Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC (5 May 1914 or 5 June 1914 – 11 August 1943), of

Houhora Houhora is a locality and harbour on the east side of the Aupouri Peninsula of Northland, New Zealand. It is north of Kaitaia. Waihopo, Te Raupo, Pukenui, Raio and Houhora Heads are associated localities on the southern shores of the harbour. S ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, was a pilot in the

RNZAF The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

during World War II. He was a

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy for

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

armed forces, and received the award for pressing home an attack on a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

in August 1943. He was killed in the action. His award is unique, as it was awarded on evidence solely provided by the enemy, for an action in which there were no surviving Allied witnesses to corroborate his gallantry.

Early life

Lloyd Allan Trigg, the son of Arthur and Cecelia Louisa Trigg (née White), was born at

, Northland,

on 5 May 1914, or 5 June 1914, and was educated at Whangarei Boys' High School, where he served in the school cadet force. He later studied at

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

and then took up farming in the Victoria Valley, as well as serving as a

non commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

in the part-time North Auckland Rifles prior to World War II.

Military career

Trigg joined the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

(RNZAF) as a trainee pilot on 15 June 1941. On enlistment, his occupation was recorded as "machinery salesman" and he was married with two sons, having married Nola McGarvey in 1938. After completing basic training at the RNZAF base at Levin, Trigg attended pilot training school at No. 3 EFS in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Noted for his hard work and willingness to learn, he was recommended for a commission. He obtained his

pilot's wings An aviator badge is an insignia used in most of the world's militaries to designate those who have received training and qualification in military aviation. Also known as a Pilot's Badge, or Pilot Wings, the Aviator Badge was first conceived to re ...

on 16 January 1942, and was commissioned as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

. After converting onto the

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...

and completing further training at a reconnaissance school, Trigg was promoted to flying officer and embarked for the UK in October 1942, to join

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

. He was posted to West Africa in November 1942 and joined 200 Squadron RAF in January 1943. As a first pilot he took part in over 46 operational reconnaissance patrols, convoy escort flights and anti-submarine patrols. Having previously operated Hudsons, the squadron later converted to the maritime version of the

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

. He was an experienced pilot (he had already been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross) having been involved in two attacks against

s in February 1943. He was flying his first operational flight in a Liberator V over the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

from his base at Yundumn, West Africa (now

Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and ), officially the City of Ba ...

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

), when on 11 August 1943 he engaged the under the command of ''

Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

'' Klemens Schamong. His aircraft received several catastrophic hits from the submarine's

anti-aircraft gun Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

s during its approach to the submarine and was on fire as Trigg made his final attack. After dropping its depth charges, Trigg's Liberator crashed 300 yards behind its victim, killing Trigg and his crew. The only witnesses to Trigg's actions were the U-boat crew members. The badly damaged U-boat sank soon after the attack but a small group of survivors (including Schamong) were spotted by an RAF

Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East ...

of No. 204 Squadron in the dinghy of the crashed Liberator, drifting off the coast of West Africa. They were rescued by a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

vessel, the , the next day, and the German crew reported the incident, recommending Trigg be decorated for his bravery. On 2 November 1943, Trigg was awarded the

for his actions. HMS Clarkia picks up dinghy of Trigg's Liberator, October 1943

The Victoria Cross was presented to Trigg's widow, Nola, by the Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Cyril Newall, on 28 May 1944. At his wife's request, the presentation took place at the Trigg family home so that family and friends could be present. It was the last Victoria Cross to be won by a New Zealander; the

Victoria Cross for New Zealand The Victoria Cross for New Zealand (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour or gallantry in the presence of the enemy to members of the New Zealand Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians und ...

, established in 1999, is now the highest gallantry award that can be bestowed on a New Zealand serviceman. Since Trigg has no burial place, he is commemorated on the

Malta Memorial The Malta Memorial is a war memorial monument to the 2,298 Commonwealth aircrew who lost their lives in the various Second World War air battles and engagements around the Mediterranean, whilst serving with the Commonwealth Air Forces flying fro ...

to the 2,298 Commonwealth aircrew who lost their lives around the Mediterranean during the Second World War and who have no known grave.

Citation

The citation reads as follows:

Legacy

In 2007, New Zealand researcher Arthur Arculus tracked down Klemens Schamong near

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

. The commander said of Trigg's effort "such a gallant fighter as Trigg would have been decorated in Germany with the highest medal or order". In May 1998, Trigg's VC was sold at auction by Spinks of London for £120,000, the equal highest price ever realised for a VC at that time. The seller was not believed to have been a relative of Trigg and the medals were purchased on behalf of the Michael Ashcroft Trust, the holding institution for Lord Ashcroft's VC Collection. The VC is now on display at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

. Trigg Avenue,

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

is named in his honour. Trigg's complete medal awards are: *

* Distinguished Flying Cross * 1939–45 Star *

Atlantic Star The Atlantic Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who took part in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War. Two cla ...

* Defence Medal *

War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...

New Zealand War Service Medal __NOTOC__ The New Zealand War Service Medal (NZWSM) was a New Zealand campaign medal for service in World War II. Award Criteria The NZWSM was approved in 1946, and was awarded to members of the New Zealand armed forces, the National Military R ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
– a more detailed report of the action. *

- with a picture of his medals.

"Aircraft crashed into the sea, no known grave".

Lloyd Trigg's Victoria Cross sold at auction".

"U-boat captain who shot down NZ VC-winner found". {{DEFAULTSORT:Trigg, Lloyd Allan 1914 births 1943 deaths New Zealand military personnel Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel New Zealand World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross New Zealand military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) New Zealand World War II pilots People from the Northland Region People educated at Whangarei Boys' High School