Allan Francis TURNEY

Service Number: NZ411893
RNZAF Trade: Aircraft Fitter
Date of Enlistment: 1941
Rank Achieved:
Flying Hours: nil known
Operational Sorties: nil known

Date of Birth: Allan was born on the 12th of September 1918, in Cambridge
Personal Details: Allan was the son of Patrick and Jessie Turney of Cambridge. He had been a saddler before joining the RNZAF. Folowing the war he returned to Cambridge where he became a Cambridge Borough Councillor. He married Dawn Clara Hooker, daughter of another wartime RNZAF member Ray Hooker. Allan and Dawn had six children, James, Michael, Paul, Mark, John and Elisabeth (Libby) Turney

Service Details: Allan served in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands as an Aircraft Fitter, working on Chance Vought Corsair fighter-bombers.

Details of Death: Allan died on the 25th of February 1999, at Tauranga, aged 80
Buried at: Hautapu Cemetery, Cambridge

Connection with Cambridge: Allan lived in Cambridge before the war

Newspaper Articles Mentioning Allan Turney
Welcome Home 17th of August 1944
Farewelled With a Wallet 4th of April 1945

Thanks to: Paul Turney for supplying information and photographs for this page

Allan's Photos, courtesy of Paul Turney:

Allan Francis Turney

 

Allan Turney and three other airmen relax in Christchurch's Cathedral Square

 

An RNZAF Corsair tucked up close to the trees undergoes maintenance at what looks like Bougainville

 

Relaxing next to a Corsair at Bougainville

 

Aboard an aircraft tow-tug tractor

 

With locals in the Solomon Islands

 

Relaxing at RNZAF Station Rukuhia, which is between Hamilton and Cambridge. This station was an aircraft maintenance and repair depot, No. 1 Repair Depot, which was the largest in New Zealand during the war. It later became an aircraft storage unit. Allan is seen second from the right.

Crew shot showing the maintenance team that Allan worked in posing in front of a North American Harvard, the RNZAF's advanced trainer for the latter half of the war and postwar period. Allan is in the bottom row, far right.

 

A photo from Allan's collection of the Duke of Gloucester's personal Avro York aircraft. As the Governor General of Australia he made a tour in 1945 of forward bases

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