Sir Geoffrey Roberts, ... “I read every word of the manuscript, and like the TV advertisement says, ‘when I picked it up I couldn’t put it down’. It tells a story that had to be told. The War and the peace from a flying man’s point of view – and I go with you all the way re your view on the Erebus crash.”
Wing Commander Lew Taylor, ... “This is an account of one man’s flight through the years. It tells of skill, courage and integrity; of the affect of a flying career on the airman’s family life and it tells of a safety officer’s view of the Erebus tragedy. It reminds the people of New Zealand that our modern flying service has been founded on the contributions of many people, who’s lives have paralleled the story in this book.
A Noble Chance is a factual, 'can't put down' read for anyone interested in aviation, Pacific aviation, and especially the part played by the TEAL Flying Boat service in opening up the South Pacific. It starts in 1938 in Auckland New Zealand, with a young man and his desire to fly. He falls almost instantly into War in England with Bomber Command and No 75 NZ Squadron, which had a loss rate of 75%, where fate came to his aid in the form of a badly broken ankle on landing. By the time it was healed, all his mates were dead. Assigned to a radio operators school, he flew with a large number of Commercial Pilots and RAF, learning what it meant to be a professional airman, at the same time clocking up well over a thousand dual engine hours. Transferring to a newly formed NZ Coastal Command Sqdn (490), he trained in Northern Scotland at Eban, then flew Catalinas and Sunderlands from Jui on The West Coast of Africa until the end of the War. Returning to Auckland New Zealand with his War Bride (Mary), they set up home, and in 1947 he joined TEAL (now Air New Zealand), NZ's first foray into International Aviation, where for fifteen years he flew a series of Short Bros (Belfast) flying boats, DC-6's, and Lockheed Electra's around the Pacific and back and forth across the Tasman Sea. Between 57 and 61, he and his family were stationed in Fiji, where he flew the Solent Flying Boat Service on what became known as 'The Coral Route' from Suva to Rarotonga, then onto the Cook Islands and Tahiti. This air service, through an idylic and unspoilt 1950's Pacific, proved to be one of the most romantic aviation journeys in the World at that time, attracting the rich and famous from far and wide. Aggie Grays, Les Tropiques, Aitutaki, Bora Bora, The Polynesian, Papeete, all became an everyday part of his life. Losing his license in 1962 due to health reasons, he joined NZ's Civil Aviations Department where he set about making a new career for himself in Aviation Safety. Not one to sit still, he rose through the ranks and was deputy head of Civial Aviation at the time of the Erubus disaster. His thoughts on that are more than interesting. These are just the scant details, but I promise you that "A Noble Chance" will be well worth the read. From the skys over Germany in a Wellington, to ditching a Sunderland in the Atlantic, he missed the reaper eleven times (as he and those on 75 Sqdn called it), ... and that gives you some idea of whats in store.
Maurice McGreal was a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, born in Auckland New Zealand, on 30th of July 1918. Educated at a one teacher country school at Weymouth, and later at Sacred Heart College and Auckland Teachers College/University, he joined the Civil Reserve in 1938, and went on attachment to the RAF in 1940. He returned to New Zealand in December 1945, and joined Tasman Airways in December 1946 (TEAL). He left TEAL sixteen years later, joining the NZ Civil Aviation Department, where he rose to become the Assistant Director (Flight Operations). Retiring in July 1985, he continued his aviation interests as a writer, broadcaster, and consultant. Maurice passed away in November 2012 of at the age of 94, and before he died, we discussed digitizing and releasing his autobiography for a wider audience as I, like so many, had found it a rivetingly good read.
If you have an interest in aviation, in particular the part that New Zealanders played in Bomber Command, Coastal Command, and then in the flying boat passenger services that ruled the airways in the Pacific for over a decade, then jump right in. You will find it a riveting read. 'A Noble Chance' is available at Amazon in paperback and kindle. In New Zealand and Australian bookshops soon.
Copyright QGMedia Ltd (NZ) 2016 (All rights reserved).
Site Courtesy of RSD Coffeeshop
