WONZ 338 – Geoff Rothwell

Guest: Squadron Leader Geoffrey Maurice Rothwell, DFC+Bar, BC Clasp, CDeG1940 + Palme(Bel), COdLeoll + Palme(Bel), LdH (Fra).
RAF 42726, RNZAF. WWII. POW#5865
3 April 1920 to 5 November 2017

Hosts: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 4th of March 2015

Released: 9th of November 2025

Duration:  1 hour  22 minutes 56 seconds

In this Wings Over New Zealand Show episode Dave Homewood interviews the remarkable WWII veteran Geoff Rothwell, in this recording from the archive, recorded a decade ago.

Geoff was an RAF bomber pilot. He joined in July 1939 after working for the construction company that was building RAF Station Benson and watching the Fairey Battles there. He trained on de Havilland Tiger Moths and Avro Ansons, before converting onto the Vickers Wellington. Once training was complete he joined No. 99 Squadron at RAF Newmarket Heath, and flew Wellingtons during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain.

Following his first tour, Geoff became an instructor on Wellingtons for a period. He was then sent to the USA to do instructing work there in Alabama for RAF trainees who were being trained by American instructors and needed teaching the British methods they’d need when they reached operations. He was also expected to act as an ambassador for the RAF, giving educational talks based on his operational experiences to all sorts of groups in the USA about how the war really was.

When posted back to Britain Geoff was posted to No. 75 (NZ) Squadron as a Flight Commander, again at Newmarket. He was not there for long however before he was removed from the squadron dure to a policy that Flight Commanders and Squadron Commanders on New Zealand squadrons had to actually be Kiwis.

He took his New Zealand crew, and moved to No. 218 Squadron. They completed their second tour with that squadron.

Geoff’s next posting was to No. 138 (Special Duties) Squadron, tasked with air dropping SOE Agents and supplies for the Resistance people in Europe. He completed 70 operational sorties, but on the 71st he was brought down in his Stirling over enemy territory and became a prisoner of war.

Geoff was also previously featured telling his story in the television documentary series Kiwis At War. He passed away on the 5th of November 2017.

Huge thanks to Stuart Russell for his assistance in rescuing the original recording, which had audio issues that he magically removed.

Quick Links:

• The New Zealand Bomber Command Association

• The New Zealand Bomber Command Association Facebook Page

• The 75 (NZ) Squadron Blog Page on Geoff Rothwell

• Buy the book “Last Man Standing – : Geoffrey Rothwell, Survivor of 71 Missions, POW and Last of the SOE Pilots” by his widow Gabrielle McDonald-Rothwell on Amazon

Photos from The New Zealand Bomber Command Association Archive via the late Peter Wheeler.

The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud