+james+sim&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch&ordinal=0

5/2/2778 AS2. 588 hours as Pilot.

Mrs. P. Sim (W) (right aligned) 1 Ridout Street, (right aligned) Maeroa, (right aligned) FRANKTON. (right aligned)

404100 Warrant Officer John Francis SIMMONS. Parents: Mr. and Mrs. A. Simmons of Dunedin.

John SIMMONS was born at Dunedin on the 10th May, 1916. He received his secondary education at the Dunedin Technical College where he took the engineering course. His sports were football and cycle racing. His civilian occupation was that of a motor engineer in the employ of the New Zealand Railways and he was so employed when in November, 1939, he applied for war service in the R.N.Z.A.F.

Warrant Officer Simmons was enlisted for training as aircrew at the Ground Training School, Levin on the 27th October 1940. On the 5th December he embarked on the "Aorangi" at Auckland to proceed to Canada for training under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

Shortly after arrival in Canada, Warrant Officer Simmons was posted on the 23rd December 1940 to No. 2 Wireless School, Calgary, Alberta. He was posted on the 26th May, 1941 to No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School, Dafoe, Saskatchewan, where on the 23rd June, 1941 he was awarded his flying badge as an air gunner and promoted from L.A.C. to Sergeant. He was promoted to Flight Sergeant on the 1st January, 1942 and to Warrant Officer on the 1st April 1943. Meanwhile on the 30th June, 1941 he had proceeded to No. 1 "M" Depot, Debert, Nova Scotia to await embarkation for the United Kingdom.

Warrant Officer Simmons arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth on the 28th July 1941, and was posted on the 6th August, to No. 2 Radio School, Yatesbury, Wiltshire. On the 31st October, he was posted to No. 1 Air Armament School, Manby, Lincolnshire. He was posted on the 5th January, 1942, to No. 21 Operational Training Unit, Edge Hill, Oxfordshire, where he crewed up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. On the 6th May, 1942, he was attached to No. 15 Operational Training Unit, Harwell, Berkshire to await proceeding on a delivery flight, to the Middle East.