Airmen’s stories uncovered by Army Bay historian

Wellington solicitor Alfred de Bathe Brandon became the toast of London for two spectacular attacks on German Zepplins. The officers of 85 Squadron with their collection of animals, acquired in France.

Uncovering the stories of New Zealand’s World War I pilots has been a fascinating journey for Massey University history lecturer Adam Claasen of Army Bay.

He took on the task of writing a book on the subject as his contribution to the First World War Centenary History Programme’s official history series; next year marks the anniversary of the end of World War I.

More than 800 Kiwi airmen (and a few women) served in the airforce, flying in operations over the Western Front, North and East Africa, London and the British Isles yet little has been written about their contribution to the war effort.

Adam spent three years immersed in the research and writing for his recently published book Fearless, drawing on primary materials such as letters, diaries, flying logbooks and official documents. His family also got in on the act, with wife Sandra taking more than 13,000 photographs of documents at the British National Archives at Kew – much of which has not yet been digitized.

Adam says that many men saw the airforce as a chance for adventure, and, in some cases, as an escape from the trenches. The airforce was seen as the glamourous one, with great prestige and higher pay and had no trouble with recruitment.

“Discipline was more lax and they had freedom of action and movement compared with the ground based forces,” Adam says.

The seat of the pants flying of the day saw around a fifth of all aircorps losses happen in training. High numbers were also taken as prisoners of war.

Adam says he called the book Fearless because the airmen knew of the great dangers that lay ahead, yet they flew anyway.

Women are few and far between, as reflects the times, but one, Madeline Rankin from Stewart Island was a motorcycle dispatch rider, heading between airfields and enjoying many flights with daring young men.

The book also tells the story of Harriet Simeon, who was New Zealand’s highest ranking woman in the Women’s Royal Air Force.

This is Adam’s third book. He specialises in the NZ military experience, German history and World War II and says his fascination with war came from reading commando comics as a boy as well as watching A World At War and Colditz on TV.

He says as a specialist in the Second World War he knew little about the World War I airmen to start with but leapt at the chance to write the book as the topic hadn’t been done before.

“As soon as I started I was taken by the people, the drama of the stories and the sacrifices they made,” Adam says.

Hibiscus Matters has one copy of Fearless by Adam Claasen to give away.

To go in the draw, message us on Facebook or write your name, address and daytime phone number on the back of an envelope and post to Fearless, Hibiscus Matters, Unit G, Tamariki Plaza, 18 Tamariki Ave, Orewa 0931.

Entries close November 17.