Aubrey Arthur Ninnis Breckon (Breck) came from Northcote, Auckland, and had been a newspaper photographer (for the New Zealand Herald and the Auckland Weekly News), as was his father (Arthur Ninnis Breckon). He gained his commercial pilots licence in 1931. Breck travelled to England in 1935 he to take up a commission in the Royal Air Force. He transferred to the RNZAF in 1939, and was one of the founding pilots of the New Zealand Flight.

On 12 April 1940 Breck made the first highly secret reconnaissance flight from RAF Wick (Scotland) to Narvik in Norway and on 16 April he and his crew made another from Wick to Trondheim. Breck was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for these flights (see Appendix 1 for information on the significance of these flights). From May to September 1940 Breck flew on many raids over enemy territory - all detailed in his flying logs.

In 1941 Breck was posted back to NZ to the Training Branch of Air Headquarters in Wellington to train pilots in NZ before they left for England. In early 1945 he was promoted to Acting Wing Commander and commanded No 1 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron at Guadalcanal.

Breck remained in the RNZAF after the war, was promoted to the rank of Group Captain in 1956 and retired in 1961.

“In many photographs of the inter-war period, particularly at air-displays, RAF flying teams are seen dashingly dressed in white overalls. These were issued to RAF pilots for air-displays and were used as a ‘mark of status’ up to late 1940 for all of those who had flown in those formative days. Also, many of the newly formed RAF Auxiliary prior to 1939 often provided much of their own flying clothing and opted for the unlined white cotton overalls purchased from the many commercial suppliers. The overalls were also available in a dark blue or black cotton, so pilots had a choice of colour but although used by a few during the Battle of Britain, clothing after this period of the war became more specialised and their use fell by the wayside.”

Source: A Brief History of Flying Clothing, Dr. Graham Rood, Journal of Aeronautical History, Paper No. 2014/01