Corney, Max

Max Corney was born in New Plymouth on 25 November 1922, the son of John and Gertrude Corney. He went to Central School before having three years at New Plymouth Boy's High School. He worked at a butchery but studied wireless technology by correspondence.

He enlisted in 1941 aged 18 in the Royal New Zealand Army, First Battalion, where he served for two years but then applied for transfer to the Royal New Zealand Airforce. After training he was posted to the Signals Unit at Guadalcanal in December 1944, serving as a telephone mechanic.

He died on 26 January 1945 from injuries received after a serious accident at his camp in the Solomon Islands. He is buried in the New Zealand War Cemetery at Bourail, New Caledonia. He was 22.