Early Life

"I would give anything to be able to use an aeroplane, especially at the present time when they are all-important to both Army and Navy."

DEH

A Kiwi Upbringing

Donald Ernest Harkness was born on August 27th, 1894, a cold and wintery day in Nelson, a small city on the north shore of the South Island of New Zealand. He was the second son and third child of George Alexander and Mary Blanche Talbot Harkness, she preferring to be called by her middle name rather than her first. Ella, his only sister, was born two years before him, and three brothers were born after him, Alec, Philip, and Euan, in that order. The oldest by three years was Keith, but he passed away suddenly at the all too early age of 14, the result of a schoolyard accident. Euan, born in 1905, was always called Nipper, or just Nip, for no other reason than the fact that he was the youngest.

We don't know much of Don's early life, though we do know from his letters that he was close to his siblings. They wrote often to each other while they were away on school trips, while on holidays, visiting relatives, or just for fun. Their father was the Chief Inspector of Schools on the South Island and was a strict, but loving schoolmaster to the children, and their mother was a teacher. They made sure the children got a well-rounded, proper English education and learned to read and write well at an early age, and little "Donny" became especially fond of writing as a result.

By the turn of the 20th century New Zealand was barely 60 years old as a British colony; some 620 years old as a country settled by Polynesians, and Don was in primary school learning all about it. He was also learning about his mother country, England, often calling it "Home" in his letters, as was the fashion, and soon, without ever being there, he knew all about it, too, from the reference books and schooling his parents provided, as well as the innumerable stories told to him by his traveling relatives. As a boy he also enjoyed taking things apart and rebuilding them, often making them better than they were before. He understood not just how things worked but why they worked, and read avidly about the new advances in technology that seemed to be everywhere – everywhere except New Zealand, that is. He longed to bring New Zealand into the modern age and help it reach a par with the great countries of Europe and America. He knew, however, that much work was still needed to build a modern infrastructure for New Zealand, and that required large numbers of engineers and construction workers. From an early age he therefore set out to make engineering his career and looked forward to the day when he'd be old enough to enter the workforce. But just before he got old enough, he saw a man fly like a bird in one of those new "aeroplanes" he'd heard so much about, and just as the romance of flight was taking hold of his young imagination, war was invading his Home country.

In early 1915 brothers Vivian and Leo Walsh began test flying a flying boat based on a Curtiss biplane that they had built themselves, and with this plane opened the New Zealand Flying School, the country's first, in October of that year. It was one of those early test flights that Don saw, rising off Mission Bay in Auckland's Waitemata Harbor, that so enamored him to flying. At the time, Don, then 20 years old, was in Auckland working an unpaid internship and taking his finals for the second year of classes he'd just finished at Canterbury College, New Zealand University's engineering college located in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island. University rules back then required that students take their final tests in Auckland even though the colleges where their classes were held were often in cities hundreds of miles from there. Because he'd earned a scholarship in 1912 after graduating with honors from Nelson College, a highly regarded secondary school, Don didn't mind the inconvenience and used the opportunity to visit relatives and do a bit of sightseeing.

How to Defend England

When the first shots were fired, like so many young men his age, with a mixture of patriotism, exuberance and naiveté, Don jumped at the chance to defend England, but had the presence of mind to wait until after he'd researched his options and made a plan for himself before going off to war. Many of his friends didn't wait and left at the first calling in October, 1914 when the first ANZAC troopships bound for Europe were organized, and found themselves diverted en route to Egypt when the Ottoman Empire entered the war.

He didn't quite know what to make of the ground war – nobody did, actually – but from the sanitized yet still horrific newspaper reports of conflicts like the Battle of Mons, First Battle of the Marne, Siege of Antwerp, First Battle of Ypres, and dozens more in 1914 alone, he was pretty sure he wanted no part of the infantry. Instead, Don very much wanted to join the Royal Flying Corps but he quickly learned that securing flight training presented certain difficulties that needed to be sorted out first, not the least of which was how to pay for it and the travel to London, where most of the UK's flying schools were located. Though the New Zealand Flying School would eventually train 83 pilots for the war, with 75 making the trip to London, they were still months away from beginning operations by the time he was ready to leave, so for him, that wasn't an option. There was also the matter of what to do about his education which would have to be suspended until his return. The whole RFC enlistment process was, in fact, so confusing that no one knew exactly what to expect once they arrived in Europe. He put the matter on hold while he talked it over in the following letter with his father, ultimately deciding that his immediate courses should come first. Hopefully, by the time his current semester of classes ended in late May, the way to England, and the RFC, would become clearer for him.

'Nelmeshurst'
Remuera Rd
Sun. Jan.17, 1915

Dear Father,

You will excuse me worrying you with a letter, won't you, knowing as you will what it is for? I did hope to be able to ask you for two things, but one has got bumped on the head. The other is that you will be able to assist me financially as I have come to the end of my resources and could do with some more tin almost immediately, seeing that I have about seven more weeks to fill in up here, and the trip home as well. I spend about as little as I can possibly help, yet unless I stay in the same place all the time, I have to spend a good bit on tram fares alone.

As regard the other thing which I have hinted at, I don't think it is worthwhile after all, or at any rate, not yet. I heard that a fellow here had left for England to study aviation and join the Royal Flying Corps at the front as an air scout, so I was very keen to do the same if I could myself. A friend of mine from the Engineering School has just joined the Reinforcements at Trentham, and I reckon it would be first rate if he and I could go Home to the aviation school, as I would give anything to be able to use an aeroplane, especially at the present time when they are all-important to both Army and Navy. I dodged work yesterday morning and buzzed round to the Defence Office to see if I could find out anything further; they say that I should have to pay my own passage Home, and at present they could not give a guarantee that I should be accepted. This isn't much good for me, and besides I think I should probably lose my scholarship if I left the varsity, so at any rate will have to wait a bit and see if things are altered.

The results of our exams should be out in about a month; one paper I did very rottenly, as did nearly everyone else. Another one I did not do very well, but with a fair amount of luck will scrape through; while I ought to pass in the rest. If I fail in more than one subject I shall have to take all the subjects over again, but if in one only I can go on with next year's work and take that subject again. That is how things stand with regard to exams, so I am not over-hopeful.

Today I have been across to the Talbot's at Takapuna. I met Uncle Fred in the street yesterday morning so found out where they lived. They have taken a house close to the beach and are staying for another fortnight, Graême staying with friends out in the country.

Now I must close, with love to all,
Your loving son,
Don

By the time his classes were over the risk of non-acceptance into the RFC was still very real, but he could not imagine himself doing anything else – except maybe joining the Royal Engineers, but he preferred to do that only if he couldn't get into the RFC. He still needed his father's approval, however, to interrupt his studies and go to war, as well as a hefty sum of money to pay for flying lessons and support his room and board once he got to England. There seemed to be little talk of his not going to war and staying home and finishing his studies, such was the degree of nationalism felt by all citizens loyal to the crown, but also due to the strong social pressure of the time to join the war effort or be branded unpatriotic, or worse. With two and a half years of classes out of the way his primary concern became just getting the money required to get the training he desired. Choosing his words carefully, he sent the following letter to his father, this time from Canterbury College, asking for his permission to join the RFC:

Gloucester House
Tuesday, May 25, 1915

My Dear Father,

Once more you are to be favored with a letter from me, and this time as usual it is because I want something – otherwise I should not worry you. It is for permission to work my passage to England on the N.Z. Shipping Company`s Ruapehu, which leaves at the end of June. Uncle Norman knows the manager of the company here very well, and so I went round with him this morning and was promised a job as a fitter if I want it. Bauchop, who has been at the Engineering School for several years and passed his final last year, is going to do the same, but when he reaches England is going to join the Navy and get on a destroyer.

What I should infinitely prefer on reaching England is to join one of the Flying Schools and there learn to fly an aeroplane. This would take two or three months at the most, I think, and then after getting the RAeC (Royal Aero Club) certificate would in all probability be able to secure a position in the Naval or Military Royal Flying Corps. As far as I can make out at present this previous training in a private school is necessary before joining the RFC and would cost about £50. At the present time, due no doubt to Government subsidy, I think they are taking prospective members of the RFC at reduced rates.

Of course I should get no pay on the boat or at aviation school, but once in the Royal Flying Corps, either in the Military or Naval Wing, I should receive pay and keep like the rest. Of course I know I am asking a good bit; but then I have been so considerate so far by keeping alive and so amassing a fortune with the Insurance Company. In any case I could write Home for particulars and know whether it was worthwhile or not before I reached England – if not, I could return all that had been given me and then join the Royal Engineers. If I do decide to use it, I shall repay it later on when I am receiving a salary of my own. As far as monetary considerations go, I have at present about £5 in the bank, and am waiting for my next scholarship cheque of £12-10, which will arrive in a day or two. There is also £7-7 which I have paid to the university Registrar for examination fees, and which I could recover, making a total of somewhere about £25.

I sincerely trust that this scheme will meet with your unanimous approval, and should like to hear just as soon as ever you can decide, preferably by wire, if you wish me to go Home, as I suggest, in a month's time or later. Please let me know as soon as possible as I have to tell the N.Z. Shipping Co. manager definitely soon, and if I leave by the Ruapehu, shall scuttle back to Nelson in about a week and spend three weeks holiday there before departing.

"Learning to fly is like learning to ride a bicycle" Prof. Scott told me yesterday. I noticed in one magazine that one aviator recently got his certificate after only a fortnight's tuition. On joining the RFC of course three or four months additional training would be necessary to accustom one to war conditions, such as bomb-dropping, distinguishing friend and foe, observation, etc., etc., but that would not cost anything.

Hoping to hear your reply at the
earliest possible moment,
Ever your most devoted son,
Don

As the final preparations were made the departure date changed to July 6th and the boat changed to the SS Paparoa. Using the poor traveler's time-honored tradition of "working a passage" Don was able to secure a third class ticket on the Paparoa for zero cost, as long as he worked for it as a "fitter" by installing and repairing machinery, pumps and generators. The work wasn't glamorous but was better than being a boiler stoker or deckhand, an apparent early benefit from his college engineering studies. One or two family contacts with the shipper didn't hurt either.

Departure day was full of excitement, particularly for those planning to enlist at the end of the voyage, but for most, this was just supposed to be a routine trip with a few stops along the way for coaling and to take on or drop off passengers. On July 1st Don said goodbye to his family in Nelson and boarded the Arahura steam ferry for the trip across the Cook Strait to Wellington, where the Paparoa's pier was located. He made no mention of his feelings on that day, but he generally was not one to dwell on his own emotions. He was, however, fully aware of the importance of the events about to unfold around him so was especially careful to record them in a diary, including detailed descriptions of the places he saw and some very colorful characters he met along the way. The diary begins below:

From Wellington to London

Tues., Jul. 6, 1915:

Left Wellington by Paparoa at 3 p.m. Boat almost full of 3rd class passengers. I was given a 4-berth cabin in extreme aft to share with Bauchop. The cabin is not over spacious. If one wants to turn round, one has to go outside, turn round, and come in again. Met a short, substantial namesake masquerading as assistant steward from England. Not feeling too well, but the sea is smooth.

A repetition of yesterday - in more ways than one. One can have the past over again sometimes. Am told that they never have two Sundays running or two Thursdays (ham and eggs on Thursdays). The choir is practicing for Sunday. Am not looking forward to the weekend.