Airfields and Stations in New Zealand Used By the RNZAF, Part 27

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RNZAF Station Norwood

Opened 39

Closed 45

Closest town, Christchurch

Norwood, 25 miles South West of Christchurch had been developed into a satellite landing ground for Wigram prior to the outbreak of war.

Units known to have been Stationed there
No 22 Army Co-Operation Squadron, flying Vickers Vincents moved from Palmerston North in November 42.
This brought the status up from Landing Field to Station.
Shortly after the No 1 Service Flying Training School [ Advanced Training School] moved in.
They spent the last month of their course, flying Airspeed Oxfords doing cross country Navigation flying and dropping bombs into Lake Ellesmere.
There was a permanent staff of approx 120 men and 20 WAAFS Stationed there.
All the personnel slept in army huts. It has been said “if Norewood was rated on the “Hotel” rating system it wouldn’t even make one star”.
The WAAFS also slept in huts, enclosed by a high, wooden fence, the area was referred to as “The Compound”

The toilets were “long drops” [deep holes in the ground] and large communal shower rooms with boiler houses nearby.

C O
W/C William Leonard Harrison VD

Units known to have been Stationed there

No 22 Army Co-Operation Squadron
Flying Vincents from November 42 to

No 1 Service Flying Training School [ Advanced Training School]
Flying Airspeed Oxfords

No 3 Anti-Aircraft Flight
Flying Vilbebeests and Harvards, towing targets for Ship’s Okliekon Anti-Aircraft gunners to practice on.
This flight provided targets for shipping from Christchurch down to Dunedin

Lyttleton

A port depot that dispatched and received personnel who were going overseas, either on the ferry to the North Island or the Pacific region

Cashmere

Opened 39

Closed

Nearest town, Cashmere Hills, Christchurch.

A number of private residences were taken over on the Cashmere Hills and converted to become Southern Group Headquarters.
Underground bunkers were dug secretly under the main building.
Today the buildings are owned by the Historic Places Trust and are open to the public.
Canterbury University has seismic equipment in the underground bunker.

Units known to have been Stationed there

Southern Group Headquarters
The secret and important SGHQ was there

Weedons

Opened:1943

Closed: 200?

A purpose built stores depot, 11 miles from the centre of Christchurch City,
No 3 Store was moved from the various places in Christchurch City to Weedons as a measure against Japanese attack destroying the supplies for Wigram etc
As well as large storage hangers this Station had many Married Quarters and remained an important Station long after the War.
In the 1980’s, when storage had been centralized at Te Rapa, Weedons became a storage depot for the RNZAF Museum.
The Married Quarters continued to be used for Wigram personnel until the closure of Wigram in 1995.
As of February 2004, Weedfons was still being used as a storage facility for the RNZAF Museum, although it was to soon close and all the Museum items were to be moved to Wigram

Units known to have been Stationed there

No 3 Stores Depot, for the RNZAF Stations in the Christchurch area,

Birdlings Flat

Opened 1939

Closed 1945

Nearest town Christchurch

This was a small Station / Airfield that was only used when units such as No 1 EFTS were doing bombing practice at Lake Ellesmere

No known units Stationed there