Date of Birth: John was born in Auckland
Personal Details: John's son Graeme Giffney is also a pilot and has flown 22,000 hours in topdressers. He currently flies for Superair from Thames airport.

Service Details: When the Second World War began, John was a teenaged kid on the family farm at Waerenga. He joined the RNZAF in 1942 and following his initial training at the ITW, Rotorua, John was posted to No. 3 Elementary Flying training School at Harewood, Christchurch, to begin his pilot training. He made his first flight in de Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth NZ756 on the 28th of June 1943. His instructor was named England.

Once John had completed his ab initio training he was posted to Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, where he was posted to No. 13 Service Flying Training School, St Hubert, Montreal, training on North American Harvards.

John completed his service flying training at No. 35 Service Flying Training School, at North Battleford, Saskatchewan, also flying Harvards.

Then it wastime to return to New Zealand, where he would posted to an Operational Training Unit on Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks. His first flight in one of these fighters took place on the 6th of April 1945. Following two months training there he progressed to the Corsair Conversion Unit at Ardmore, making his first flight in a Chance Vought Corsair on the 26th of June 1945.

By the time he was fully trained, the war ended.

Date of Death: 9th of June 1992, aged 70
Buried: RSA Lawn Cemetery, Hautapu, Cambridge

Connection with Cambridge: John moved to Cambridge after the war, and lived in Leamington. He worked at Aotearoa Meatworks from around 1969.

Thanks To: Many thanks to Graeme Giffney for filling in details on his late father John.