Son of William Charles and Jemima Forrest Esquilant, of Dunedin, Otago.

Pat joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1939, was commissioned with an administrative job, and gained the rank of Flying Officer. An easy war was not to his taste, however, and although he had the greatest difficulty in doing so, he eventually persuaded the authorities to allow him to transfer for active service. He later, as an L.A.C., sailed for Canada, where his natural aptitude for mathematics, coupled with a unique determination (so typical of him!) made him an apt pupil, and he qualified with the award of a Silver Wing for his outstanding navigational ability. In the course of lengthy service in the Pacific, during which he rose to the rank of F./Lieut., he gained high praise as a navigator, and was rewarded with an A.F.C. He was disappointed at not being posted for service in the European theatre, but was consoled by the opportunities he seldom missed to snatch a climb on his brief visits to New Zealand.

To his delight, 1946 brought a posting to London to work on the War History of the R.N.Z.A.F. He left in April with great expectations of visiting England, the Continent, and in particular the Swiss Alps. The summer months were crammed full of sight-seeing and visiting, and his wonderfully descriptive letters showed his wide interests. ... His impending visit to the Alps was the subject of his last letter, and shortly after came the tragic news of his death on the Weisshorn on 24th August. He lies buried in the Vevey Military Cemetery and, although no surrounded by his beloved Southern Alps, yet, as he would have wished it, is near the mountains. [Source: New Zealand Alpine Journal, vol. XII, no. 34, June, 1947]

Received King's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. AWMM