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4313880: Sgt. Melville Pascoe Lawrence MOXSOM.
PARENTS : Mr. & Mrs. William A. Moxsom of Tahuna.

Melville Moxsom was born at Auckland on November 17th, 1924. He was educated at Morrinsville District High School where he gained his School Certificate and University Entrance in 1941. He then entered the teaching profession, attending the Auckland Training College and University where he gained his Teacher's Certificate and Terms in English and French. Melville Moxsom was a prominent sport, being captain of the tennis team, a member of the first XI and the second XV at Training College. He was also interested in Art and Music and made a hobby of model aeroplane construction. He applied for aircrew enlistment as soon as he was eighteen years of age, but was held on appeal to complete his training as a teacher until the end of 1943. He had been a member of No. 3 Squadron A.T.C. for 14 months prior to his mobilisation. He entered Elementary Ground Training Wing, Delta camp in February, 1944, where he obtained excellent results. As he was not medically fit for training as a pilot, his keenness to be a Navigator was helped by his exceptional ability in ground subjects.

His flying training as a Navigator began at New Plymouth in September, when he had practice in cross country navigation in Anson aircraft and on December 11th, 1944 he was posted to No. 1 Operational Training Unit at Ohakea. On December 8th, 1944 he qualified as an Air Gunner and on January 19th, 1945 as an Air Observer. (redacted His instructors reported him as "an industrious and hard working pupil who obtained very good results on the course, should reach the excellent class as navigator. Very neat, intelligent and alert.")

In February 1945, Sgt. Moxsom became Navigator in a Ventura crew captained by Pilot Officer Graham and after further operational training at Ohakea and Whenuapai, this crew became members of No. 4 Squadron and went forward to Guadalcanal on May 25th, staging at Espiritu Santo.