Operation: Air-to-ground strafing exercises

Date: 19th December 1944 (Tuesday)

Unit: No. 22 (NZ) Squadron

Type: Vought Corsair F4U-1

Serial: NZ5377

Code: 377

Base: Pallikulo], Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides

Location: Coral Sea off Malekula Island

Pilot: Sgt. Warwick Arthur Turner NZ/439277 Age 19. Missing - believed killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

During the sortie and on recovery after a firing pass the pilot radioed that his engine was running roughly and that fumes were entering the cockpit.
No further communication was received and shortly afterwards, at 09:25 hrs, the Corsair dived from 1,000 feet into the sea off Malekula Island, 3 miles SW of Naverra Point.

Burial and further details:

Sgt. Warwick Arthur Turner. Bourail Memorial. Panel 8. Born at Auckland on the 21st July, 1925. (The CWGC Commission incorrectly lists his age as 20) Educated at Auckland Grammar School. When applying for enlistment in aircrew on the 18th April 1943 he was employed as a shipping clerk by John Chambers and Son Ltd., at Auckland. Enlisted at Omaka on the 18th. June 1943 as a member of the Air Training Scheme, amployed at the Delta and Taieri on ground duties until remustered to aircrew and posted to the Initial Training Wing.

He was posted to Rotorua on the 12th. November 1943• Posted again to Taieri early in January 1949 for his elementary flying training and then on the 10th March to No. 2. Service Flying Training, School, Woodbourne, Blenheim. Here, on the 7th. July, he was awarded his wings and promoted to sergeant. At the age of 18, being the youngest pilot to have passed out of his training station, and he also won his flight trophy for bombing. During September he converted to the Kittyhawk at Ohakea and posted to Ardmore on the 21st. October prior to posting overseas. embarked for service in theSouth Pacific on the 12th December, and was posted to Los Negros. At the date of his loss he had accrued 331 flying hours with 30 on the Corsair.

Son of Cpl. William Arthur (died 15th February 1939, age 44 - 3/1431 NZ Medical Corps - thought due to exposer to Xrays) and Margaret Neville Way Turner (née White - died 23rd January 1974, age 81) of 99 Karangahape Road, Mount Albert,, Auckland, New Zealand. Brother of Beverley Neville (later Gilmore - died 03rd September 2001, age 79). Her husband, Graham Henry Gilmore (died 18th April 2005, age 84) was also serving in the RNZAF.

Above: L-R: Rear; G.W Wendgal, George Martin Chapman, James Aaron Potter, Frederick Malcolm Silich, Norman Cecil Stanley
Centre; D,M Woodhead, Alec Wallace Teschner, James Oliphant Stewart, Hugh Halbert Lockie, Mundell Hall Thomson, Donald Benjamin Pollard.
Front; John Desmond Teehan, James David Watson, Lieutenant R.M Webb, Sergeant J.H Scott, Second Lieutenant W.A Yorke, Lieutenant G.H Twigden, Warwick Arthur Turner (Courtesy Air Museum of New Zealand)

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the extensive research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, New Zealand Cenotaph, Weekly News of New Zealand, Air Museum of New Zealand, Museum of Transport and Technology, Auckland.

Other sources as quoted below:

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
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