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Minden Vaughan Blake

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Portrait, awarded the DFC - This image may be subject to copyright

Portrait, awarded the DFC - This image may be subject to copyright

Identity

  • Title
  • Forenames
    Minden Vaughan AWMM
  • Surname
    Blake AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    • Mindy AWMM
    • Naughton AWMM
  • Service number
    WWII 36095 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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Service

Wars and conflicts

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Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    Inter War 1937 AWMM
    Age 24 AWMM
    Teacher/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
    WW2
    Dover, Kent AWMM
    19 Aug 1942-May 1945 AWMM
    Shot down after destroying a FW190 AWMM
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
    WW2 1 May 1945 AWMM
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    • Hospital Diseases , Wounds, WWII AWMM
      Eyes badly injured by perspex splinters from windscreen when shot down on 19 August 1942 AWMM
    • Hospital Diseases , Wounds, WWII AWMM
      Broken hand and head injuries sustained during escape from train taking him to a POW camp in Germany AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Blake lectured in physics at Canterbury University in 1936. He narrowly missed receiving a Rhodes Scholarship, and instead was happy to be accepted into the Royal Air Force (RAF) under the Commonwealth scheme.

    He helped to develop the RAF's first gyroscopic gunsight in 1942.

    Invented a golf simulator.

    Portrait in Wynn, K. (1981). The Battle of Britain: 10 July- 31 October 1940 AWMM

Death

About death

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  • Death
    30 November 1981 AWMM
    Age 68 AWMM
    EnglandUnited Kingdom AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

Remember Minden Vaughan Blake by laying a poppy.

Leave a note

Leave a tribute or memory of Minden Vaughan Blake

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  • I had the outstanding honour and pleasure to play in the singles matchplay knockout at the Wentworth Golf Club, Surrey, London against Mindy. We were both plying off 3 handicap. Mindy was Club Captain and an inventor and industrial consultant by profession. My friends when they knew who was to be my opponent said "don't watch the Captain's golf swing." It was only on the 18 th fairway that I saw him play. 3 wood over the diagonal bunkers to set up a gimme putt that I realised how long and straight he had been throughout the round. I lost one down but in the bar afterwards he invited me to join a small group to assist him in his reflections on a revolutionary way to strike the golf ball. Fifty years later I am still deriving pleasure from using the Mindy Swing! I even have. "student" who is Frank Browning, member of the Board at Riviera Country Club, Los Angeles, who adopted the method
    Public - Richard - Friend - 10 May 2016
    Report 

Related Serviceperson

Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Wynn, K. (1981). A clasp for "The Few". Auckland. N.Z.: Author. AWMM
    • Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1942). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 5 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1941 to 30 September, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
    • Wynn, K. (1981). A clasp for "The Few". Auckland. N.Z.: Author. AWMM
      Wynn, K. (1981). p. 23-28 AWMM
    • Ministry for Culture and Heritage. (2012). New Zealanders serving with RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, 10 July – 31 October 1940. [A list compiled by Ministry for Culture and Heritage with Errol Martyn]. AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
13 December 2021KelvinNorfolk, EnglandResearcher
06 June 2020Ian BanksTaumarunui New ZealandResearcher
10 May 2016RichardSt C.oud FeanceFriend

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