" They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them."
from the poem 'For The Fallen' by Laurence Binyon
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Corran Perry Ashworth was born in Eketahuna on 25 September 1921, eighth child and fourth son of Arthur John and Edna Mary Ashworth. He was educated at Alexandra District High School where he obtained his University Entrance in 1937. In civil life he was employed as a clerk in the Post and Telegraph Department and his favourite sports were rugby, cricket and tennis. |
1941 - 1942
Corran Ashworth applied for enlistment in the RNZAF in January 1941 and was enlisted at Levin on 15 June. His flying training was carried out at No. 3 Elementary Training School, Harewood, and No 2 Service Flying School, Woodbourne. He was awarded the Flying Badge on 18 October and promoted to Temporary Sergeant on November 29.On most Sundays we were free of duties, and my father would collect me, and some of the others, to go home for the day. Already, lasting friendships were forming in the groups, and I teamed up with Corran Ashworth - known as 'Ash' - a man of considerable charm and ability, and a very good pilot. His instructor was called 'Butch' Baines, because of his tendency to turn purple when he wound himself into a rage. Ash trudged away from a Moth one morning grinning widely, but with a pale and subdued instructor.The flying exercise had been spinning, and recovering from the spin. Ash had pulled the nose of the aircraft up until it was stalled, but was not applying rudder (to cause the spin) to the satisfaction of his instructor. "Boot it on - hard - like this"; yelled Butch lunging at a rudder pedal. With the Moth spinning earthward he then roared: "Right - recover and pull out." He was one of those annoying instructors who sometimes kept his hand and feet on the controls while the pupil was in action, and after several turns in the spin he started raving at Ash to pull out. Ash yelled back, "Get your bloody feet off the rudders!"
The panic set in. Butch had jammed the sole of his flying boot between the rudder bar and the side of the cockpit, and there was no way it could be withdrawn. In desperation he released his safety harness, wrenched his foot out of the flying boot, then tore the boot forward and clear of the rudder bar with his hands. Ash corrected the spin and only pulled out of the dive 'scraping the daisies.'
After they landed Butch actually apologized to Ash.
Excerpt from Johnnie Houlton's book 'Spitfire Strikes' pages 19 - 20
| He embarked for the United Kingdom in December 1941, commencing advanced flying training at No. 1 7 Advanced Flying Unit, Watton, Thetford, Norfolk on 16 March 1942. He moved on to No 55 Operational Training Unit, Annan, Dumfriesshire on 7 April to undergo training on Hurricane aircraft. On June 9 he joined No. 403 Canadian Squadron at Martlesham, Suffolk, participating in operational exercises in Spitfire aircraft. Corran flew for the first time on 12 June 1942, in a Spitfire. On 25 June he joined No. 253 Squadron at Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire, after 48h of flying, where he flew Hurricanes once more. He participated in the ground strafing of Dieppe, his second mission in operation. He took off in a Hurricane at 04h30 to attack the gun position on the coast around Dieppe. He flew a second time, for one hour, between 16h30 and 17h30 in the valley of Scie. |  |
In November, the Squadron moved to French North Africa, operating from Phillipville, Algeria. Sergeant Ashworth, as pilot of a Hurricane in the Squadron, participated in patrols, convoy escort and sea sweeps. The Squadron contacted enemy aircraft on a number of occasions.
1943
Sergeant Ashworth reported shooting down a JU-88 in the vicinity of Jemmapes on 15 February 1943, and he was promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer on 23 March, at which time he was discharged from the Royal New Zealand Air Force.NBOn June 15 he was transferred to No. 14 Squadron, Blida, Algeria where he continued operations, flying Mustang I aircraft. He joined No 32 Squadron at Tingley in North East Algeria on July and he was flying both Hurricanes and Spitfire aircraft on varied operations. On 9 July he reported shooting down a Bf-109 fifty miles N-NW of Galite. This was confirmed and on 23 September he was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer.
Flying Officer Ashworth returned to England in October and, after a few days at No. 55 Operational Training Unit, was sent to No. 3 Flying Instruction School, Lulsgate Bottom, Somerset. He returned to No. 55 Operational Training Unit on October 10, where he flew Hawker Typhoon and Hurricane, Miles Masters, Magister and Martinet aircraft.
1944
On D-Day, Flying Officer Ashworth proceeded to No. 83 Group Support Unit at Redhill in Surrey where he flew Mustangs. He was then posted to No. 65 "East India" Squadron. |
On June
10, he moved with the Squadron to a newly captured aerodrome in
Normandy. The Squadron formed part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force and
was engaged on strikes against enemy railway yards, communications and
troop concentrations. Corran Ashworth had a busy month of bombing in
France and on the 14th of June he was on reconnaissance (12 Planes) in
the area of Rouen. He shot down a Bf-109 G6 of the 2./JG5: the pilot
was not wounded but his plane was totally destroyed. He followed up
with an Fw-190
near Argeantan on 17 June. During July he flew a lot of reconnaissance missions from 65 Squadron's base in France: 122 Airfield. On the 11th and 12th he spent time on formation and low flying as well as aerobatics. He 'shared' a Bf-109 G6 III Gruppe of JG26, damaged near Dreux-Conches on July 29, with Sergeant Holland, 65 Squadron. |
On August 2nd, Flying Officer Ashworth was not on mission because his plane YT-U had technical problems on 31 July: the engine cut off and he did training tests.
It was raining hard early in the morning of August 3rd, though it cleared mid-morning. The weather was very cloudy and visibility low (10/10) when he took off at 10h34 with 12 other aircraft. At 500 metres he saw the barges plus four 88-mm guns and 8 batteries of 20mm and 37mm protecting the bridges and ferries located on this part of the Seine. Flying Officer Corran Perry Ashworth was seen at 4,000 feet commencing his pull out when his aircraft (Mustang III, number FB-208, USAF serial number 42-103102) appeared to explode, going down in a ball of flame and plunging into the river. The exact cause is not known but some very accurate enemy anti-aircraft fire was experienced at the time and it is probable that one of his bombs was hit by some. He was in the last section to go down and no guns were fired. Flying Officer Ashworth was classified as missing believed killed and later reclassified to "presumed dead".
Aircraft destroyed: 4
808 hrs as pilot.
NB: RAF Sgt Coran Perry Ashworth 253 Sqn claimed 1xJu88, 20 miles N. Cap Bougaroun. He was flying Hurricane IIc (HV742). This claim corresponds to Ju88D-1/Trop (F6+EH) of 1(F)/122. (Source:Luftwaffedata).
Photo from Johnnie Houlton's book, 'Spitfire Strikes'
Hornchurch, November 1943 (left to right):
Corran Ashworth, Johnnie Houlton, Ian Strachan,
Jack Yeatman, Al Stead
Corran's Medals and Clasps(l-r):
The 1939-45 Star | The Aircrew Europe Star
The France and Germany Clasp | The Africa Star | The Defence Medal
The War Medal 1939-45 | The New Zealand War Medal
The New Zealand Memorial Cross (not pictured)
(Awarded to next of kin following service personnel's death)
There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it. ~ Havelock Ellis
Corran's brother, Vince, has also been collating information. He has been in contact with a French historian, Fabrice Dhollande, who is writing a history of WWII in Normandy. Fabrice has put a lot of effort into researching Corran, including arranging a special stone and memorial plaque which was unveiled - near the site where Corran died - on June 10th 2006. Vince made a speech in Corran's honour.
Author Paul Sortehaug interviewed Kiwi airman Jimmy Prentice in 1989 and there was mention of Corran, who was a friend of Jimmy's.
This is the biography written by Vince Ashworth about his brother, Corran. It is an excellent read, chronicling Corran's life before and during the war. Vince still has copies of this book. If you are interested, please send him an .
Dedicated, also,
to the men and women,
Allied and Axis,
who fought and died,
were wounded physically and mentally,
became POWs or MIAs
in
the conflict known as
World War II,
as
well as the many wars
before and since.
Also,
to those who
experienced war
through
their loved ones' eyes
and
became affected by
those experiences,
and
suffered from the loss of their loved ones.
To further elaborate on
the
above statement: Growing up, it was mostly implied that "Axis=Evil /
Allies=Good". This is not completely true. There was heroism and
cowardice
on both sides. And there was chilvary and disdain. Examples of German
chilvary during WWII include Hans Langsdorff's (Commander of the Graf
Spee)
decision to scuttle his ship in order to better facilitate his men's
safety. Also, Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross solely evidence provided by Klemens Schamong, commander
of the U-Boat he was attacking. Most Germans of the Armed Forces were
fighting for the same reasons: To defend their families, their friends
and their country.
| Vince
Ashworth was a
12-year old schoolboy when his war hero brother
was killed: "We never knew exactly what happened, but it was a very sad time. I remember very vividly how families were advised of casualties. We got a knock on the front door at 5 o'clock one night. It was the postmaster and he handed mum a telegram and said he was sorry. Casualty lists were published every day in the Otago Daily Times, too. That's how it was done in those days." Flying Officer Ashworth is among the 20,450 Allied airmen who died in unknown circumstances during World War 2 with all names listed on the Runnymede Memorial, at Englefield Green in England. "That was the end of it for 60 years, as far as my family was concerned," Vince said, "Then, eight months ago, I received an email from an amateur French military historian, Fabrice Dhollande, who was doing research on World War 2 in Normandy. He had met a local man who, as a child during the war, had seen my brother's plane going into the river." Four of Vince's brothers also fought in World War 2, including highly-decorated Wing Commander Artie Ashworth, who was awarded the DSO, DFC and bar, and AFC and bar. With the average life of RAF bomber crews being 10 operations, Artie's survival of 110 missions was seen as something of a miracle. Source:
Otago Boys' High School Foundation 20/07/2006
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