Christmas 2021 Newsletter

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CLUB PROGRAMME   to May 2022

NB: Subject to Covid Lockdown Restrictions

Tuesday              21 December                    Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

2022

Tuesday              18 January                         Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              1   February                       Committee Meeting                                                       1230

Tuesday              1   February                       Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              15 February                      Club Luncheon                    Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              1   March                             Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              15 March                            Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              29 March                            Committee Meeting       (To be confirmed)

Tuesday              29 March                            Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              12 April                               Club Luncheon                    Club Lounge                   1330

Monday               25 April                               ANZAC DAY and Club Social afternoon

Note: The social after the ANZAC service replaces the social originally set for 26^th April

Tuesday              10 May                                 Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

Tuesday              24 May                                 Club Social Afternoon      Club Lounge                   1330

PRESIDENTS NOTE

Greetings from the Flight Deck

What a year.   Thank goodness time goes faster the older you get so we won’t have to put up with 2021 for too much longer.

Covid19 has continued to disrupt or at least complicate our plans for the year and sadly we needed to cancel our Battle of Britain commemoration and two Tuesday afternoon teas.

We have a continuing very good relationship with the Air Force Museum and we have used that to establish a way that we can meet safely.   It is working well, culminating in a fantastic Christmas buffet in the Brevet Lounge on 7 December.   As part of the new access guidelines for the Museum under Covid19, I checked vaccine status with all those attending the lunch and I was stoked to find that everyone was double vaccinated and had downloaded the vaccine pass.

The ravages of time continue to affect us and sadly this year we have lost another four World War II Veterans:  Jack Dawber – 2 weeks after his 100^th birthday, Rob Rowley – 2 months after his 100^th, Alan Davis and our Patron Laurie Turner.   Rest in Peace.

We are very privileged to still have six Vets on our books and we celebrated an early birthday last Tuesday with Derek Morten who turns 100 on 21 December.   Congratulations Derek.

2022 will be on us before we know it and we hope that our lives won’t be ruled by Covid19 or the Government.   Our programme begins again on Tuesday 18 January and then continues fortnightly.

Meantime Diann and I hope that you all have a very safe and happy Christmas and holiday season.

Kevin J

DEREK -  Brevet Club Member since 1998

The following about this handsome young man is copied from the website of the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, Devonport, Auckland, and some comments added after a chat to Derek.

Lieutenant Derek Morten joined the Royal New Zealand Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1942 as a Naval Airman 2nd Class.  He spent a short time at the training establishment HMNZS TAMAKI on Motuihe Island before proceeding to Britain -via Halifax, Canada- onboard the merchant ship CAPETOWN CASTLE for airman training.  After eight months at the training establishment HMS ST VINCENT he volunteered for training in the United States. Morten sailed to Boston onboard the troopship QUEEN MARY then to the flying school at Grosse Ile, an American Naval Flying School just outside Detroit.  Further training followed at a flying school in Pensacola from May to September 1943, after which he qualified as a pilot, joining a British training squadron, 732.  By March 1943 Morten was a member of 1841 squadron, flying Corsair fighter aircraft.  He returned to Britain onboard the aircraft carrier HMS SMITER arriving in June 1944.  His squadron joined the fleet aircraft carrier HMS FORMIDABLE for operations against the TIRPITZ which was moored in a Norwegian fjord.  Morten was involved with four attacks on this ship on 17^th July 1944, and 22^nd, 24^th, and 29^th  of August,  the mission on 22^nd being aborted due to bad weather, and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts.

HMS FORMIDABLE then joined the British Pacific Fleet for operations over the Japanese mainland.  On one occasion the carrier took a direct Kamikaze hit to the flight deck which burrowed it’s way almost to the keel, causing considerable damage.  Derek and others were diverted to another carrier in the vicinity.  With some frantic engineering work including using fast setting concrete to bog up the hole and large dent in the flight deck they were operational again within 4 or 5 hours and Derek and others flew back to their ship. Following flak damage at 12,000 feet over Mainland Japan Derek managed to get himself out to sea for a successful ditching.  He spent some hours in a rubber dinghy before being picked up by an American submarine and was consequently Mentioned in Despatches.  By this stage World War II was drawing to a close; HMS FORMIDABLE, which at that time had sustained some damage, was sent to Sydney, Australia for repairs and Morten himself was flown back to New Zealand for leave.

Derek Morten was discharged on the 31st December 1945 having attained the rank of Lieutenant.

In a recent conversation with Derek he observed that he was surprised (!!!) when the American submarine USS PETO surfaced alongside him and his dinghy. He spent 10 days on the submarine and the crew made him very welcome.  They put him to good use with some signal work, and in quiet times ask him to join them in a poker game.  Derek said he had no idea how to play poker, US Navy style, and of course had no money with him as well.  The crew showed him how to play their way and said they would cover his debt.  When they reached port Derek received a cash payment for his winnings, which was a surprise.  When he got back to New Zealand there was a letter waiting for him with an explanation that the sub crew reworked their calculations and there was a further cash settlement from his poker games!  Their arrival in port coincided with the end of the war and as US Navy vessels were “dry” the captain broke out the medicinal spirits for a small tot all round.  There was just enough left for one extra tot and the crew insisted that it should go to their KIWI survivor.

On one memorable occasion Derek’s wingman’s aircraft suffered severe damage, and he also reported total loss of oil pressure.  They reached the carrier safely and after landing the engineers noted a large chunk of timber embedded between the lower front engine cylinders, they noted all of the external damage, the loss of oil pressure and they simply pushed it over the side – problem solved!  As Derek said, great aircraft, got his mate home safely.

Derek noted that he never flew a British aircraft operationally, and he really enjoyed his time on the clipped wing Corsair and aircraft carriers.

“I hope you’ve brought a face mask”

Keith Jolly, Editor

The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance