Bert Sam Wipiti, DFM (16 January 1922 – 3 October 1943) was a New Zealand fighter pilot and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

, he enlisted in the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

(RNZAF) in 1941 and when he was posted to No. 243 Squadron in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, he was the first

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

airman to leave New Zealand for active duty. Following the Japanese invasion of

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British Empire, British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the ...

, he destroyed five Japanese aircraft before being evacuated to

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

in February 1942. He later flew with the RNZAF's No. 485 Squadron in Europe and was killed on operations while escorting bombers on a raid over France.

Early life

Bert Sam Wipiti, also known as Herbert Samuel Wipiti, was born on 16 January 1922 in

, in the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

of New Zealand. The son of Motu Tamihana Wipiti and his wife Ngamata , Wipiti was of

descent and was educated at

New Plymouth Boys' High School New Plymouth Boys' High School is a single-sex boys' state secondary school in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. The school currently caters for approximately 1300 students, including 210 boarders, on its site. The school often collaborat ...

Second World War

A refrigeration serviceman at the time of his enlistment, Wipiti joined the

(RNZAF) in January 1941. He completed flight training at

Ohakea RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, New Zealand, Bulls, 25 km north-west of Palmerston North in the Manawatū District, Manawatū. It is also used as an alter ...

, gained his

flying badge An aircrew flying badge (unofficially and incorrectly known as an aircrew brevet – which is actually French for a diploma or certificate) is the badge worn on the left breast, above any medal ribbons, by qualified aircrew in the Royal Air For ...

in late May, and then proceeded to

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

as a

sergeant pilot A sergeant pilot was a non-commissioned officer who had undergone flight training and was a qualified pilot in the air forces of several Commonwealth countries before, during and after World War II. It was also a term used in the United States Arm ...

in July. He was the first Māori airman to go overseas for service.

Singapore

On his arrival in Singapore in August, Wipiti was posted to the Royal Air Force's No. 243 Squadron, which was based at

Kallang Airport Kallang Airport (also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang) was the first purpose-built civil international airport in Singapore. It was officially opened on 12 June 1937 and was closed in 1955, when its operation ...

and operated the outclassed

Brewster Buffalo The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modification ...

fighter. Once the Japanese invaded British Malaya on 8 December 1941, he was part of a small detachment from No. 243 Squadron to briefly operate with an Australian squadron, No. 21 Squadron, flying from

Ipoh Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...

, and returning to Singapore on 14 December. On 10 January 1942, Wipiti was credited with helping shoot down a

Mitsubishi Ki-46 The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft that was used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Its Army ''Shiki'' designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft (); the Allied brevity code World War II Alli ...

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

, over Singapore. This was reportedly the first Japanese aircraft shot down in the

Battle of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

. On 21 January, while on a patrol over the

Batu Pahat The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram. Geograph ...

area, he shot down a

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1940 to 1945. The ...

fighter and then, the following day, destroyed two

Mitsubishi G3M The was a Japanese bomber and transport aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during World War II. The Yokosuka L3Y (Allied reporting name "Tina"), was a transport variant of the aircraft manufactured by the Yokosu ...

bombers that were part of a raid on No. 243 Squadron's airfield. A few days later, flying escort to several

Vickers Vildebeest The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent are single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. First flown in 1928, they remained in service at ...

bombers that were attacking a Japanese transport convoy, he shot down another Ki-46. By the end of January, Wipiti's squadron had been disbanded and he was one of a few sergeants that were attached to No. 453 Squadron, an Australian squadron based at

Seletar Seletar ( ) is an area located in the north-east of Singapore. Its name can also refer to the Seletar Planning Area (as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority), situated in the North-East Region of Singapore. The place name was derived fro ...

, which also received the remaining serviceable Buffalo aircraft. Shortly before the fall of Singapore, Wipiti was evacuated to Java, surviving the sinking of his original transport ship. In late March 1942 he was awarded the

Distinguished Flying Medal The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, and formerly to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "exceptional val ...

(DFM) in recognition of his service in Malaya and Singapore, having shot down five Japanese aircraft. The citation for his DFM, published in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'', read: Wipiti was sent to India, where he was posted to No. 67 Squadron, flying

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

fighters. While stationed in India, he encountered racism from the British and after several months, was posted to England in August 1943.

Europe

Wipiti joined No. 485 Squadron, a RNZAF unit, which at the time of his arrival, was stationed at

Biggin Hill Biggin Hill is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, about south-southeast of Charing Cross. It is separated from London's built-up area by the Metropolitan green belt and is located adjacent to the Greater London boundary with Kent and ...

, in the English county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, and operating

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

fighters on escort missions, accompanying bombers carrying out daylight raids into Continental Europe. Wipiti shared in the destruction of a

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...

fighter on 16 September 1943, while covering a raid by Martin Marauder bombers on an airfield in France. He was killed on 3 October 1943 over France while escorting a bombing raid on a French power station. At the time of his death, he held the rank of

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

and had flown 26 sorties with No. 485 Squadron. Initially reported as missing he was reported as being presumed dead the following year.

Legacy

Wipiti has no known grave and is commemorated on the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

Air Forces Memorial The Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, in Englefield Green, near Egham, Surrey, England is a memorial dedicated to some 20,456 men and women from air forces of the British Empire who were lost in air and other operations during World War ...

near

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England. After the war, his parents were presented with their son's DFM by the

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand () is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the Advice ...

, Sir Cyril Newall, in a ceremony at

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

in Wellington. On 26 April 2023, a portrait of Wipiti was unveiled at his former school, New Plymouth Boys’ High School, by his family. The painting, executed by Matt Gauldie, a former war artist of the

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

, was donated to the school by the New Zealand Remembrance Army.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wipiti, Bert 1922 births 1940s missing person cases 1943 deaths Missing in action of World War II New Zealand Māori people People educated at New Plymouth Boys' High School New Zealand military personnel killed in World War II New Zealand World War II flying aces People from New Plymouth Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Medal Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Aviators killed by being shot down