Goldfish Club

The Goldfish Club

During the Second World War, several exclusive clubs were formed as a result of extraordinary action many airmen took during the war. These were the Caterpillar Club, for those who landed safely with the help of a silken parachute; the Late Arrivals Club, those who walked back to safety from behind enemy lines; the Guinea Pig club, those who faced multiple reconstructive surgeries formed by the pioneering New Zealand plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe, and the Goldfish Club. 

The Goldfish Club was founded in 1942 by C. A. Robertson who was the Chief Draughtsman of Messers P. B. Cow & Co limited, one of the largest manufacturers of Air Sea Rescue equipment during the Second World War. The club was formed to honour those who had survived after their aircraft ditched into the water, with the successful use of a "Mae West" (life vest), and a rubber dinghy, etc. The club's motto, summarising their experience, was "Gold for the value of life. Fish for the sea." By 1945, there were approximately 9000 members of the Goldfish Club.

In 1954, the Auckland Branch of the Goldfish Club was formed to incorporate the many Royal New Zealand Air Force members who had become members. Online Cenotaph has added the ditching details to many of the Goldfish Club members' records from the Goldfish Club Roll of Honour. These are some of their stories.

Pine, Madison. Goldfish Club. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 20 January 2020

Results

Displaying 51 - 97 of 97 records

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Family name A-Z Family name Z-A First name A-Z First name Z-A Force War Service # Relevance

Record ID	Photo	Family name	First names	Force	Wars	Service #		Preliminary
186423		Lumsden	Kenneth David	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945, Jayforce, 1945-1948	NZ42423, 42423
C130283		Luoni	George Ian	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ421071, 421071
186428		Malpas	Leslie Bertram	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ401209, 401209
195360		Mann	Douglas Haig	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ414316, 414316, 131851
186432		Marshall	Jack	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ391865, 391865
186479		Mason	Alan Livesey	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ6075, 6075
186481		Mason	Anthony Francis Whistler	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ427775, G133038
186426		McConchie	Ernest William	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ391330, 391330
C140810		McGowan	Roy Andrew	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	73001
C130254		McGreal	Maurice Eugene	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ40237, 40237
186431		McLennan	Andrew Colin	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	FX85029, FX 85029
94244		Medcalf	William Leonard	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	414512
186521		Millar	Patrick Henry	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	401210, NZ401210
C129853		Miller	Hayden Hugh James	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	43041, NZ1996
94357		Moore	Valentine Stuart	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ404924, 404924
186523		Morgan	Richard Grosvenor	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945, Jayforce, 1945-1948	NZ402339, 402339, 4211592
C139676		Mortimer	James Edward	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	412259, NZ412259
94428		Moynihan	Thomas Chamley	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	414516, NZ414516
186536		Newfield	Wilfred George	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ4211844, 4211844
C121660		Pattison	John Gordon	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ39931
94929		Powell	Carlyle Arthur	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	403290, 132437, NZ403290
186543		Rainey	Robert Cecil	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ412738, 412738
95235		Rowley	Donald Kenneth Robin	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	41192
213953		Rutherfurd	Alan Walter	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ404572
C31619		Saward	Albert Norman	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ4213297, 4213297
C121766		Scales	Sydney Ernest	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ402902
186545		Sharp	Seaton George	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ421106, 421106
C132549		Sheddan	Cornelius James	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ412358, 133285
186555		Sisley	John Gordon	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945	NZD2505, 2505
95532		Smith	Alfred Bruce	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	41369, NZ41369
193105		Stanford	Kynaston John	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945, Regular Military Service	NZ401293, 401293, 59502
186554		Steven	Gilmour	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945	NZD2849, 2849
186561		Stratton	Davidson Herbert	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ40857, 40857
95759		Sullivan	Thomas Gilbert	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	412282
C34747		Svendsen	Neil Hyland	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ40327, 40327
186562		Thompson	Athol Rodney	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945	5684, NZ5684, NZ5684
95907		Thurston	Reginald John	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	4210046
C129526		Tucker	Arthur Frederick	Air Force	Jayforce, 1945-1948, World War II, 1939-1945, Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960, Regular Military Service, Vietnam War, 1961-1975	NZ414703, U70076, 414703, 70076
183555		Vanderpump	Mortimer Tuke	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ40994, 130335
C18706		Weber	Rex Alexander	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ404979, 131783
96177		Wendelken	William John	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	417134
96197		Whatnall	George Oliver	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	412774, NZ412774, 132717
96271		Wilkinson	John Aston	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	404627, NZ404627
186574		Wilkinson	John Hopkins	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945	FX85062
89265		Williams	Basil	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	412776, NZ412776
186565		Wilson	James Murray Livingston	Navy	World War II, 1939-1945	FX 85162, FAA/122/124
88591		Woodroofe	Gordon Thomson	Air Force	World War II, 1939-1945	NZ402233

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The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.