Operation: Ferry Flight     Date: 

24th April 1944 (Monday)     

Unit: 19 Squadron RNZAF

Type: P-40N Warhawk ⁽¹⁾     

Serial: NZ3130 and NZ3212     

Base: Kukum, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

Location: Coral Sea

Pilot (NZ3130): Fl/Sgt Keith Leonard Armstrong  NZ4215111  RNZAF  Age 22. Missing - believed killed

Pilot (NZ3212): F/O Henry Joseph Benedict Veint  NZ416559  RNZAF  Age 22. Missing - believed killed

Reason for Loss

On what began as a routine ferry mission, NZ3130 and NZ3212 were among eighteen P-40N Warhawks being transferred in two separate flights. To assist the relatively short-ranged fighters on the long overwater leg, each flight was accompanied by two Avro Hudson twin-engine aircraft - one acting as Navigation Leader to guide the formation, and a second serving as a safety aircraft equipped with Lindholme rescue gear ⁽²⁾ in case any pilot was forced to ditch.

Around midday, conditions began to deteriorate. As the Hudson leading the flight pressed on through patches of light drizzle, its windscreen became obscured, temporarily blinding the crew to what lay ahead. When visibility was restored moments later, a large cumulus cloud loomed directly in the flight path - too close and too sudden to avoid.

Above: Group of No. 19 Squadron Sergeant pilots in front of the 'Club Kiwi' tent, during their first tour. Torokina, Bougainville.]

L-R: Rear: C.F. Tappin, R.L. Smith, K.W. Wright, J. McR. Calder, K.L. Armstrong. Front: F.T. Symon, J.M. Knight, C.E. Palmer, R.L. Bayly. (Courtesy Air Museum of New Zealand)

Flight Sergeant Keith Leonard Armstrong, at the controls of NZ3130, and Flying Officer Henry Joseph Benedict Veint, flying NZ3212, plunged into the cloud alongside the rest of the formation. Unlike the others, however, neither man emerged from the other side. Somehow, in the disorienting grey murk of the cloud, both Warhawks became separated from the group and vanished. They were never seen again.

Attempts were made to raise the missing pilots by radio, but signals proved too weak to establish any useful contact. Search aircraft were subsequently dispatched to scour the area, but despite sustained efforts, no trace of either aircraft or pilot was ever found. Both men have no known grave. They are today commemorated side by side on the Bourail Memorial in New Caledonia, a lasting tribute to two pilots lost to the unforgiving Pacific sky.

Burial Details

Fl/Sgt Keith Leonard Armstrong - Bourail Memorial, Panel 7. Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery, New Caledonia. Born 9th June 1921 in Hastings. Next of kin: brother Kenneth Edward Armstrong (died 2017, age 90), Petone, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand; and sister Mrs Joan Esplin, Wellington, New Zealand. Note the CWGC incorrectly list his final rank as Sgt. (See service record below.)

F/O Henry Joseph Benedict Veint - Bourail Memorial, Panel 5. Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery, New Caledonia. Born 2nd April 1922 in Invercargill. Son of Robert Veint (died 1961, age 84) and Myrtle Grace Veint (nee Carey, died 1958, age 72), of 35 Nelson Street, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. (See service record below.)

(1) The P-40N Warhawk

The P-40N Warhawk was the final and most-produced variant of the Curtiss P-40 series. Key facts relevant to Armstrong and Veint's story:

• Single-engine, single-seat fighter and ground attack aircraft.
• The RNZAF operated many P-40s (known as both Warhawks and Kittyhawks depending on the mark) throughout the Pacific campaign.
• Many squadron aircraft carried distinctive shark-mouth nose art.
• The P-40N was lighter than earlier marks, improving performance somewhat, but it was considered outclassed by Japanese fighters at altitude - hence its primary use for low-level ground attack and escort duties.
• Range was a known limitation, making the ferry flight from Guadalcanal to Espiritu Santo (roughly 560 miles over open ocean) a genuinely demanding mission.
• Flying in cloud formation without modern instruments or reliable radio was extremely dangerous - exactly the conditions described in the loss report.

The fact that eighteen P-40s were ferrying together in two flights, each with Hudson escorts for navigation, underlines how seriously the RNZAF took the risks involved - and yet the cloud encounter still proved fatal for Armstrong and Veint.

(2) Lindholme Gear

Invented by Group Captain E.F. Waring at RAF Lindholme, the apparatus consisted of five cylinder-shaped containers connected by floating ropes:

• Central Container: Held a robust, nine-man inflatable dinghy built to withstand rough seas.
• Four Outer Containers: Housed essential supplies including fresh water, food rations, protective clothing, and first-aid kits.
• Carried in the Hudson: The equipment was stowed securely in the weapons and bomb bay of the aircraft.
• The Drop: The crew would fly upwind of survivors and release the containers in a long line.
• The Rescue: The dinghy inflated on impact with the water. Survivors would grab the floating ropes, haul in the connected containers, and await physical rescue.

The Cemetery

The cemetery was designed by C.P. Vize and constructed by New Zealand authorities. The remains of approximately 200 casualties were concentrated into it from 14 other islands across the South Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Vella Lavella, Mono, Bougainville, and other islands in the Solomon Islands. There are 246 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War in the cemetery, of which 4 are unidentified - 235 are New Zealanders, and 7 are from the United Kingdom.

The entrance on the south-western side leads through a terrace adjoining the Records building to a wide central avenue which curves between two double rows of graves to the Cross of Sacrifice, erected on a raised circular platform at the northern end.

The Bourail Memorial

Standing immediately behind the Cross of Sacrifice is the Bourail Memorial, commemorating those members of the New Zealand Land and Air Forces and Merchant Navy, together with members of the Western Pacific Local Forces, who died during operations in the South Pacific area and have no known grave.

The Memorial consists of a curved screen wall with pierced wing walls of brick. Names are recorded on 12 bronze panels affixed to the main wall - the first nine bearing the names of New Zealanders, and the remaining three carrying the names of men of the Western Pacific Local Forces. Above the panels is the inscription:

1939-1945. These officers and men of the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Western Pacific Local Forces served and died in the Southern Pacific on land and at sea.

The Memorial commemorates over 200 members of the New Zealand Land and Air Forces and Merchant Navy, and 169 members of the Western Pacific Local Forces. Among those commemorated is Fl/Sgt Ronald Lawrence Bayly RNZAF, whose name is recorded on Panel 6.

An ANZAC Day ceremony is held at the cemetery each year, attended by representatives of both New Zealand and New Caledonian communities.

Sources and Acknowledgements

• Errol Martyn, For Your Tomorrow, Volumes 1-3
• Aircrew Remembered Archives
• New Zealand Cenotaph
• Air Museum of New Zealand
• Wikipedia

Service History - Fl/Sgt Keith Leonard Armstrong

• NZ4215111. Born Hastings, 9 June 1921.
• Educated at Hutt Valley High School, Mt Albert Grammar School, Auckland, and Auckland University College.
• Occupation: Farm hand on Mrs E.A. Hall's farm at Horotiu.
• NZ Army/Territorial Force (2nd Waikato Regiment), 22 May 1942.
• RNZAF Omaka as Aircrafthand (ADU), 27 November 1942.
• Rukuhia, 22 January 1943.
• Remuster as Aircrew under training and ITW, 1 April 1943.
• Remuster as Airman Pilot under training, 27 May 1943.
• 2 EFTS, 29 May 1943.
• 2 SFTS, 22 July 1943.
• Pilot's Badge [with effect from c.27 September 1943] and Sergeant, 20 November 1943.
• 2 OTU (P-40), 12 December 1943.
• 19 Squadron (P-40), 2 February 1944.
• With squadron to Pacific, 17 February 1944.
• Killed in air action, 24 April 1944.
• Bourail Memorial - Panel 7.
• Brother of Kenneth Edward Armstrong, Petone; sister Mrs Joan Esplin, Wellington.

Service History - F/O Henry Joseph Benedict Veint

• NZ416559. Born Invercargill, 2 April 1922.
• Educated at Christian Brothers High School, Dunedin (1st XI/XV and Athletic Champion).
• Occupation: Clerk, Social Security Department, Dunedin.
• RNZAF Levin/ITW as Airman Pilot under training, 30 November 1941.
• 1 EFTS, 10 January 1942. First solo, 22 January 1942.
• 2 SFTS, 6 March 1942.
• Pilot's Badge [with effect from 5 May 1942], Commission, and Air HQ, 11 July 1942 (and attached Trentham for course).
• 6 Squadron (Hind), 22 August 1942.
• 21 Squadron (Hind), 30 September 1942.
• 20 Squadron (Hind), 20 October 1942.
• 18 Squadron (P-40), 24 June 1943.
• 17 Squadron (P-40) and with squadron to Pacific, 6 August 1943.
• Slightly injured after mid-air collision with US Corsair and bailed out over sea - rescued one hour later, 12 August 1943. [Next flew 18 August 1943.]
• Left squadron and returned to New Zealand, 15 September 1943.
• Woodbourne, 4 October 1943.
• To Pacific for flying control duties, 17 October 1943.
• Ondonga fighter strip as strip controller, 22 October 1943.
• Returned to New Zealand and PRD, 23 November 1943.
• 18 Squadron (P-40), 11 December 1943.
• 19 Squadron (P-40), 15 [31?] December 1943.
• With squadron to Pacific, 18 February 1944.
• Killed in air action, 24 April 1944.
• Bourail Memorial - Panel 5.
• Son of Robert and Myrtle Grace Veint (nee Carey), Dunedin.

Group. 19 Squadron personnel in front of the 'Club Kiwi' tent, during their first tour.  Torokina, Bougainville. 

L-R: Back; K.L. Armstrong, R.W Paterson, G.R Youngs, G.R Bertram, J.E Sanders, A.M Hollings (Intelligence Officer), N.A Pirie, D.M Hutton, H.J.B Veint, AA Watson. 
Cenre: C.C White, D.A Youngs, P.S Green, H.R Wigley (Commanding Officer), J.R Court, P.D Gifford, D.E Hogan DFC. 
Front: C.E Palmer, J.McR Calder, C.F Tappin, J.M Knight (with dog), R.L Bayly, K.W Wright, R.W Smith, FT Symon.