No. 489 Squadron RNZAF
489 (NZ) Squadron was formed from pilots of the Royal New Zealand Air Force on 12 August 1941 under RAF Coastal Command as an anti-submarine and reconnaissance unit.[1]
| No. 489 (New Zealand) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 12 August 1941 – 1 August 1945 |
| Country |  |
| Allegiance |  |
| Branch |  |
| Role | Anti-Shipping |
| Motto(s) | Māori: Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")[1][2] |
| Anniversaries | 12 August 1941 |
| Equipment | Bristol Beaufort, De Havilland Mosquito |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | Standing on a Torpedo, a Kiwi[1][2] |
| Squadron Codes | XA (Jan 1942 – Nov 1943)[3][4] P6 (Nov 1943 – Aug 1945)[5][6] |
History
On 19 December 1939 Article XV was promulgated, creating the Empire Air Training Scheme. Under this article provision was made for the formation of Commonwealth squadrons within the Royal Air Force (RAF). On 17 April 1941 a further agreement was negotiated allowing for six New Zealand Squadrons to be formed: 485 Sqn., 486 Sqn., 487 Sqn., 488 Sqn., 489 Sqn. and 490 Sqn. These units were manned and (mostly) commanded by New Zealanders trained under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (EATS) provisions, although this did not preclude other nationalities from being members. Administratively the "Article XV squadrons" were an integral part of the RAF, with all command appointments being made by the RAF. Other Dominion or Commonwealth countries involved were Australia and Canada, along with Rhodesia and South Africa.
No. 489 was formed at RAF Leuchars with Bristol Beauforts as a unit of Coastal Command. As Beauforts were in short supply, they were supplemented and eventually replaced by the Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVf aircraft, handed over from No. 143 Squadron RAF. These were used operationally over the North Sea and Norway. The squadron then converted to Hampdens and became a dedicated anti-submarine torpedo bomber unit in March 1942, carrying out its first torpedo attacks in July 1942 during sorties in the Trondheim fjord. The squadron converted to Beaufighters in November 1943.[1] Beaufighters were used to attack shipping in the North Sea and along the coast of German-occupied Europe as well as northern Germany and Scandinavia. From April 1944 the squadron formed part of the Anzac Strike Wing along with No. 455 Squadron RAAF. It also flew air sea rescue missions, escorted convoys and continued anti-submarine work. The squadron's last operational mission in Europe was flown off the Norwegian coast on 21 May 1945. It began to re-equip with Mosquitos in June 1945 with a view to moving to the Pacific, but following the collapse of Japan, it was disbanded on 1 August 1945, before the conversion to Mosquitoes was completed.[2]
The squadron operated from several stations: RAF Leuchars, RAF Thorney Island, RAF Wick, RAF St Eval, RAF Skitten, RAF Langham, RAF Dallachy and RAF Banff. It flew 2,380 sorties and 9,773 hours on operations. Awards to personnel serving with 489 Squadron were two Distinguished Service Orders, 19 Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Conspicuous Gallantry Medal and three Distinguished Flying Medals.
The squadron's Māori motto was Whakatanagata kia kaha, which can be translated as "Quit ye like men, Be Strong".
No 489 Squadron aircraft are known to survive, but relics are preserved at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1941 | January 1942 | Bristol Beaufort | Mk.I |
| January 1942 | March 1942 | Bristol Blenheim | Mk.IVf |
| March 1942 | November 1943 | Handley Page Hampden | Mk.I |
| November 1943 | August 1945 | Bristol Beaufighter | Mk.X |
| June 1945 | August 1945 | de Havilland Mosquito | Mk.VI |
Squadron bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 12 August 1941 | 27 February 1942 | RAF Leuchars |
| 27 February 1942 | 5 August 1942 | RAF Thorney Island |
| 9 May 1942 | 19 June 1942 | RAF St Eval (D) |
| 13 June 1942 | 19 July 1942 | RAF Abbotsinch (D)[2] |
| 12 July 1942 | 5 August 1942 | RAF Tain (D)[2] |
| March 1942 | 5 August 1942 | RAF Wick D |
| 5 August 1942 | 6 October 1943 | RAF Skitten |
| 6 October 1943 | 8 April 1944 | RAF Leuchars |
| 8 April 1944 | 24 October 1944 | RAF Langham |
| 24 October 1944 | 16 June 1945 | RAF Dallachy |
| 16 June 1945 | 1 August 1945 | RAF Banff |
Commanding officers
| From | To | Name |
|---|---|---|
| August 1941 | October 1942 | Wing Commander J.A.S. Brown |
| October 1942 | August 1943 | Wing Commander V.C. Darling |
| August 1943 | August 1944 | Wing Commander J.S. Dinsdale, DSO, DFC |
| August 1944 | February 1945 | Wing Commander L.A. Robertson |
| February 1945 | August 1945 | Wing Commander D.H. Hammond, DSO, DFC and Bar |
Awards and decorations awarded whilst serving with No. 489 Squadron
| To | Rank | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguished Service Order (DSO) | ||
| Dinsdale, John Swire | Wing Commander | 30 June 1944 |
| Hammond, Derek Harold | Wing Commander | 17 November 1944 |
| Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) | ||
| Blampied, Harold Hamon | Flight Lieutenant | 24 April 1945 |
| Branton, P.M. | Flight Lieutenant | 15 September 1944 |
| Burrowes, Edwin Fitzherbert George | Flying Officer | 1 February 1945 |
| Connell, R.H. | Flying Officer | 9 June 1944 |
| Crittenden, O.E. | Flying Officer | 21 August 1944 |
| Davidson, Thomas Henry | Flight Lieutenant | 6 November 1944 |
| Dubbery, J. | Pilot Officer (RAF) | 1 October 1943 |
| Evans, G.H.D. | Squadron Leader (RAF) | 19 April 1943 |
| Fraser, William Alexander | Flying Officer | 10 October 1944 |
| Gordon, B.G. | Warrant Officer | 23 June 1945 |
| Gow, James Gibson | Flight Lieutenant | 25 July 1944 |
| Hall, Frederick Edward | Flying Officer | 10 October 1944 |
| Hammond, Derek Harold | Wing Commander. | 18 September 1944 (Bar to DFC) |
| Hughes, Peter | Squadron Leader | 26 May 1944 |
| Jordan, S.J | Pilot Officer | 7 July 1942 |
| Kellow, Stanley William | Squadron Leader (RAFVR) | 2 April 1944 |
| McKegg, Henley Robert | Flight Lieutenant. | 1 February 1945 |
| Mann, Douglas Haig | Flying Officer | 17 April 1945 |
| Mottram, Anthony John | Flight Lieutenant (RAF) | 25 May 1943 |
| Moynihan, – | Flight Lieutenant | 5 May 1944 |
| O'Connor, John Jardon | Flying Officer | 7 November 1944 |
| O'Toole, D.I. | Flying Officer | 6 November 1944 |
| Osment, Alan Robert | Flight Lieutenant | 16 September 1944 |
| Park, Reg J A | Flying Officer | 13 December 1944 |
| Priest, Ross Sinclair | Flying Officer | 1 June 1945 |
| Reynolds, John Aldridge | Squadron Leader (RCAF) | 31 December 1944 (Bar to DFC) |
| Richardson, James Johns | Flight Lieutenant | 7 January 1943 |
| Sawyer, Kenneth Allister | Wing Commander | 27 July 1945 |
| Shand, Reginald | Flight Lieutenant | 1 February 1945 |
| Smith, Arthur Ernest | Warrant Officer | 1945 |
| Southernwood, Philip Frederick | Flight Lieutenant | 13 July 1945 |
| Spink, Frederick | Flying Officer | 25 July 1944 |
| Strain, J. | Warrant Officer (RAF) | 25 May 1943 |
| Tapper, Charles Millard | Flying Officer | 6 November 1944 |
| Taylor, Ernest Peter | Flight Lieutenant | 8 May 1945 |
| Tunnicliffe, Donald McKenzie | Pilot Officer | 15 December 1944 |
| Wallace, T. | Flying Officer | 19 April 1943 |
| Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) | ||
| Fraser, William Alexander | Flying Officer | 19 April 1943 |
| Graham, Maxwell Henry John | Flight Sergeant | 21 January 1945 |
| Parrish, Ernest George | Flight Sergeant (RAF) | 13 June 1944 |
| Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM) | ||
| Langley, Marcus Louis | Flying Officer | 13 June 1944 |
| Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) | ||
| Kerr, Robert Angus | Flight Lieutenant | 14 June 1945 |
| Mentioned in Dispatches (MiD) | ||
| Dunn, Ralph Carson | Flight Lieutenant | 14 January 1944 |
Roll of honour August 1941 to August 1945
| Bacon, Frederick William | 4 April 1943 |
| Baillie, William Russell | 31 March/1 April 1944 |
| Barnard, Anthony Edgar Buchanan | 14 April 1943 |
| Billington, Harold Joseph | 31 March/1 April 1944 |
| Bolding, Theodore | 25 September 1944 |
| Brandon, Charles Henry | 14/15 September 1942 |
| Brightwell, John Mostyn | 14 April 1945 |
| Brown, Alexander George | 14/15 September 1942 |
| Brown, Alfred George Greenwood | 23 January 1943 |
| Burt, Robert Erskine | 13 February 1943 |
| Cameron, William Hugh Iain | 19 May 1944 |
| Carlson, Stanley Carl Walter | 28/29 October 1942 |
| Chapman, Douglas Launcelot Blackmore | 5 June 1944 |
| Clegg, Tom Ransley | 14 June 1944 |
| Douglas, Wallace John | 4 April 1943 |
| Easton, Reginald William | 19 May 1943 |
| Fisher, Henry Guy | 28/29 October 1942 |
| Foy, Edgar Joseph | 14 April 1945 |
| Freeman, Sydney | 5 June 1944 |
| Freshney, Charles John | 4 April 1943 |
| Fricker, Douglas John | 10 August 1944 |
| Gaitens, James Joseph | 22 July 1942 |
| Garrison, Wilfred Reed | 1 November 1944 |
| Griffiths, Ivor | 13 April 1943 |
| Heffernan, Neville Alexander | 28 January 1945 |
| Hey, Ronald John William | 8 August 1944 |
| Holobrow, Frederick Michael | 13 April 1943 |
| Horwood, Cyril Ernest | 2 October 1941 |
| Hughes, Thomas Edward | 1 November 1944 |
| Hurley, John Joseph | 11 August 1942 |
| Jones, George Arroll | 11 August 1942 |
| Keeping, John Ross | 19 May 1943 |
| Kellow, Stanley William | 10 August 1944 |
| Lanigan, William Percival | 4 April 1943 |
| Latta, Selwyn | 9 April 1943 |
| Lawrence, Jack Bailey | 28/29 October 1942 |
| Leslie, Raymond William Gibson | 28 January 1945 |
| London, Jack Adrian Colin | 8 April 1942 |
| Lowcock, Charles Henry | 14 May 1944 |
| McAllister, John | 9 April 1943 |
| McEachern, Gerard Joseph | 19 May 1943 |
| MacErlich, William James | 13 April 1943 |
| McKechnie, William | 1 July 1943 |
| MacQuacker, Robert | 19 May 1944 |
| Maguire, James | 23 January 1943 |
| Morrison, John Kendall | 26 April 1945 |
| Moynihan, Frederick Kingsmill | 17 June 1944 |
| Murray, Thomas Donald Gordon | 14/15 September 1942 |
| Newman, Douglas | 14/15 September 1942 |
| Nugent, Royden Leslie | 14 April 1945 |
| Oliver, Jack Moss | 1/2 April 1944 |
| Parkin, Graham George | 19 April 1945 |
| Pettitt, Ivan Alfred | 14 May 1944 |
| Pollard, Cyrus Ralph | 17 June 1944 |
| Priest, Cedric Hubert Owen | 8 March 1942 |
| Richardson, Alan | 13 February 1943 |
| Riches, Leslie | 22 July 1942 |
| Salmond, William Clive | 23 January 1943 |
| Selthun, Leo Norman | 9 April 1943 |
| Shepperd, John Henry | 23 January 1943 |
| Smith, Geoffrey Harcourt | 9 April 1943 |
| Spink, Frederick Ellis | 8 August 1944 |
| Stourton, Brinley Edward | 20 April 1944 |
| Stuchbery, Lloyd Robert | 28 January 1945 |
| Toombs, William Henry Clemens | 29 December 1943 |
| Triptree, Alan Charles | 11 August 1942 |
| Tuck, William Robert | 30 July 1944 |
| Wait, Stanley William | 1 February 1944 |
| Walpole, Sydney Herbert | 9 April 1943 |
| Ward, Ronald Leslie | 4 April 1943 |
| Warde, Brian James Douglas | 22 July 1942 |
| Wheeler, Denis Walton | 9 April 1943 |
| White, Robert Lawrence | 20 April 1944 |
| Whitsed, Edward Miles | 19 May 1943 |
| Wilkinson, Francis Henry | 8 March 1943 |
| Wilkinson, Frederick Raymond | 26 April 1945 |
| Woodcock, William Robertson | 12 August 1944 |
| Wrench, Horace | 13 February 1943 |
| Wright, James Alan Skirrow | 19 May 1944 |
| Wright, Laurie Aubrey | 19 May 1944 |
See also
- New Zealand Article XV squadrons (for an explanation of the official status and naming of these units).
References
Notes
- Rawlings 1982, p. 224.
- Halley 1988, p. 532.
- Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 113.
- Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 117.
- Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 84.
- Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 96.
- Rawlings 1982, p. 225.
- Jefford 2001, p. 95.
- Bowyer 1984, p. 113.
- No.489 Squadron RNZAF on rafcommands
- New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
- Burrows 2006. This list is incomplete – several other Squadron members were mentioned in dispatches.
- http://www.cwgc.org, ORB – 489 Squadron, RNZAF Museum, Christchurch NZ and David Burrowes
Bibliography
- Bowyer, Chaz (1984). Mosquito Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-1425-6.
- Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Bar Hill, Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- Burrowes, David M., ed. (November 2006). 489 – An Unofficial History of No. 489 Torpedo Bomber Squadron RNZAF, 1941 to 1945. Nelson, New Zealand: David Burrowes. ISBN 978-0-473-11888-4.
- Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, C.G.. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Morris, Gerard S. (2000). Spitfire, the New Zealand Story. Auckland, New Zealand: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0696-0.
- Rawlings, John D.R. (1982). Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.
- Tunnicliffe, Donald McKenzie (1990). From Bunnies to Beaufighters: the Autobiography of Donald McKenzie Tunnicliffe, DFC, incorporating a history of 489 Squadron RNZAF, November 1943–May 1945. Christchurch, New Zealand: Alan Tunnicliffe. ISBN 0-9597830-2-4.
- Thompson, Wing Commander H.L. (1953). New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force (Vol.I): European Theatre September 1939 – December 1942. Wellington, New Zealand: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs.
- Thompson, Wing Commander H.L. (1956). New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force (Vol. II)]: European Theatre January 1943 – December 1945. Wellington, New Zealand: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs.
External links
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