Victor Verity

Returning to New Zealand in November 1945, having travelled aboard the RMS Andes, Verity was transferred to the Air Force Reserve early the following year. He took up farming in South Canterbury but in 1959 relocated his family to England. Settling in Northampton, he started up a business in the roofing industry. Ten years later, he came back to New Zealand, initially based in Nelson and later in Paekākāriki as his health began to decline. He died on 2 February 1979 while in care at Wellington Hospital.

Verity's command was a training formation, towing targets for units of the British Army that were practicing anti-aircraft operations as part of their preparations for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy. Surplus to requirements following the landings on D-Day, No. 650 Squadron was later disbanded. In the meantime, Verity proceeded to No. 62 Operational Training Unit at Usworth, where he helped in the instruction of navigators. In June 1945, and with the war in Europe at an end, he was posted to the Headquarters of No. 12 Group. He ended his service in the RAF in November, having spent his final weeks in an administrative role at Hereford.

In mid-1943, Verity returned to England in a rest from active duty. By this time, he had flown on 375 sorties. After a period of leave he returned to duty in a staff role at the headquarters of Fighter Command as one of the controller of night fighter operations against the Luftwaffe airbases from which the German night fighters were operating. In late August he was promoted to squadron leader. Three months later he was briefly assigned to No. 1622 Flight, at Gosport, before taking up command of No. 650 Squadron. At the end of the year, and with his short service commission at an end, Verity transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force although he remained in his current posting.

In March 1942, Verity was sent to the Middle East, arriving there in June and subsequently posted to No. 73 Squadron. At the time, it was mostly engaged in night intruder missions with its Hurricanes, with occasional day patrols as well. After a couple of months of operations, in September Verity was sent to an aircraft delivery unit, where he was expected to gain experience on the Bristol Beaufighter. In early 1943, he was posted to No. 89 Squadron, based at Abu Suweir Air Base in Egypt. Paired with a navigator, Warrant Officer Farquharson, he was sent to Luqa, on the island of Malta, as part of a detached flight of the squadron. This flight formed part of Malta's aerial defences, and was soon absorbed by No. 108 Squadron. He and Farquharson achieved the unit's first aerial victory when on the night of 17/18 April, guided by his Beaufighter's radar, they destroyed a He 111 off Trapani, on the island of Sicily.

On 18 December, No. 422 Flight became No. 96 Squadron, based at Cranage, and was tasked with the defence of Liverpool and its environs. The squadron began converting to the Boulton Paul Defiant night fighter in March 1941, but not before Verity secured a final aerial victory in a Hurricane, claiming a He 111 as probably destroyed on 15 March. Once the conversion to the Defiant was complete, Verity was paired up with an air gunner, Sergeant F. W. Wake. The duo gained their first aerial victory as a team when on the night of 3/4 May, they destroyed a Ju 88. A He 111, spotted against fires burning in Liverpool was shot down on the night of 6/7 May and in a second sortie later that night, Verity and Wake claimed a Ju 88 as probably destroyed.

With the Second World War now underway, Verity's new unit, based at Digby, had just been formed as a squadron of Fighter Command and operated the Bristol Blenheim. It became operational in late December, undertaking patrols over the North Sea as cover for the British fishing fleet. It also began training for a night fighting role and was involved in testing of radio direction finders. In March 1940, the squadron began converting to the Hawker Hurricane fighter.

Born in Timaru, Verity joined the RAF in 1938. After completing his flight training, he was posted to No. 229 Squadron where he flew a Hawker Hurricane. During the Battle of France, he was briefly transferred to No. 615 Squadron, claiming his first aerial victories with this unit, before returning to No. 229 Squadron. Further victories were claimed during the Battle of Britain but in October he switched to night fighting duties, flying with No. 422 Flight and then No. 96 Squadron. Now flying the Boulton Paul Defiant, he and his gunner made a number of successful engagements in the spring and summer of 1941. He later flew in the Middle East and the Mediterranean before transferring to the Royal New Zealand Air Force and returning to England. He undertook instructing and staff duties in the final years of the war. Returning to civilian life after the end of hostilities, he initially farmed in New Zealand and then worked in the construction sector in England. His health declined in his later years and he died in Wellington, New Zealand, aged 59.

Victor Bosanquet Strachan Verity, DFC (5 November 1919 – 2 February 1979) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He is credited with the destruction of at least eight enemy aircraft.

Victor Bosanquet Strachan Verity was born at Timaru, New Zealand, on 5 November 1919, the son of C. S. Verity, a farmer, and his wife. His schooling was at Longridge School, and then, from 1932 to 1934, Timaru Boys' High School. After completing his education, he worked on the family farm. Desiring a career in the Royal Air Force (RAF), he applied for a short service commission. His application was successful, and he left New Zealand for the United Kingdom on 1 February 1939, sailing aboard the RMS Tainui.