Roy Robert George FISHER mid(2)

Serial Number: NZ412671 & 131376
Ballot Number: 247110
RNZAF Trade: Pilot
Date of Enlistment: 4th of May 1941
Date of Demob: 9th of November 1945 (RNZAF Reserve till 21st of October 1975)
Rank Achieved: Flight Lieutenant
Flying Hours: 943.35hrs
Operational Sorties: 285 Sorties (200 on 1st Tour [No.s 232 and 93 Sqns], and 85 on 2 nd Tour [41 with No 93 Sqn, and 44 with No 41 Sqn])

Date of Birth: 21st of October 1920, at Pukerimu, Cambridge
Personal Details: Son of Roy and Ella Fisher of Pukerimu. Roy was educated at Leamington Primary School, then Hamilton Technical High School . After obtaining University Entrance, Roy got his Engineering Preliminary Certificate

The photo on this page of Roy with a moustache was marked as having been taken by the All Male Photo Studios, 3, Malaka Fa??, Same Building as the New Zealand Club, Ground Floor No. 26, Cairo. Roy 's widow Nancy says he grew the moustache during the war because he felt he didn't look old enough to be commanding other men without it. His mother was horrified when she saw it, but Nancy says she rather liked it. He grew it again for a short time after the war for a laugh.

The following excerpt comes from page 17 of The New Zealand Observer magazine, which was a social magazine of the day, dated the 31st of December 1941. This snippet of news, written by a Cambridge-based columnist identified only as SALLY who wrote the column with seemingly only female readers in mind, came under the section "Waikato Doings" and the subheading "Cambridge Sidelights";

"There could not have been two more thrilled people on Christmas Day than the Roy Fishers, of Cambridge, when they received a call from their only son, Roy, who is with the RAF overseas. The call came from Ottawa and was very clear."

Service Details: Roy Fisher trained as a pilot initially in New Zealand. His first flight was in a DH82 Tiger Moth on the 16th of June 1941, in NZ854. After passing his elementary flying training he went on to train as a fighter pilot in Canada and England , and he was commissioned from Flight Sergeant to Pilot Officer in June 1943. He was mentioned in despatches twice. The first citation, dated the 8th of June 1944 read “ For meritorious service”.

During his first operational tour he served with No's 232 and 93 Squadrons, both on Supermarine Spitfires. He completed 200 sorties in this time in England, France, Tunisia, Malta and Sicily .

The second mention in despatches, on the 14th of June 1945 , read “ In recognition of distinguished service and devotion to duty. ”

During his second tour Roy served with No 93 Sqn, and flew 41 operational sorties over Corsica , Southern France and Italy . He then transferred to No 41 Squadron RAF, still flying Spitfires, and flew a further 44 sorties over Holland and Germany . He also flew with No 257 Sqn RAF (on Hawker Typhoons) and No 130 Sqn RAF on Spitfires.

On the 30th of August 1944 , following the strafing of two trains, Roy's Spitfire (nicknamed PUKERIMU III) developed a glycol problem and he crashed landed at Beaurepaire, near Lyon in France , He was snatched from an advancing Panzer division by a US L-5 Sentinel ‘Grasshopper' flown by Lt Paul V Auritt, US.

Roy shared a kill on a German Junkers 88 with fellow 93 Sqn pilot Flying Officer Stan Browne on the 11th of July 1943 whilst covering the Allied seaborne landings near Panchino, southern Sicily . Browne was then mistaken to be an enemy aircraft by HMS Warspite and came under fire from their anti-aircraft fire, forcing him to bale out. He was rescued and flying again the next day

Details of Death: Roy died on the 22nd of December 1988 at Pukerimu, Cambridge
Buried at:

Connection with Cambridge: Roy was born and spent his life, apart from the war, in the Cambridge district on his farm at Pukerimu

Notes: A huge thanks to Mrs Nancy Fisher (Roy's widow, who was also in the Air Force) for most of the details on this page, and also to Group Captain Colin Hanson for details from his book 'By Such Deeds'

Waikato Independent newspaper articles referring to Roy Fisher

Farm Cadet Pukerimu called in 1st ballot 4 Oct 1940
Farewelled with wallet 11 Aug 1941
Promoted to Flying Officer 11 June 1943
Promoted to Pilot Officer 19 June 1943
Seriously Injured 14 April 1943
Mentioned in despatches 25 June 1945
Returns home 10 Aug 1945
Welcome home dance 17 Aug 1945
Leamington Welcome Home 8 Oct 1945

 

________________________________________________________________

Ground Training School, RNZAF Wereroa, Levin

No 2 EFTS, RNZAF Bell Block

5 May 1941

14 Jun 1941

13 Jun 1941

28 Jul 1941

No 2 SFTS, Uplands, Canada

“4” Depot, Halifax, Canada

2 Sep 1941

26 Nov 1941

21 Nov 1941

9 Dec 1941