1937: No. 75 Squadron
March 14, 2022
By AHNZ
On 15 March, 1937, No. 75 Squadron was reformed by the Royal Air Force. New Zealand poured her men and resources into this British squadron from an early date.
On 1 October 1946 this Kiwi squadron was transferred to the New Zealand Royal Airforce. Not just the people and equipment but the title and regalia too. This was an historical one-off never done before or since.
On 1 October 1987 the RNZAF marked the squadron’s 50th anniversary by painting up a Skyhawk and a 1981 Ford Falcon in gold with RAF stripes.
According to Carjam the Falcon was later re-painted red and was deregistered on 1 September, 1997.
“The formal ceremony to mark the disbandment of the Air Combat Force was the parading of the Standards of 75, 14, and 2 Squadrons before the Governor General of New Zealand as the Vice-Regal representative. The Standards were then laid up during a service in St Marks, the RNZAF Base Ohakea chapel.”
“The only member of the Government I recognised was the Hon.Mark Burton Minister of Defence. I wasn’t sure at first if his appearance was guts or gall, but I suppose he had no choice. The Prime Minister was overseas attending the funeral of Sir Peter Blake… I believe the government of Helen Clark has been wrong and I am very upset at the action they have taken. I am also upset about they way this action has been taken. The government has claimed a mandate based on a little publicised piece their 2000 manifesto. They have then proceeded with what I can only call a campaign of misinformation.
“With the disbandment of this group of people, the RNZAF and the people of New Zealand are losing a set of skills that has taken over sixty years to develop – and those skills are held in the continuity (and to a certain extent embodied in the traditions) of the squadrons. During 2001 I listened to politicians rave on about the brain drain as our skilled people disappear overseas. With the disbandment of the ACF we have Government promoted brain drain.
“But an anti-military (or at least single-task one eyedness about the military role) has seen the accumulated wisdom of generations thrown away.” – Phillip Treweek, kiwiaircraftimages.com (2002)
“The most important lesson from the invasion of Ukraine is that we have to be willing to defend our freedom. If we are not, no one else will do it for us.” – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has lessons for New Zealand, Richard Prebble, NZ Herald (2 March 2022)
Labour 5.0 disbanded the No. 75 Squadron on 13 December 2001.
What remains of the No. 75 are the standards and honors won over its history. These artifacts have been deposited away at St Mark’s chapel on Ohakea Air Base. If New Zealand ever needs to rise again we can make a withdrawal from the chapel and re-commission the air squadron. Like King Arthur it is not dead but only sleeping until called upon again in the time of the nation’s greatest need.
The trouble is that after more than 20 years generations of institutional knowledge has been lost. The expensive training in men and machines, the wins and the many crashes over the years were an asset kept in continuity until the 2001 disbandment. Standing up an air defense of New Zealand now would be very costly. Instead, we are a free-rider on what other nations will provide to us and as such bound to pay for it by nodding our political heads to help sanction their geopolitical actions. God Defend New Zealand is not just our anthem now, it’s also our defense policy!
It is unfortunate that free, private, New Zealanders have not been permitted to develop and maintain an air force over the past 100 years. Imagine there being a Canterbury Provincial Air Force or a Mount Maunganui Borough Anti-Aircraft Boy Scouts Brigade. We would be defended, we would be experienced, we would be strong. However, The State is jealous and will not allow its people to be self-reliant in this way. Instead, it prefers we be vulnerable than empowered. The State took over a monopoly on air defense and, as usual, ran its responsibility into the ground.
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Ref. 1970: Skyhawk, AHNZ
Image ref. Publicity photos of the RNZAF 50th Anniversary Skyhawk NZ6256 with a gold Ford Falcon, number plate JX6056. Whenuapai, RNZAF Base Auckland., Air Force Museum of New Zealand Photograph Collection
Image ref. Disbandment Parade at Ohakea, December 13, 2001. Phillip Treweek, kiwiaircraftimages.com (2002)
Ref. Report on 1981 FORD FALCON Red Saloon JX6056, Carjam
Ref. Save Our Squadrons, Wayback Machine
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