Stephen Raymond HOOKER MBE
Known as Ray

Service Number: NZ423962 & 70783
RNZAF Trade: Motor Trade (MT) Fitter
Date of Enlistment: 27th of May 1942
Date of Demob: 28th of August 1962
Rank Achieved: Warrant Officer
Flying Hours: nil known
Operational Sorties: nil known

Date of Birth: 4th of February 1904
Personal Details: The son of Mr and Mrs C. Wesley Hooker of Queen Street , Cambridge. His brother Owen Hooker was also in the RNZAF, and later father-in-law

Service Details: Ray served at Guadalcanal from January to December 1945, and in Japan with J Force from August 1946 to March 1948. All other service was carried out within New Zealand . Stephen was promoted to Warrant Officer in 1950. From 1951 to 1956 he served at No 1 Repair Depot, Woodbourne; Te Rapa and Hobsonville. Stephen became the senior trade examiner on the Central Trade Test Board in 1952, and the senior MT instructor at No 1 Technical Training School. In 1956 Stephen was awarded the MBE for being a “highly experienced, conscientious and reliable W/O MT Fitter ”.

Details of Death: Died on the 4th of June 1991 , at Hamilton , aged 87
Buried at: Buried at Hautapu Cemetery , Cambridge (RSA Cemetery Plot: 159B)

Connection with Cambridge: Ray Hooker was from Cambridge before the war

Thanks to: Ray's grandson Paul Turney for supplying information and photographs for this page

Above: A photo of Ray Hooker (right) taken during the debutant ball when his daughter Dawn came out (photo courtesy of Paul Turney)

Above: The Hooker family at home in Cambridge in 1958 (photo courtesy of Paul Turney)

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