Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Flyover moving tribute to distinguished World War II pilot

By Laurel Stowell
Whanganui Chronicle·
29 Nov, 2017 01:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Whanganui pilot and flying instructor Ivon Warmington was remembered with a flyover of his funeral service on Tuesday.

A flyover by nine small planes brought tears for many of the people standing outside Whanganui's Trinity Methodist Church for former pilot Ivon Warmington's funeral.

It was unusual for a coffin to be paused outside a funeral service, but Mr Warmington and his family wanted to see the flyover.

It began with a pass by a solo Venom aircraft. Then nine small planes flew east to west across the centre of Whanganui. There were Tiger Moths, an Airtrainer and Pitt Specials, with a Spitfire making a pass through them.

Read more: Flyover will acknowledge feats of distinguished World War II pilot

"It's for my dad. Dad would've loved it," Mr Warmington's daughter Amelia Ruscoe said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When people filed into the church there were no seats to spare, and a few stood at the back.

The minister, Don Biggs, said Mr Warmington attended the church regularly and it was fitting to celebrate his 95 varied and wonderful years.

He had often asked Mr Biggs to stand in the church pulpit, so he could see him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Ivon could tell you off, in that unique way, which was always so warm."

Mr Warmington was a bomber pilot who distinguished himself during World War II, and later taught flying at Wanganui Aero Club.

He used to vet any World War II videos shown to the church congregation, to make sure they weren't "Hollywood".

He had pre-planned his own funeral, one grandson said, asking for R W Gilbert's Requiem to a Rear Gunner to be read aloud.

The former bomber pilot didn't talk about the war much, but letters to the wife of his navigator show how grateful he felt to be alive. His crew was the only one of 10 who started together to survive the war.

He wrote how, up in the sky on a night bombing mission, he would think of his relatives behind the blackout curtains in their house in Cornwall. His father and mother didn't know where any of their three sons were.

Several speakers said what a thorough teacher Mr Warmington was.

"He was a good, strict instructor and you really learned a lot from him. He trained a lot of professional airline captains operating in New Zealand today," Bill Dimes said.

Grandson Stephen said his grandad was a great storyteller too.

"If you asked a question, you had better be prepared for the answer, delivered with lots of detail and enthusiasm."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

11 Jul 06:00 PM

Former members are 'more than welcome' to return, RSA Welfare Trust president says.

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Shelley Loader: How we can all get a share of the apples

Shelley Loader: How we can all get a share of the apples

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP