Guy Newton (RNZAF officer)

Percival Guy Haig Newton, (29 September 1917 – 24 July 2018) was a flying ace of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during the Second World War.

He was credited with the destruction of at least five enemy aircraft.

Percival Guy Haig Newton, known as Guy, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 29 September 1917, one of seven children of Arthur and Margaret Newton.

He was educated at Rangiora High School and went on to study at Christ's College in Christchurch for his final year of secondary school.

He worked as an engineering draughtsman for the Christchurch branch of the Department of Public Works while attending night school at the University of Canterbury.

Keenly interested in flying, he enlisted in the Civil Reserve of Pilots in 1937.

Subsequently Newton applied for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Born in Christchurch, Newton joined the Royal Air Force in 1939 but did his flying training in New Zealand with the RNZAF.

By the time his training was complete, the Second World War had started and he transferred to the RNZAF.

He spent several months on instructing duties before being posted to No. 17 Squadron as a flight commander.

His application was accepted and in April 1939 he began his flight training with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).

He trained at Wigram Aerodrome and received a temporary commission as a pilot officer in June.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Newton was transferred to the RNZAF on a short-service commission instead of proceeding to the United Kingdom to serve with the RAF.

Initially retained on the staff at the RNZAF base at Wigram, he was subsequently posted to No. 2 Intermediate Flying Training School after training as an instructor in early 1940 and having been confirmed in the rank of pilot officer.

He was promoted to flying officer in January 1941.

A Fighter Operational Training Unit (OTU) was formed at Okahea in March 1942 and Newton was sent there as an instructor.

The OTU was equipped with North American Harvard trainer aircraft when established but these were supplemented with P-40 Kittyhawk fighters when they became available to the RNZAF from May.

The month after his arrival at the OTU he was promoted to flight lieutenant.

In August, he married Majorie Hutton, a clerk in the Royal New Zealand Navy, at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul.

In October 1942, No. 17 Squadron was formed at Ohakea and Newton was appointed one of its flight commanders.

In July 1943 he became commanding officer of the squadron and served in the South West Pacific theatre for several months before returning to New Zealand.

Equipped with Kittyhawks, the squadron trained in New Zealand for several months until, in July 1943, it deployed to the South West Pacific, initially based at Espiritu Santo.

By this time Newton was commanding officer of No. 17 Squadron, having been promoted to squadron leader.

At Santo, the squadron took over the defence duties for the region from another RNZAF unit, No. 14 Squadron.

In mid-September, No. 17 Squadron deployed to Guadalcanal to relieve No. 16 Squadron, which returned to New Zealand for rest.

Arriving on Guadalcanal on 11 September, No. 17 Squadron was to be engaged in operations supporting the United States and New Zealand ground forces in the region.

It also carried out bomber-escort missions and patrols over Allied shipping.

On his first sortie from Guadalcanal, on 12 September, the engine of Newton's Kittyhawk caught fire and he had to bail out.

Landing near Wana Wana Island, he was picked up by natives in a canoe and was able to return to the squadron the next day.

On 11 October 1943, flying south of Shortland Island while escorting American Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers that had attacked targets on Bougainville Island, Newton led his section in attacking some Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters that were harassing a lone Kittyhawk.

In the resulting engagement, he destroyed one Zero, which was observed crashing into the sea by Newton's wingman.

No. 17 Squadron left its area of operations on 20 October to return to New Zealand.

This ended Newton's first tour of operations, for which he was mentioned in despatches.

No. 17 Squadron returned to Santo in November 1943 and then moved forward to Ondonga on New Georgia.

It began to be involved in operations against Rabaul as part of the New Zealand Fighter Wing.

On 24 December, a large attack was mounted on Rabaul and No. 17 Squadron, along with No. 16 Squadron, was tasked with carrying out a sweep as a precursor to a bombing attack.

He spent the rest of the war on staff duties, and was promoted to wing commander in 1945.

On returning to civilian life, he worked in the engineering industry and later joined General Motors New Zealand.

He subsequently held senior roles with subsidiaries of General Motors before retiring to Melbourne, Australia, in 1980.

He died there in 2018, aged 100.