“Two members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force lost their lives yesterday morning in a mid-air collision between two aircraft at a South Island air station. They were:— Flying-Officer Cyril Griffith Henderson, whose wife is Mrs F. E. Henderson, of Christchurch. Leading - Aircraftman Eric Mark Broadhurst, whose father is Mr M. Broadhurst, Kaikoura.

The occupant of the other machine, Leading-Aircraftman Keith Owen Whitehouse, of Khandallah, Wellington, escaped without injury, but was admitted to hospital for observation purposes.”

MANAWATU STANDARD, VOLUME LXIII, ISSUE 18, 19 DECEMBER 1942, PAGE 5

During  dual engine flying training at Wigram, the Oxford, with pilot instructor, Cyril Henderson and pupil Eric Broadhurst was in mid-air collision with another of the school’s Oxfords 100ft above the runway at Norwood, some 15 miles from Wigram. The plane crashed and caught fire. The other Oxford was flown by LAC K. O. Whitehouse, who landed safely, but was killed with 75 (NZ) Sqn . RAF in 1944.

[For Your Tomorrow, Errol Martyn, Volume 1, Page 282]