| After leaving school, became a reporter with The New Zealand Herald, published in Auckland. | |
|
|
Trained for 4 months in the Civil Reserve of Pilots with the Auckland Aero Club, after graduating from Auckland University College. |
|
|
After WWII broke out, enlisted as a trainee pilot with the RNZAF |
|
|
Initial training at No.1 Elementary Flying Training School at Taieri |
|
|
No.1 Service Flying Training School at Wigram |
|
|
Awarded the Flying Badge and promoted to Sergeant |
|
|
Mervyn took embarkation leave. |
|
|
Proceeded overseas to the United Kingdom by the troop ship Akaroa. |
|
|
He arrived at No.1 Depot at Uxbridge. |
|
|
Posted to the RAF 15 O.T.U. at Harwell, Berkshire. Here and at the satellite airfield of Hampstead Norris (Norreys?) he crewed up and completed his training as Pilot of Wellington bomber aircraft. |
|
|
Posted to 218 Sqdn at Marham, Norfolk. |
|
|
Had a narrow escape from an attack on his Wellington bomber |
|
|
Posted to the RAF 27 O.T.U. at Lichfield, Staffordshire as a Staff instructor. |
|
|
Commissioned in the rank of Pilot Officer |
|
|
He was stationed at the satellite airfield of Tatenhill (from entry in Eddie Wheeler's log book where they did a test flight up to 15000 ft in DV609 on 18th March). |
|
|
Attended a course at the No.7 Flying Training School in Wiltshire. |
|
|
Promoted to Flying Officer. |
|
1 August 1942 |
Mervyn took off on his last mission from Fradley (Lichfield) at 2341. After they had completed this raid on Düsseldorf, their Wellington bomber crashed at about 3.30 am in a fruit tree garden at Huldenberg, Belgium. He and the rest of the crew died in the crash. They were buried in the Huldenberg Church-yard, approx. 23 km south-east of Brussels, by the local inhabitants ( see photographs ). |
|
|
[ McNeil
page | lost
in wars page ]