Uncle’s medals take the long way home

• Published date: 03 November 2021
• Publication title: Courier, The

The former Timaru man’s medals had not been in the family for more than 25 years but thanks to the efforts of retired New Zealand Army Major Ian Martyn, of Nelson, they are back where they belong.

Flight-lieutenant Herbert Douglas Newman, known to his family as Herb — and in army circles as Tim — was born in Temuka in 1918, the sixth of nine children of Charles and Harriet Newman, and attended school in Timaru.

Research by Mr Martyn showed he trained as a pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force at Wigram in Christchurch in 1939.

By December 1940 he was a pilot in command of a Wellington bomber mission on the marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany.

On the return leg, the aircraft crash-landed after encountering unexpectedly strong headwinds, and the crew were captured and became prisoners of war.

Fl-lt Newman’s final prison was Stalag Luft III near Zagan in Poland, immortalised in Australian author Paul Brickhill’s 1950 book The Great Escape, and the 1963 film starring Steve McQueen.

Brickhill even described Fl-lt Newman in the book.

In one chapter his ‘‘bulky shape’’ was described lying in a tunnel as a shot was heard and the prisoners realised a guard had found the tunnel exit, and they feared he was shooting prisoners as they exited.

Fl-lt Newman was still attempting to escape before realising a fellow prisoner was frantically signalling him to turn back, saving his life.

Finally liberated on May 2, uncle Herb was flown to the United Kingdom and was in London to celebrate Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945.

He stayed in the UK, marrying Peggy Titcomb, and continued in service at the Royal Air Force until retirement.

Before the Newmans left their home in Norfolk to move into a rest-home, the medals were given to their neighbour, Mary Senior.

Mr Newman died in 1996, and his wife, Peggy, died the following year.

When Mrs Senior died, her brother, James Clayton, inherited the medals.

Mr Clayton had made several efforts to try to return the medals to a descendant family member and...