Brian Kynaston Waugh (1922–1984) was a notable New Zealand aircraft engineer, military and commercial aviator, airline operator, meteorologist. He was born in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1922.

Early years

Brian Kynaston Waugh was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on 26 September 1922. He was the second of two sons of Helen Elizabeth Caudle and her husband, Walter Waugh, an electrical engineer. He developed an early fascination with aviation after his father became a foreman on the construction of an RAF station in Shropshire.

Second World War

In August 1938, he joined the RAF’s aircraft apprentice training scheme, and in 1941 he was posted to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. While there, he transferred to pilot training, gaining his wings on 24 September 1943. In the latter part of the war, he served with No.75 (NZ) Squadron on Avro Lancasters. Night raids to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

included

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, the Leuna Oil Refinery at

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...

, the Howaldt Works, and the inner dockyard at

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

where the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer was capsized. Continuing Lancaster flying, he dropped food to the starving Dutch at The Hague in

Operation Manna Operation Manna was the Code word (communication), codeword for a Second World War operation by the British and Greek forces in Greece in mid-October 1944, following the gradual withdrawal of the Axis Occupation of Greece, German occupying for ...

, ferried Belgian refugees home, repatriated Allied Prisoners of War, and flew long scenic (

Baedeker Verlag Karl Baedeker, founded by Karl Baedeker on 1 July 1827, is a German publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred to simply as "List of Baedeker Guides, Baedekers" (a term sometimes used to re ...

) flights over Germany,

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and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. At the end of hostilities, Waugh continued in RAF service with transport squadrons in England,

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and in

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, based in

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. He left the RAF after 10 years’ service in 1948.

Post-war Flying

He gained his civil pilot licence, instrument rating and engineering licence in categories A (airframes), C (engines) and X (compasses), including type ratings for de Havilland DH89 Rapide aircraft and their Gipsy engines. He then flew for post-war small British airlines. In 1954, Waugh immigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

to fly DH89s for South Island Airways on pioneering scheduled routes. After service with Trans Island Airways, he was appointed in 1959 Chief Pilot and Chief Engineer for West Coast Airways at

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

, flying the historic South Westland Air Service, New Zealand’s first licensed scheduled air service. He became well-known on the West Coast with air ambulance work, particularly before the Haast highways was opened in 1965. On 15 April 1967, he was seriously injured in the forced landing of DH89 ZK-AKT in Queenstown’s

Shotover River The Shotover River () is located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. The name correctly suggests that this long river is fast flowing, with numerous rapids. The river flows generally south from the Southern Alps on its jour ...

, due to engine failure. He subsequently retired from flying and served in the Meteorological Department at Hokitika and Gisborne. In the 1980s he wrote his aviation

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

which was published in 1991: ‘''Turbulent Years – A Commercial Pilots’ Story''’. The book gives his insights into New Zealand provincial flying in the 1950s and 1960s.

References

1922 births 1984 deaths New Zealand military aviators New Zealand aviators New Zealand World War II pilots New Zealand meteorologists Military personnel from Shrewsbury British emigrants to New Zealand Trenchard Brats Commercial aviators 20th-century New Zealand engineers {{NewZealand-mil-bio-stub