Another Newey family photo album has recently been scanned and these “new” images have surfaced, taken during Gerry Newey’s Wireless Operator / Air Gunner training in Canada, in the summer and fall of 1943. Gerry had sent them home to the family and they ended up in the photo album of his youngest brother David.
Gerry spent six months at 3 Wireless School in Winnipeg, from the 23rd of March 1943 to the 1st of October.
– David Newey collection.
– David Newey collection.
The Wireless trainees were granted Mid-Term Leave from the 19th to the 27th of June.
This is probably when Gerry and his mates visited Devil’s Gap Lodge, Kenora, a Canadian Pacific Railway Company holiday resort about 130 miles West of Winnipeg.
– David Newey collection.
Lou Bartlett at left and possibly Quigley next to Gerry.
– David Newey collection.
– David Newey collection.
How exciting it must have been for the young Kiwi trainees, experiencing and exploring a new country, most on their first trip overseas.
After completing their Bombing & Gunnery course at Mossbank, the freshly-graduated WAGs were given pre-embarkation leave in the week of 23-29 November 1943, just before heading up to Halifax to sail for England. Like most of the Kiwis training in Canada, this was an opportunity to experience the bright lights of New York.
– David Newey collection.
Sergeant Allan Oliver Walkington RAAF was a fellow WAG, hailing from Kensington, South Australia. Presumably he and Gerry trained together.
Primrose House was a famous, upmarket cosmetics company, and the “Salon” was it’s headquarters on Park Avenue. Perhaps Gerry took the photo to impress his sisters back in NZ?
Sadly Allan Walkington was killed in a Dakota flying accident in Burma in June 1945, right at the end of the war.
– Thanks to Elizabeth King for sharing these photos from her Dad’s photo album.