Camille Enright Malfroy was a prominent New Zealand tennis player of the 1930s and 40s, competing in numerous grand slam championships of the era.
Background
Camille Enright Malfroy was born in Hokitika on 21 January 1909 the son of Mr. Camille M. Malfroy, of the State Forest Department, Wellington and younger brother of the rugby player Jules Malfroy. The Malfroy family in New Zealand was descended from Jean Baptiste Malfroy originally from Macornay, Lons-le-Saunier, Jura, France, a miller, and his wife, Josephine Pricarde.
Education
Cam Malfroy, like his older brother Jules, attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he studied Economics.
Career
He was also a well known pilot and attested an ace pilot during World World War World War II At Cambridge he received his Blue for tennis and was also a noted rugby player. In the 1930s Cam Malfroy was a well-known tennis player and represented New Zealand in the Davis Cup. He played 12 matches for New Zealand between 1934 and 1939.
He also competed in a number of Grand Slam tournaments, nine times at Wimbledon, and once each in the France and Australian Opens.
The furthest he progressed in any of these was to the fourth round of the 1931 Wimbledon championships. After his 1934, the year of his final triumph in the New Zealand championships, he moved to England and thereafter only competed in Europe, notably at Wimbledon, but also a number of other minor tournaments.
Performance timeline
A = did not participate in the tournament
LQ = lost in qualifying draw
Malfroy learned to fly in 1931-1932 whilst a student at Cambridge University with the University Air Squadron. Soon after the outbreak of the second world war in September 1939 he was mobilised and joined 501 Squadron.
On 10 May 1940, the start of the German offensive against Western Europe and France, his squadron moved across the English Channel as reinforcements for the Royal Air Force units already there.
lieutenant was recorded that Malfroy claimed a Heinkel He 111 of World War II/Knight of the Order of the Garter 53 destroyed on 11 May near Bethienville. Malfroy"s squadron continued to fight until the evacuation from Dinard in Brittany on 18 June 1940. The following day, the Hurricanes flew from Street Helier on Jersey to cover the British Army’s evacuation from Cherbourg.
F/L Malfroy then became an instructor at an Number 57 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Harwarden, rejoining 501 Squadron in February 1941 until December 1941, when he was posted to 417 Squadron at Charmy Down flyingSpitfires.
He led Number. 417 (Royal Canadian Air Force) Squadron until March 1942, when he then commanded 66 Squadron. In June 1942 he was posted as Chief Flying Instructor to Number.
61 Operational Training Unit. He then had a short posting on the Training Staff at Headquarters 10 Group, before returning to operations in June 1943 to become Wing Commander Flying at Royal Air Force Exeter.
In early 1944, he took command of 145 Airfield.
He then moved to the staff at Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force and in late 1944 commanded Royal Air Force Portreath and Royal Air Force Warmwell in 1945. Malfroy was credited with five enemy aircraft destroyed during the war. He was awarded both the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States).