Another piece of history

 

One thing that keeps me doing thing blog is the contributions or questions I get from people who have read the blog. Sometime ago I had correspondence with a reader of the blog saying "I think my father was the first to fly and land on the Chathams. I have pictures documenting it but would be nice to confirm if this is accurate."

The operative word in what he wrote was "land" as opposed to "alight" (as in the flying boats).

In my history of air services to the Chathams, drawing on records in Archives NZ, I wrote...

In 1956 the Barker Brothers looked at developing an airfield at Hapupu despite the Chatham Island County Council thinking the site was too inaccessible. The Minister of Civil Aviation wrote to the Barkers stating that “If you are prepared to proceed at your own or local expense without Government support at this stage in constructing the NW-SE airstrip, then conditional on the Hapupu site being finally chosen for the aerodrome for Chatham Islands I will be prepared to recommend to Government reimbursement of agreed on and substantial cost of construction of the airstrip up to 60% of the cost with a top limit of Government subsidy of £2,000.” On the 25th of August 1956, the Barker Brothers replied that they had already commenced preparation of the Hapupu airstrip and this was ready for use by May 1957. 

Later there was a press release that read...

The first flight into Hapupu was made by the Civil Aviation Administration’s Douglas DC-3 ZK-AUJ on the 15th of May 1957. The 4000x400 feet airfield was built along a slight ridge of sand and shell composition and  had “a well-drained surface, with a thick sole of grass."  The first flight was flown by Captain Hewitt with First Officer George, Navigator Duke, Radio Officer Vaughan and Flight Engineer Young making up the rest of the crew. Also on board were Messrs Halley and Andrews of C.A.A. and Mr Pritchard of the Ministry of Works.

After some time Mike Sawyers emailed me with the photos which are posted in no particular order... He also wrote that the family story was that it was "an unofficial trip and took some mail."

In light of the photos I wrote to Mike saying:

The photos are definitely 1956 or early 1957... I can tell that from two facts 

- the airfield wasn't completed until early 1957...

- the RNZAF roundel included a fern painted in the red centre red from early 1957.

I then found a reference to a flight in 1957 from the Air Mail Society of New Zealand as follows;

1957, 25 July - OHAKEA-CHATHAM ISLANDS FLIGHT

By RNZAF Douglas Dakota of No.42 Transport Squadron on a training exercise, landing at the Hapupu airstrip. It is reported that some mail was flown but the report is not confirmed.

The question remains, were these photos taken before the Civil Aviation Department's DC-3 ZK-AUJ landed there on the 15th of May 1957?

Mike then checked his father's logbook. Squadron Leader Kenneth A Sawyer DFC was commander of the RNZAF's 42 Squadron from September 1955 to November 1959. His log book shows a lot of flights to the Chathams

This looks to be the first flight, on the 25th of June 1956! However, as stated above, on the 25th of August 1956, the Barker Brothers wrote to Wellington that they have commenced preparation of the Hapupu airstrip... so this would have been too soon. 

A second flight appears on the 16th of October 1956. This could fit the photo as the roundels are not carrying the fern which was introduced until January 1957. I also think the airfield looks too established, especially after it was still being cleared in August 1956. 

Squadron Leader Sawyers logbook shows more flights in the next two years. This is entry for the 17th of January 1957 in NZ3551 which does not match the photos. 

This flight is the 4th of June 1957 with Douglas C47 Dakota NZ3553 which matches the photo... but already by then the airfield had been visited by the Civil Aviation Division DC-3 ZK-AUJ.

And here is the entry that I believe matches the photo, on the 30th of July 1957 with the annotation "The first RNZAF landing on the strip" flown by Squadron Leader Kenneth A Sawyer with Flight Lieutenant Garrett, Flying Officer Webster, Sargeant Newman and Leading Aircraftman Lusby. On board were Group Captain Turner, 6 passengers and mail. 

There certainly looks as if other people were there which makes it clear the aircraft was expected

So I think the mystery is solved, not the first flight, but certainly the first RNZAF flight.

There is just one problem... the roundel doesn't have the fern. So how quickly were the ferns added to the roundel? 

Squadron Leader Kenneth A Sawyer logbook records other flights, on the 3rd of December 1957...

the 20th of May 1958 (which was a night flight)...

and the 9th of March 1959.

Whether these flights landed or not is not shown, but this does give a little history of the first RNZAF landing on the Chathams by a wheeled aircraft and also the RNZAF's cross country exercises over the Chatham Islands.

I have updated the history of the RNZAF's air service to the Chathams accordingly, see : http://3rdlevelnz.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-rnzaf-pioneering-air-services-to.html

And Mike says, "I suspect perhaps first RNZAF flight but as I said all just second hand info to me. Still an interesting family history and I hope to get to the Chathams early next year." I hope Air Chathams look after you Mike. Thanks for sharing the family history.