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OBITUARY

Born on the 22nd July 1915 - Died 15th March 1990, age 74.

Page information and photographs contributed by his son, Geoffrey Blake

A teacher prior to service.

Ossie Matthews was a friend of my father, Nelson Blake, and they both did their air force pilot training in the No. 4 War Course in 1940.

Above: No. 4 War Course, RNZAF Station Woodbourne, 1940 (Awards placed but earned later)

Rear: George Montgomerie Marshall DFM. NZ/391841 (killed 30th July 1941, age 23 - see here), Maurice Richard Clarke MiD. DFC. NZ/391824 (died 11th August 2002, age 82), Robert Ewen Ernest Fotheringham NZ/391833 (missing 16th July 1941, age 29 - see here), Ian Laurie Reid NZ/391846 (missing 03rd July 1941, age 23), Mervyn Evans NZ/391832 (killed 24th July 1941, age 25), Henry Augustine Dobbyn NZ/391831 (missing 25th February 1942, age 22).
Centre: Charles Campbell White NZ/391854, T.M. De Denne NZ/3918, G.H. Francis DFC, Phillip Ronald Coney NZ/391825, Richard Webb NZ/391853 DSO. DFC. Freeman Jesse Steel NZ/391370 (died 12th July 2004, age 86 - see here), W.H. Birtwistle,
Front: Allen Gerald Sievers NZ/391848 (died 19 February 1992, age 77), A.G. Shaw, H.L. Thomas, Arthur Joseph Hyams NZ/391837 (missing 25th June 1943, age 31), John Rae Hutcheson DFC. NZ/39967 (Died 14th July 1985, age 73), Oswald Arthur Matthews nz/391842 (killed 07th July 1941, age 20), Cristen Stewart Greager NZ/391836 (/PoW Stalag Luft Heydekrug), Nelson Blake NZ/2132 (died 15th March 1990, age 74)

The Vildebeest was a very large 2-3 seat all-metal biplane, typical of those produced in Britain during the inter-war period.

During its time with the RNZAF, the Vildebeest was used in a variety of roles including coastal defence, general reconnaissance, aircrew training and target drogue towing. Half the aircraft were written off in accidents, and by mid-1943 the remaining aircraft had begun to outlive their usefulness and were gradually broken up for scrap.

During the last stage of training, solo night flying, Nelson crashed the Vildebeest trainer on landing, destroyed the plane and was lucky to survive. He misjudged the landing due to a boxing eye injury and it seems as if the undercarriage collapsed.

Due to the eye injury, which occurred during a boxing tournament in 1939, Nelson had to close one eye when looking down as he saw double. The eye specialist he saw in 1939 informed him a nerve over the eye was bruised and the injury was temporary, but it took 2 years for him to fully recover the use of his eye.

He was given another eye examination by the air force after the crash and was deemed to be medically unfit to fly and discharged. He then joined the navy and saw service in the Royal Navy in the Atlantic, Arctic Convoys, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Solomon Islands.

Above: 486 squadron pilots L-R: Bush, Marshall, not known, Anderson, John Clouston, Will Clouston, Sharp, Henry Dobbyn and not known.

Nelson communicated with Henry Dobbyn (Henry Augustine Dobbyn - shown above) by letter after his discharge from the air force and saw him once at Kiwi House in London but did not know the details of how he was killed until after the war had ended. Further details here.

Above: Nelson Blake left with Henry Dobbyn

Above: Fishing in 1939 with Ossie Matthews 3rd from left with Nelson Blake on his right.

Served at HMS Victory and HMS Pembroke. Awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Atlantic Star, Africa Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and the New Zealand War Service Medal.

His brother, W/Cdr. Minden Vaughan Blake's also served - his aircraft was hit by flak, this happened on the 19th August 1942 and taken PoW. He died in England on 30th November 1981 - further details here.

Nelson's wife, Alice Blake born on the 25th July 1913 - died on the 23rd October 2009, aged 96. They had two children, Barbara and Geoffrey. Nelson and Alice are buried at Howick Cemetery, Auckland, New Zealand.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of these crews with thanks to Geoffrey Blake and to the extensive research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, Weekly News of New Zealand, other sources as quoted below:

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• Last Modified: 15 December 2021, 11:28 •