John Arkwright on his 100th birthday. Photo / Supplied
John Arkwright on his 100th birthday. Photo / Supplied
Obituary: John Henry Arkwright, Wing Commander DFC NZ1067 RNZAF.
Recent years have seen the passing of most of the last survivors of World War II. Last week John Henry Arkwright, Wing Commander NZ1067 RNZAF, died in his home town of Taupō, aged 100.
Arkwright was awarded the highly regarded Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944.
Born January 27, 1920 at the family home and farm known as Overton, near Marton, Arkwright attended Whanganui Collegiate School and in his final year, 1938, learned to fly a Gypsy Moth after instruction from his house tutor who was a trainee pilot.
By March 1939 he had completed six months training as a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot officer and was on final leave before leaving for England and active combat when he was advised he was to remain in New Zealand to become a flying instructor. He transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and trained RNZAF pilots at Wigram and Ohakea until March 1942.
1943 saw a change of occupation within the RNZAF, from flying instructor to fighter pilot.
Squadron Leader Arkwright was stationed in the Pacific, mainly flying out of the Solomon Islands, flying a single-engine single-seat Kittyhawk fighter plane. Targeting enemy aircraft and military resources, the Allied fighter pilots' role in the Pacific was to drop light bombs, fly in at low altitudes and shoot aircraft on the ground (strafing) and to engage and fight the enemy in the air.
Squadron Leader John Arkwright on top of a Kittyhawk, circa 1943/44 in the Pacific with 15 or 16 Squadron.
Military records show Arkwright flew 101 missions with over 260 hours of operational flying against the enemy and 32 of these missions were in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire. At least 21 missions were opposed by Japanese enemy aircraft and Squadron Leader Arkwright was credited with the destruction of two aircraft.
The citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross describes service across three operational tours for 15 and 16 Squadrons during the period April 1943 to January 1944 where Arkwright flew a Kittyhawk out of the Solomon Islands.
The squadron repeatedly carried out strafing missions against Japanese aircraft on the ground at an airfield in Kahili, Papua New Guinea. On all occasions the squadron faced heavy and intense ground and fighter opposition.
"On two occasions both his and another aircraft in his section were severely damaged. SQNLDR Arkwright has a natural ability as a pilot, and has set an example in his squadron for qualities of leadership, discipline, and steadfastness on air operations. He has displayed tireless and cheerful devotion to duty, and given splendid support to his squadron commander," the citation reads.
He was also recommended for the American Air Medal, however policy denied recognition for service in the same theatre of war and this medal was not awarded. Flying from Boungainville, Papua New Guinea, the commendation for the American Air Medal noted that Arkwright took part in fighter sweeps over Rabaul, Japanese-occupied Papua New Guinea.
"He was credited with able leadership which led to the destruction of 12 enemy aircraft with another six probables and seven damaged."
At his funeral last week, Arkwright's son-in-law Paul Studholme recounted a war story Arkwright was involved in.
"John flew one of the second waves of Kittyhawks to Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands). The first wave all crash-landed at New Caledonia as the Americans refused to grant permission for them to land because the runway was loaded with planes due to a tropical storm. The Americans feared a mishap would cause a domino effect explosion. Lacking sufficient fuel to make a return journey, the pilots had no choice but to crash land their kittyhawks.
Wing Commander John Arkwright (right) around 1948 while serving at Royal Air Force station Desford, England, as Station Commander. With wife Tommy (left) and daughter Beverley.
"John flew in the with the next wave. When they were due at Guadalcanal they received a message 'Do not land. A Japanese attack is imminent'. Low on fuel, fortunately the Americans let them land on another strip to the east."
Promoted to Wing Commander, Arkwright's final tour in the Pacific was a secondment to the US Army where he served as an operations officer in March and April 1944. At one stage he shared a tent with US Army officer in charge of communications Kermit A Tyler who in 1941 infamously misinterpreted radar images of Japanese aircraft about to attack Pearl Harbour as the arrival of some expected replacement B17 aircraft.
In 1944 Wing Commander Arkwright returned to New Zealand and took over as chief flying instructor at Ardmore, later becoming station commander in charge of 800 air force personnel.
While at Ardmore he married Dorothy (Tommy) Wilson. At war's end the couple returned to the home farm Overton and daughter Beverley was born in 1946.
In 1947 the family moved to England where Arkwright took up a four-year commission, initially commanding the Desford Air Base in Leicestershire and then transferring to a senior training role with RAF Home Command near Reading.
In 1951 the family returned to Overton for good, and son Robert was born in 1952. Arkwright settled into post military life with gusto, pioneering farming practices, and pursuing community and sporting interests.
Son-in-law Paul describes how Arkwright pioneered a farming practice called rotational grazing, the forerunner of today's techno farming. Moveable fences were key, and finding cattle were breaking through the electric fencing, Arkwright invented and went on to manufacture a very strong freestanding break feeding system called the ARC-RITE insulator.
John Arkwright on his 100th birthday with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Photo / Supplied
He was one of the first to buy cattle on a cents per kilogram basis, learning to accurately estimate the weight of the cattle by eye in the days before live weights were displayed at the saleyards.
At Overton Arkwright bred Hampshire sheep and carried out progeny testing on ram lambs to identify which rams were passing on their weight gain genetic advantage.
"This was not normal practice at that time. The emphasis was on looks and weight," said Paul.
Taking an interest in the community, Arkwright served as a vestry man at St Stephens Church, Marton, and was on the Nga Tawa Diocesan School board for a considerable time. Arkwright organised a farmer buy-out to preserve local ownership of the Marton veterinary clinic, remaining on as chairman until he retired to Taupō.
A keen cricketer since his first XI days at Whanganui Collegiate, Arkwright was NZ Nomads Cricket Club captain for five years. He was a competitive golfer and enthusiastic fisherman.
Around 1990 he and Tommy retired to Taupō, with both playing bridge.
Mr Studholme said that overall, his father-in-law was someone who was loving and caring who had a great sense of humour with a mischievous streak.
"He used his humour to cope with adversity. He had such a sharp wit, and would utilise this when perhaps the situation needed some levity."
John Arkwright is survived by children Beverley Studholme and Robert Arkwright, six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. A funeral service was held last week at St Andrew's Church in Taupō to commemorate his life. His service to the New Zealand military in World War II was especially mentioned with a eulogy from Air Force Liaison Officer Mike Ward.
Sources: New Zealand Defence Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force. Hanson, 2001, By Such Deeds: Honours and awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force 1923-1999.
