Bruce's Zoom with Jacinda

In early May, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a Zoom call to our resident Bruce Cunningham not long after he celebrated his 100th birthday.

He shared stories of his time being a prisoner of war and let's just say Bruce was over the moon with this special call.

Jacinda said the WWII veteran and was kind enough to share a few stories with her as “we mark” VE Day.

Bruce told the PM about the operation that led to his plane going down over Belgium.

“Thank you Bruce for your service, for selling poppies for 64 years for the RSA, and for your warmth and generosity. It was a real privilege,” the Prime Minister said in a Facebook post.

Bruce was a flying officer in 514 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF) and a Lancaster pilot. Bruce was also a prisoner of war in Sagan, East Germany from 1944-1945.

He was born in Masterton on 11th April, 1920 and lived there up until the time of the war.

After receiving his wings Bruce went straight to England to Bomber Command. He was based at Waterbeach, near Cambridge.

In June 1944, not long before D-Day Bruce and his crew were on their 9th operation, heading to Belgium in the early hours of the morning.

The Lancaster was shot and the starboard inner engine caught fire, which within five minutes spread to the entire wing. Bruce ensured all his crew exited the aircraft and then he bailed out. Bruce will never forget what went through his mind as he watched the rest of his squadron fly back and he parachuted to the ground: “I distinctly remember thinking, they’re a mile above me. I’m sitting down here and they’re going home for eggs and bacon.”

The plane landed in a nearby field but Bruce with his parachute landed on the roof of a two-storeyed village café.

As a prisoner of war, he was sent to Stalag Luft III in Sagan before finding his freedom as the war ended.

In 1996 Bruce returned to Belgium. He was given a civic reception. He also had the parachute returned. He has it to this day. A daughter of the café owner had made the prized silk into a wedding gown.

Pictured: Bruce Cunningham, left, and with the Prime Minister.