Donald Faulkner Williams Duty in the RNZAF World War 2

Donald Faulkner Williams

Service number: NZC 439997

Unit during World War 2: No. 13 Servicing Unit

Donald Faulkner Williams was born in 1925 New Zealand and would later in 1942 as a young man enlist in the Royal New Zealand Air Force known as the RNZAF. I have followed his service record as best as I could and there were several parts that I have left out, which were several of his retesting’s for his qualification. I will use both Don and Donald when referring him throughout the blog. I have found looking into the service record to be an interesting insight into his service, although there would have been plenty going on throughout New Zealand. I will focus upon his record and go from there.

Donald’s total service with the Air Force would be two years and 72 days with one year and 80 days spent in New Zealand. I am unsure of the reasons why he would have enrolled within the air force, but there is a clue to why Don could have been. Don’s career path was listed on his personal record and declaration of allegiance, where his ambition was flight mechanic and the career he wanted to follow was engineering. His interests that he participated in were also listed, Boxing, football, swimming, athletics and dancing. During the time he was attending Whangarei High, there was a teacher by the name of B. A. Kingan, who gave lectures with students in 1942 about joining the RNZAF.[1] Amongst Don’s attestation papers there was a signature from his commanding officer who happened to be B.A Kingan. A quick search in the online newspapers provided me with more information including being a teacher and the officer commanding the air training corps in Whangarei.[2]

As Don signed up on the 9^th of March 1942, he was only 17 years of age. At that time he was required to have a guardian to sign for him as he was under the age of 21. The guardian was Florence Mabel Alexander from Pakotai, which is near Maungatapere in Northland region of New Zealand.[3] His service number was NZC 439997 with a start date in March 1942. At the beginning Don was part of the No. 20 squadron in Whangarei and would be mobilised around the 16^th of July in 1943. He would later be discharged on the 25^th of September 1945. His full service with the RNZAF was one year and 80 days in New Zealand with 356 days beyond New Zealand. I will break down parts of Donald’s service especially the main parts and include further information too.

When he enlisted the trade, Don had put was Civil Engineering. Civil occupation, Surveyors assistant. Since leaving school around December 1942, Dons occupation was civil engineering, public works department in whangarei surveying road, highways. I don’t know if he needed something in civil engineering even though he was only really 17 at the time and would not have been working for the public works department for very long. On a training document known as the certificate of service, dated the 5^th July 1943 with the Air Training Corps, Don ranked as cadet received 95%. In the Elementary Educational Test, where his keenness and proficiency was classed as Superior. His conduct was marked as ‘Very Good’ and in the proficiency in service training was also superior. This would have to be what he needed to become part of the Servicing Unit he would later be part of. He did have to take an entrance exam for the RNZAF and the marks were 63%. The recommendation from the training group was for him to be placed in the maintenance section. He did not have to send and receive Morse Code to test his skills. The general remarks were encouraging as he ‘has good average ability, very conscientious worker in both educational and service subjects, has exceptional tenacity and courage, good team spirit’. While in Whangarei, Don was part of the No. 20 squadron, which according to a website was based at Onerahi from August 1942 to July 1943 and was reformed in 1944 at Ardmore after being disbanded. Ardmore is south of Auckland.[4]

The enlistment dated the 16^th of March 1943 was written as Delta, which I would guess was around Whangarei and be basic training. On the 16^th of August 1943, Don would be sent to a training school at Rongotai near Wellington. This would be a training school of sorts created in the initial rush that was the beginning of World War 2. I should mention there was a Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force around 1941 as well also known as WAAP.[5] By the 29^th of October 1943, Don was moved to Nelson, where there was a technical training school, which would be the centre of technical training until the end of 1945.[6] While in Nelson Don received a score of 67.6% on the 21^st of January 1944 for the F/mech GSE T.TS. According to Don’s Posting Record Card, he was experienced on several types of engines, Wright Cyclone, POW single & twin & double wasp while he was in Nelson. I had originally thought these were actual aircraft, but soon realised they were in fact engines. The Wright Cyclone according to Wikipedia are a family of air-cooled radial piston engines and were used in many different American aircraft including the B-17 Flying fortress and Grumman Avenger.[7] The Wasp engines were similar to the Wright Cyclone. I am no mechanic, so don’t hold me to that and I would guess Don would have had contact with many well-known military aircraft during his service and not just the RNZAF ones.[8]

There was more movement as Don was transferred from Nelson to the 40 squadron at Whenuapai near Auckland on the 31^st of January 1944. This particular station was the first transport squadron formed by the RNZAF in 1943. The types of aircraft included Lockheed Hudsons and Dakotas.[9] The next part of his transportation becomes murky as I do not have enough information. Don transfers from the No. 40 squadron to No. 1 PD to transit overseas on the first of March 1944. I don’t know if this is a transport vessel or an aircraft. The paperwork trail has Don being transferred to the No. 13 Servicing Unit on the 11^th of April in 1944 in his overseas posting at Nausori in Fiji. There were two bases on the island of Fiji, one was Lauthala Bay where the RNZAF Catalina flying boats were stationed. Nausori nearby had other aircraft like the Hudson reconnaissance bombers, the new Venturas along with De Havilland 89’s. The ground crew were large, and the work required to keep as many aircraft in the air. Nausori had at the time a complete servicing unit able to care for all aircraft including the Douglas Dakotas from the RNZAF Transport squadron.[10] There is a list I have come across involving the Hudsons and mentions No. 13 Servicing unit. [11] Don would spend a total of eleven months and twenty-one days in Fiji before leaving for Remuera in New Zealand on the 2^nd of April 1945. New Zealand from what I have been reading were supporting the United States in the Pacific with the RNZAF.[12] He did have a medical report prepared for him while at Remuera, aged 19 and a half. Had no venereal disease, scar on left knee. No deterioration claimed. Fitness for future tropical service “A”. His examination was for non-flying personnel.

Between the 4^th of May 1945, Don did end up at the RNZAF station in Ardmore although the records did say Don did go to Remuera from the 2^nd of April 1945 he was said to have gone to Remuera. Between the 4^th of September and the 25^th of September 1945, Don was part of what was known as the Northern Group in the RNZAF, which was basically Auckland. He was then placed in the reserve and discharged from the armed forces on the 25^th of September 1945. On his discharge papers Don had civil engineering crossed out and has the occupation of farmer. The certificate of service and discharge is dated the 24^th August 1945. Medals – Earnt the Pacific Star and the 1939 – 45 Star. Didn’t receive his discharge certificate until June 1953, when he was living in Whangarei and well after the war. The letter looks like it was trying to provide him with options to become part of the air force or become a reservist.

For his war service gratuity, ended up with £ 59: 6: 8 Was never AWOL or LWOP. You would have money deducted if you were. When Don was discharged in his RNZAF posting instructions, it said he was 19 years 11/12. World War 2 had ended on the 2^nd of September 1945. I have left information about his leave out of the service record and may include it when I update the blog about his service.

Sources

Donald Faulkner Williams Service Record World War 2, RNZAF

Unknown, ‘Air Training Corps’, Northern Advocate, 10 March 1942, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19420310.2.61, Accessed 17/19/2019.

Unknown, ‘Training of young airmen’, Northern Advocate, 17 March 1942, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19420317.2.87, Accessed 17/19/2019.

J Rickard, (18 July 2013), No. 20 Fighter Squadron (RNZAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RNZAF/No_20_sqn_RNZAF.html, Accessed 17/19/2019.

New Zealand Airforce, ‘History’, http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history/wwii.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

Ross, John Macaulay Sutherland ‘Chapter 18 Base organisation in New Zealand 1943 – 45’, Royal New Zealand Airforce, http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF-c18.html, Accessed 17/19/2019.

Unknown, ‘Wright Cyclone series’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Cyclone_series, Accessed 17/19/2019.

Unknown, ‘Whitney Wasp Series’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_Wasp_series, Accessed 17/19/2019.

New Zealand Air Force, ’40 squadron’, http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/squadrons/40-squadron/40-squadron-history.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

Unknown, ‘Defence of Fiji’, Auckland Star, 10 November 1944, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19441110.2.55, Accessed 17/19/2019.

NZ Serials, ‘RNZAF Hudson’, http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzhudson.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

New Zealand Air force, ‘World War 2’, http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history/wwii.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

‘Wartime RNZAF timeline’, Wings over Cambridge, http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/rnzaf%20timeline.htm#1943, Accessed 17/19/2019.

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[1] Unknown, ‘Air Training Corps’, Northern Advocate, 10 March 1942, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19420310.2.61, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[2] Unknown, ‘Training of young airmen’, Northern Advocate, 17 March 1942, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19420317.2.87, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[3] Donald Faulkner Williams Service Record, RNZAF medical board.

[4] J Rickard, (18 July 2013), No. 20 Fighter Squadron (RNZAF): Second World War, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RNZAF/No_20_sqn_RNZAF.html, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[5] New Zealand Airforce, ‘History’, http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history/wwii.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[6] John Macaulay Sutherland Ross, ‘Chapter 18 Base organisation in New Zealand 1943 – 45’, Royal New Zealand Airforce, http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF-c18.html, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[7] Unknown, ‘Wright Cyclone series’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Cyclone_series, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[8] Unknown, ‘Whitney Wasp Series’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_Wasp_series, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[9] New Zealand Air Force, ’40 squadron’, http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/squadrons/40-squadron/40-squadron-history.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[10] Unknown, ‘Defence of Fiji’, Auckland Star, 10 November 1944, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19441110.2.55, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[11] NZ Serials, ‘RNZAF Hudson’, http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzhudson.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.

[12] New Zealand Air force, ‘World War 2’, http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/who-we-are/history/wwii.htm, Accessed 17/19/2019.