Maurice Buckley

Maurice Buckley (3 August 1895 – 3 November 1956) was a New Zealand aviator and military leader who served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during the Second World War.

Born in Seacliff in the South Island, Buckley joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on the outbreak of the First World War. He served with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles but then transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service in mid-1916. After training as a pilot, he served in the Eastern Mediterranean before taking ill with malaria. After the war he worked in civil aviation in New Zealand until in 1926 he joined what became the RNZAF. On the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, he was in England in charge of RNZAF personnel tasked with ferrying newly purchased Vickers Wellington medium bombers back to New Zealand. He was appointed commander of No. 75 Squadron leading it until late 1940. He subsequently became the commander at the RAF station at Feltwell. Returning to New Zealand in late 1941, he held a series of local and overseas command and staff posts until his eventual retirement from the RNZAF as an air commodore in 1950. He died in Wellington on 3 November 1956, aged 61.

Early life Maurice William Buckley was born on 3 August 1895 at Seacliff, New Zealand, one of eight children of a farmer. After completing his education at Timaru Boys' High School, Buckley laboured on the family farm at Fairlie. In late 1915, he decided to join the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and departed New Zealand for the United Kingdom early the following year. He commenced his flying training at Eastbourne in July and by the end of 1916 had gained his wings. He served with the RNAS in the Eastern Mediterranean for much of 1917, flying bombing sorties against the Turkish forces. He became ill with malaria partway through the year but recovered and subsequently flew on the Bulgarian front.

In 1923 Buckley joined the New Zealand Territorial Air Force; he was one of the first 72 officers to join. The next year he formed his own airline, Arrow Aviation. In July 1926 he commenced a full-time career in the military when he joined the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, the predecessor to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). In 1931 he was assigned to No. 2 (Bomber) Squadron as its adjutant and later commanded the airbase at Hobsonville. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1935 Birthday Honours. This was in recognition of his services with the military over the previous several years.

In 1937 Buckley was sent on attachment to England to serve with No. 38 Squadron, equipped with the Vickers Wellington medium bomber and based at Marham. The New Zealand government had purchased 30 Wellingtons for the RNZAF and Buckley, who by this time held the rank of squadron leader, was to gain experience with the type prior to forming a flight of RNZAF personnel to ferry the aircraft back to New Zealand. This flight was established at Marham in June 1939 with Buckley in command and charged with flying training.

Second World War On the outbreak of the Second World War, the New Zealand government offered its Wellingtons and the RNZAF personnel, still at Marham training for the ferry flight, to the RAF. Initially, the New Zealanders were to be distributed among the existing RAF squadrons but after some deliberation it was decided to keep them together to form the basis of a separate unit having a New Zealand identity within the RAF. In the interim, the RNZAF personnel, which had previously focused on navigation and flying training, now familiarised themselves with gunnery and bombing tactics with a view to taking on operational duties in due course. In April 1940, No. 75 (NZ) Squadron was duly established at Feltwell with Buckley, promoted to wing commander, in command. While its flying personnel were mainly New Zealanders, ground staff were British.

No. 75 Squadron flew in Bomber Command's operations against the Ruhr region of Germany in May, and after the entry of Italy into the war the next month, it was involved in the first attempted bombing raids on that country. It also carried out defensive bombing attacks on targets in Belgium and France as the German invasion of those countries proceeded. For health reasons Buckley was posted to No. 214 Reserve Flight at Stradishall in late November and was succeeded as commander of the squadron by Wing Commander Cyrus Kay. He was mentioned in despatches in the 1941 New Year Honours. In March, Buckley, promoted to group captain, was appointed station commander at Feltwell.

Buckley returned to the service of the RNZAF in November and on return to New Zealand took command of RNZAF station Hobsonville. In 1942 he then was then appointed Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Northern Group RNZAF, which was based at Whenuapai. He retired from the RNZAF as an air commodore in 1951. Buckley died in Wellington on 3 November 1956. He was survived by his wife and a son and daughter.

A street in Hobsonville is named for him.