New To Our Collection

Our Collection here at the Air Force Museum is incredibly diverse and artefacts number in the millions. To give you a glimpse of the variety and depth of our collection we will be featuring an interesting item from our collection each month.

NZ 437019  Sergeant Ronald Hermanns, RNZAF (Retired)

Ron Hermanns was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1911 and came to NZ with his family in 1914, settling in Wellington. He trained as an engineer and worked in the Railway workshops in Wellington. In 1937 Ron joined the Wellington Territorial Squadron as an aircraft rigger, and worked on the squadron’s Blackburn Baffins. In 1939 he was made liable for continuous service and joined the RNZAF.

Ron changed trade to become an aircraft fitter and was initially stationed at Woodbourne with No. 2 General Reconnaissance Squadron. Postings to Nelson and New Plymouth followed until his first deployment overseas in 1943 to No. 4 RD at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu)  where he spent 12 months working with the Americans and servicing the RNZAF’s Kittyhawks.

On his return to Wellington Ron went to Lyall Bay and picked up some paua shells from the shoreline, as he wanted to take them with him on his next tour so that he had something to do in his spare time. In January 1945 Ron was posted to No. 12 Servicing Unit at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, maintaining Venturas. During his spare time Ron made an amazing collection of jewellery and souvenir items using the paua shells from Wellington, as well as other discarded aircraft material. He used hacksaws, small files and drills, abrasive paper and metal polish to produce a superb range of souvenirs. Ron has very generously donated this material to the Museum.

In May 1945 Ron spent four months at Jacquinot Bay with No. 3 SU servicing the RNZAF’s Corsairs, before returning to Guadalcanal, and then back to New Zealand. He was posted to the Sunderland flying boat squadron at Hobsonville, and after the war went on to join NAC, the National Airways Corporation.

Ron, aged 98, lives in Christchurch.