It begins with his grandfather, Archie Johnston, who fought in WW1 at Gallipoli and France. Despite being badly wounded by shrapnel in France, he survived the war and returned to New Zealand to raise a family. His son-in-law, James Laybourn, served in WW2. He trained in New Zealand and Canada as a bomber pilot before being posted to a Wellington bomber squadron in the UK. Fortunately for him, the war ended before his first combat mission – probably just as well, as the chances of surviving the standard 30-mission tour in a Wellington over Europe weren’t great.
After the war, James Laybourn gained a degree at Wellington University and became a school teacher. He married Mina (nee Johnston), with their son Bruce Laybourn being born in Wellington in 1951. The family, having by now grown to six kids, moved around a bit, and Laybourn went to high school in Geraldine.
“We were dragged all over the country; it was a great way to grow up.”
After leaving school, Laybourn took up a cadetship (then the name for, followed by stints with the and .
