Alexander Douglas McMurtrie

Pilot Officer [Pilot]

Conflict:

WW2

Additional Information:

Son of Alexander Ferguson McMurtrie and Elizabeth McMurtrie, of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.

References:

CWGC

Martyn (2008)

BDM Online

NZ WAR GRAVES

CONTRIBUTED

Public Contributions:

Submitted by: Corey McMurtrie

Relationship to casualty: Unknown relation

Submitted by: Corey McMurtrie

Relationship to casualty: Unknown Relation

Alexander (Lex) Douglas McMurtrie of Lower Hutt, was the son of Alexander Ferguson McMurtrie, a school teacher at Morven who later took up a role at the Ministry of Education. Alex joined the RNZAF a...nd was killed in a training accident. Several sources have various details on a grim evening that saw three aircraft lost with two pilots killed and another seriously injured. However, it is clear that the accidents were due to errors not by the pilots, but by ground control staff at the RAF. Blenheim L8729, the aircraft Alex was piloting, on a searchlight homing exercise, was vectored over high ground rather than the correct area where he should have been. The aircraft circled for a while searching for the beams (which did not exist) before striking high ground south of Basin Howe at 04.35hrs, killing Alex. This aircraft crashed only five minutes after Blenheim L1449 struck the moor near the waterfall further up the valley with both pilots undertaking the same exercise. The wreckage of L8729 was later taken off the moor and down into Bilsdale. Below are the recorded details. 402908 Pilot Officer Alexander Douglas McMurtrie. Parents: Mr. and Mrs. McMurtrie, of Lower Hutt. Alexander McMurtrie was born at Prebbleton on the 14th of February 1920. He received his secondary education at the Takapuna Grammar school, and Whanganui Technical College, passing the matriculation examination. At College he played football, cricket, hockey and tennis, afterwards tennis and golf. From 1937 until applying for enlistment in aircrew on the 13th September 1939, he was employed in a clerical capacity by the National Bank of New Zealand Limited, in Wellington. Pilot Officer McMurtrie was enlisted at the initial training wing, Levin, on the 1st of September 1940, and proceeded to No.3 Elementary Flying Training School, Harewood, on the 29th of September to commence his flying training school, Woodbourne, Blenheim. Here on the 18th January 1941 he was awarded the flying badge and commissioned in the rank of Pilot Officer on the 1st March 1941, afterwards embarking for the United Kingdom about the end of the same month. Pilot Officer McMurtrie proceeded by way of Canada arriving at No.3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, on the 19th of May and was posted to no.54, Operational Training Unit, Church Fenton, Yorkshire, a week later. Here he converted to Blenheim aircraft. Pilot Officer McMurtrie was the pilot of an aircraft engaged in carrying out an exercise on the night of the 18th of July 1941. The aircraft collided with high ground in the Cleveland Hills district, Yorkshire. Pilot Officer McMurtrie lost his life. He is buried in the St John, Baptist cemetery, Kirby wharf, Yorkshire in the UK. 5/1/869 A.S.2 174 hours as pilot. [Record since amended - NZWGT] Read More

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Casualty

Service Number:

402908

Name:

Alexander Douglas McMurtrie

Rank:

Pilot Officer

Additional Rank:

Pilot

Date of Birth:

14 February 1920

Place of Birth:

Prebbleton, Canterbury, New Zealand

Education:

Takapuna Grammar School

Date of Enlistment:

01 September 1940

Place of Enlistment:

Levin, New Zealand

Occupation on Enlistment:

Clerk

Employer:

National Bank of New Zealand, Wellington

Unit:

Royal New Zealand Air Force, 54 Operational Training Unit

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:

Killed in aircraft accident

Date of Death:

18 July 1941

Day of Death:

Friday

Age at Death:

Conflict:

WW2

Embarkation Details

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery:

Kirkby Wharfe (St. John the Baptist) Churchyard Extension

Cemetery Reference:

Row C. Grave 1.

Cemetery Location:

United Kingdom