Glenside’s WW2 pilot remembered

By Frank Neill

A family in England marked the anniversary of the death of former Glenside resident Horace Trenchard, and have contacted the Glenside Progressive Association to let them know.

Pilot Officer Trenchard left Glenside to join the Royal Air Force in 1937 and died on 29 February 1940. While undertaking a night training flight at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England his Spitfire crashed.

He was buried at the Whittlesford Parish Churchyard.

Tim Lyon-Marshall was reading the book “Spitfire Stories” by Jacky Hyams, and read about Pilot Officer Trenchard’s Spitfire crash.

“My interest was piqued by the reference to Whittlesford as my 88-year-old mother lives just 100 yards from the churchyard and it seemed such a sad end to a young man’s life who appeared to have no family (other than his mother) and so far away from home.,” Mr Lyon-Marshall said.

“I mentioned this story to my mother the next time I phoned her. The next day, she took a walk to the Churchyard and quickly found his gravestone.

“She spoke to the gravestone: ‘You don’t know me, but you are one of a number of young men that gave their lives for me to live as long as I have and to have the life that I have’.”

Now that she knows of the story of Pilot Officer Trenchard, “I think she would like to adopt his gravestone, ensuring that it is being well kept and maintained, well looked after and no doubt placing flowers every 28/29 February for each year for whatever remains of her life.”

Tim Lyon-Marshall with his mother Dorothy Rickards and his wife Margaret just after they placed flowers on Pilot Officer Trenchard’s grave.

On 29 February this year, Mr Lyon-Marshall, his mother Dorothy Rickards and his wife Margaret placed flowers onPilot Officer Trenchard’s grave, and forwarded a photo of their time at the churchyard to the Glenside Progressive Association, which has placed it on their Facebook page.

In 1937 at the age of 25, Horace was the guest of honour at a farewell party in Glenside, as he was about to sail to the United Kingdom to train in the Royal Air Force, Horace was very popular in Glenside. Some of his popularity stemmed from the fact that he was Captain of Johnsonville’s first Rugby XV. He also represented Wellington at Rugby, where he played fullback. He was also a member of the Johnsonville Tennis Club and trained at the Wellington Aero Club and the Wairarapa Aero Club, obtaining his “A” flying licence.