From late 1942 and into the following year, he was temporarily attached to the RNZAF, firstly in a training capacity in New Zealand, and then in the Solomon Islands campaign with No.

He decided to pursue a career in military aviation and in early 1939, applied for a short-service commission in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).

[2] By the time Spurdle's training started, the Second World War had been underway for some weeks and his short service course was the last to be run by the RNZAF.

[2] Along with 22 other RNZAF pilots, among them Edward Wells, who like Spurdle, would go on to lead a fighter squadron in the war, he travelled to the United Kingdom in early June 1940 to serve with the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Spurdle began operational flying on 28 August and two weeks later, was one of three pilots that damaged a Heinkel He 111 medium bomber.

[2] In early 1941, there was change in tactics and Fighter Command began carry out offensive sweeps over the English Channel and the coast of occupied France to draw the Luftwaffe into combat.

On his last operational flight with the squadron, carried out on 6 April, his Spitfire received damage when he was attacked by German fighters while strafing an airfield in Belgium.

Despite this, on his return flight back to RAF Manston, from where the squadron was operating at the time, he spotted a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter and was able to shoot it down.

Operating from Hawkinge in Kent, the squadron patrolled the Kentish coast and made reconnaissance flights over the North Sea.

The unit operated Hawker Hurricanes, which were launched from catapults mounted on merchant vessels; these were known as CAM ships.

They provided some protection against long-range Focke-Wulf Fw 200 bombers that operated against shipping convoys crossing the Atlantic.

In the early stages of his posting at Speke, he crashed a de Havilland Tiger Moth while stunting the aircraft.

He made two voyages to the United States aboard CAM ships but these were without incident due to a lack of enemy activity.

[2] On 25 July, Spurdle destroyed a Bf 109 and the following day, flying over Hastings, had a successful engagement with a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, one of a flight of four.

Spurdle visited the pilot, who had been hospitalised, and found that he was Horst Bennokruger, a flying ace of the Luftwaffe who had shot down a reported 17 British aircraft.

At the time, it was operating Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks and based at Woodbourne, preparing for service in the Solomon Islands campaign.

Although the Japanese fighter aircraft were carrying fewer offensive operations by this time, Spurdle shot down a Hap, a variant of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, on 13 August.

On one such mission, Spurdle and his wingman damaged a barge at Choiseul Island and also destroyed three Japanese patrol boats.

[2][10] After a period of rest, Spurdle ended his attachment to the RNZAF and returned to England aboard the steamer Umgeni.

[11] Towards the end of the day, it escorted Short Stirlings that were towing gliders and during this mission, Spurdle and his flight attacked a German tank.

Originally tasked with defensive work, protecting bridges and airfields from attacks by the Luftwaffe, in December the squadron switched to offensive operations.

He was stood down from operations in early January 1945, on account of being fatigued from his extensive war service, and was sent to serve at the headquarters of No.

[15] Having received training in radio duties, Spurdle participated in Operation Varsity, the second airborne crossing of the Rhine.

Landed by glider at Wesel on 24 March, his teams were tasked with handling of air-support for the ground forces involved in the action.

[16][17] He was later attached to the 11th Armoured Division, working in a similar role co-ordinating fighter activities in support of the British forces as they advanced to the Elbe, where he finished the war in May 1945.

The aviation historian Mike Spick gives similar totals for Spurdle, although credits him with eleven damaged rather than nine.