{"id":7721,"date":"2020-03-26T19:13:02","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T19:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/?p=7721"},"modified":"2022-09-03T23:50:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T23:50:03","slug":"ian-sexton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/2020\/03\/ian-sexton\/","title":{"rendered":"WONZ 217 &#8211; Ian Sexton &#8211; WWII Radar"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_729\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-7721-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/wonz\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/WONZ_Ep_217_Ian_Sexton.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/wonz\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/WONZ_Ep_217_Ian_Sexton.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/wonz\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/WONZ_Ep_217_Ian_Sexton.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/wonz\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/WONZ_Ep_217_Ian_Sexton.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/?powerpress_pinw=7721-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/wonz\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/WONZ_Ep_217_Ian_Sexton.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"WONZ_Ep_217_Ian_Sexton.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/au\/podcast\/wings-over-new-zealand-show\/id606143097?mt=2&amp;ls=1#episodeGuid=https%3A%2F%2Fcambridgeairforce.org.nz%2FWONZShow%2F%3Fp%3D7721\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_itunes\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on Apple Podcasts\" rel=\"nofollow\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/feed\/podcast\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Guest:&nbsp;<\/strong>Ian Munro Sexton, WWII RNZAF Radar Mechanic, then Pilot <br>(Ham Radio Call Sign ZL1PZ)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Host:<\/strong>&nbsp;Dave Homewood<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also Sitting In: <\/strong>Bevan Dewes and Paul Radley<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recorded:<\/strong>&nbsp;16th of March 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Released:<\/strong>&nbsp;27th of March 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Duration:<\/strong>&nbsp; 1 hour 3 minutes&nbsp;40 seconds<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode Dave Homewood sits down&nbsp;99 year old veteran Ian Sexton, who served as a Radar Mechanic with the RNZAF during WWII, and later in the war he remustered to train a a pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joining the RNZAF in 1941 and training to be a Wireless Mechanic, on completion of his training in that field he was offered the opportunity to move into a top secret field, which when he accepted the offer turned out to be Radar. He trained as a Radar Mechanic and was posted first to the top secret Radar site at Piha, and after a time there he moved on to another new site at Maunganui Head. They were keeping watch over the Tasman Sea approaches<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then Ian was selected to be part of a new team who were to be the first  ground directed interception Radar unit at Guadalcanal, arriving there in February 1943. This unit was plotting the incoming Japanese night bombers and giving commands via a US ground base to the US night fighter pilots to aid their interception of the bombers. Their work greatly reduced the affect of Japanese bombing at Henderson Field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next Ian was sent back to New Zealand to prepare a new Radar team who were to head up to New Georgia, but during this he became ill from the anti-malarial medicine they were given so he did not return to the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead In remustered to aircrew, and began training as a pilot. He gained his pilot&#8217;s brevet and completed his Service Flying Training School course on Harvards, but with the war almost over the RNZAF called a halt to training and he sat out the last month of the war waiting to be released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ian remembers lots of incidents, both with radar and other happenings he witnessed, such as the B-17 crash on take off from Whenuapai, and the Hudson hitting the hangar also at Whenuapai. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Postwar Ian picked up flying again from Pukekohe East for many years. He is also still a keen ham radio operator, and he compiled two volumes of memories sent in by around 50 ex-Radar operators and mechanics, members of the Radar Reunion Society. The books and called <em>Radar Stories from the R.N.Z.A.F., 1939-1945 Vol. 1 and 2.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"575\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-575x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-575x1024.jpg 575w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-768x1367.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-863x1536.jpg 863w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-1151x2048.jpg 1151w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-84x150.jpg 84w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779-400x712.jpg 400w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050779.jpg 1405w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Above: Ian Sexton in March 2020 (Photo Dave Homewood)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-1024x660.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-1024x660.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-1536x990.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-2048x1321.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/P1050783a-400x258.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ian in a de Havilland DH82a Tiger Moth during his flying training (Photo Ian Sexton Collection)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-1024x728.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1-400x284.jpg 400w, https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Untitled-1.jpg 1857w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Above:  Ian in a North American Harvard during his flying training.   (Photo Ian Sexton Collection) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is an excellent short film on the Piha Radar Station made by Auckland City Council<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Piha\u2019s Radar Station\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/luVE2K99Qpc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>NB: The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joakim Karud<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n<p>Guest:&nbsp;Ian Munro Sexton, WWII RNZAF Radar Mechanic, then Pilot (Ham Radio Call Sign ZL1PZ)<\/p>\n<p>Host:&nbsp;Dave Homewood<\/p>\n<p>Also Sitting In: Bevan Dewes and Paul Radley<\/p>\n<p>Recorded:&nbsp;16th of March 2020<\/p>\n<p>Released:&nbsp;27th of March 2020<\/p>\n<p>Duration:&nbsp; 1 hour 3 minutes&nbsp;40 seconds<\/p>\n<p>In this episode Dave Homewood sits down&nbsp;99 year old veteran Ian Sexton, who served as a [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1078,188,89,1916,473,951,1917,15,389,1091,2076,437,2074,952,932,783,1095,95,1847,917,1404,2073,44,90,714,91,2072,5,881,2071,192,2075,270,46,916,2077,47,918],"class_list":["post-7721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-episodes","tag-air","tag-ardmore","tag-aviation","tag-bevan","tag-cessna","tag-dave","tag-dewes","tag-fighter","tag-force","tag-guadalcanal","tag-ham","tag-harvard","tag-head","tag-homewood","tag-ian","tag-maunganui","tag-mechanic","tag-new","tag-night","tag-over","tag-paul","tag-piha","tag-pilot","tag-podcast","tag-radar","tag-radio","tag-radley","tag-rnzaf","tag-royal","tag-sexton","tag-show","tag-station","tag-tiger-moth","tag-veteran","tag-wings","tag-wireless","tag-wwii","tag-zealand","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7721"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9811,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7721\/revisions\/9811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cambridgeairforce.org.nz\/WONZShow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}