A Kiwi at War: Bill Smith

Safely housed in the Air Force Museum of New Zealand’s Archives is a collection of papers which once belonged to William “Bill” Milner Smith, a navigator in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during World War Two.  These papers vividly portray Bill’s wartime experiences, which took him far away from New Zealand to train in Canada and England, fly on operational bombing missions, and eventually, become a prisoner of war in Germany. 

Follow Bill’s story through his detailed diaries and letters, and discover through his own words what it was like to be a Kiwi at War.  Bill's story is captured in each of the sections below.

Introduction	No.101 Squadron	First Operation	Bombing Berlin
Fateful Night	Capture	With Regret	Stalag IVB
Prison Life	Red Cross Parcels	Keeping Busy	"Jerry"
Barbara	Repatriation	Gallery	ANZAC Day

 

Want to know more?

Bill’s story represents the experiences shared by thousands of young New Zealanders who travelled to the other side of the world to serve in the Air Force during the Second World War.

If you would like to find out more about Bill Smith’s collection or topics related to his experiences, you can make an appointment to come in and use the reference library in our public reading room, free of charge.  Contact a member of the Museum research team for further details:

Email: info@airforcemuseum.co.nz

Phone: (03) 343-9521

Fax: (03) 343-9549

Website: www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/main/Research

All images and documents which appear on this site are copyright to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand and are not to be reproduced without permission.