WONZ 324 – Chris Newey on The First Flight

The Wings Over New Zealand Show

Guest: Chris Newey

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 2nd of March 2025

Published: 19th of May 2025

Duration: 47 minutes, 23 seconds

In this episode we hear a presentation given by Chris Newey, who talks about his latest book The First Flight – The Origins of the New Zealand Bomber Squadron.

The book covers the New Zealand Government’s purchase of 30 new Vickers Wellington bombers in the late 1930’s, and the creation of a special unit, The New Zealand Squadron, who formed in the UK to fly them. Made up from RNZAF members and New Zealanders who had been serving in the Royal Air Force, they were to train up on the new type and then ferry them across the world to New Zealand in five flights of six.

However the gathering clouds of war put paid to that original plan, and the aircraft and men were offered to the British Government in August 1939 to form part of Britain defence should war come. In April 1940 the New Zealand Squadron was renumbered as No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF, and the beginning of a legendary fighting unit began.

Chris has done extensive research into the New Zealand Squadron and its originals, and along the way he has discovered a lot of previously unknown history, and dispelled a number of myths. The book is highly recommended.

The First Flight: The Origins of the New Zealand Bomber Squadron
By Chris Newey

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aviation Books Ltd. (2 December 2024)
Hardback/Paperback: ‎ 177 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1915335493
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915335494
Dimensions – 27.9 x 21.6 x 1.3 cm

Available online from:

The Great British Book Shop (hardback only): www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/the-first-flight

Amazon (soft cover only): www.amazon.com/gp/product/1915335493/

Local (NZ) stock of the hardback version now available – you can contact Chris Newey at [email protected]

The per copy NZ price is NZ$56.35 (incl. GST)
– add $12.50 for packaging & postage – economy tracked courier, anywhere within NZ
– add $5.70 for Rural Delivery

Line-up of New Zealand Squadron Wellingtons at RAF Station Feltwell, 1939. NZ302 second from the right. Air Force Museum of New Zealand.

Chris Newey during the presentation. (Phil Treweek photo)

Thanks to Stuart Russell for the video and sound recording.
The music is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud.