Bomber pilot veteran dies at 91

5 Squadron RNZAF crest.

Noted World War 2 bomber pilot Dick Broadbent, who flew two tours, one as a flight commander with 75 (NZ) Squadron, has died at the age of 91.

Broadbent enlisted in the RNZAF shortly after the war began, trained in New Zealand and sailed for Britain in July 1940 with 24 other pilots, 13 of whom would never come home.

He joined 40 Squadron, equipped with Wellingtons, and flew a tour of 34 operations before being "rested" with a posting as an instructor to an operational training for 19 months.

He returned to bombing operations in mid-April 1943, promoted to command 75 Squadron's C Flight as a squadron leader. He succeeded Englishman Dick Rothwell who was sent off to another squadron because he was not a New Zealander.

Rothwell was told by base commander, Air Commodore Andrew "Square McKee, a New Zealander, that he had nothing against him personally but he wanted the senior posts in 75 to be filled by New Zealanders.

Rothwell wrote later that he then joined 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron.

"I felt I'd be reasonably secure as a flight commander there as I was pretty certain there were no African natives serving in Bomber Command."

Broadbent and Rothwell met again in Kerikeri 25 years later and finished up in partnership, owning a motel and bookshop after Rothwell retired and moved here.

By the time Broadbent arrived at 75 it was flying giant Stirlings from Newmarket in England, its grass runways part of the famous racecourse's Rowley Mile. During his tour the squadron moved to Mepal in Cambridgeshire where it stayed for the rest of the war.

Broadbent's period on 75 was flown during one of the toughest stages of the bombing war and the squadron suffered heavy casualties, losing almost 50 aircraft during Broadbent's time.

His tour encompassed the Battle of the Ruhr Valley or "Happy Valley" as it was known to bomber crew, as the RAF repeatedly attacked targets in Germany's number one industrial heartland from March to July 1943.

Broadbent survived the Ruhr raids plus attacks on Bremen, Kiel, Berlin and other major German cities and also participated in the Hamburg "firestorm" raids in late July 1943.

Awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage, Broadbent completed his tour in October 1943. He then did an RAF Staff College course and after assignments with the 8th USAAF in Britain, and the Air Ministry was repatriated to New Zealand in December 1944.

He then worked in the Air Department in Wellington.

Broadbent joined the RAF in Britain in mid-1947, retiring from there as a wing commander in November 1963.

Richard Broadbent was born in Wanganui on August 23, 1919, and died in Auckland on November 1. He is survived by two sons and two daughters.

- NZPA