WONZ 355 – Clive Estcourt

Guest: Clive Woodward Estcourt NZ391045, Pilot, Bomb Aimer (14th of October 1917 – 17th of Aug 2017 )

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: ‎13th of August 2013

Released: 9th of August 2026

Duration: 2 hour 33 minutes 11 seconds

Clive Estcourt had been a commercial artist and signwriter in Hamilton in 1939 when the war broke out, and he immediately volunteered to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was sent to the newly-opened RNZAF Station Ohakea in the Manawatu region, and became one of the very first airmen posted into that base after it opened on the 18th of September 1939. He thought when he first joined that he was going to fly aeroplanes…. they made him the station postman!

He soon was sidelined to become Ohakea’s station signwriter. He was able to set up his own workshop to make all the signs on the ever-expanding station. But he was still wanting to become a pilot however, and eventually in 1942 he managed to convince the RNZAF to post him to an aircrew course, starting at RNZAF Station Rotorua for his Initial Training Wing course.

He then underwent flying training on Tiger Moths at No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School, at RNZAF Station Harewood. He was then sent to Canada to continue his training in October 1942, where he continued training at RCAF Dunnville flying Harvards. But this training did not go well, and he ended up getting getting the chop from the course.

Clive was remustered to Observer trade, and completed his training in Canada, before being sent to Britain where he crewed up at No. 11 Operational Training Unit, Westcott. Clive suffered a severe mishap at the OTU and was forced to bail out, which he details, and was forced to do the course again.

He was then posted to No. 75 (NZ) Squadron with his almost all-New Zealand crew, consisting of:

Captain – Pilot Officer John Rees “Aussie” Layton DFC, RNZAF (NZ425914)

Navigator – Flight Sergeant John Christie, RNZAF (NZ4212829), aka Jack, aka Ben