SERGEANT J. A. WARD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 251, 5 August 1941, Page 6

SERGEANT J. A. WARD.

FORMERLY A SCHOOL TEACHER. SEVENTH AIRMAN V.C. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) announced to day that information has been received that the first Victoria Ooss of the war to ho won by a member of the New Zealand armed forces and the seventh to go to an airman has been awarded to Sergeant James Allen Ward, of No. 75 New Zealand Bomber Squadron.

Sergeant Ward was born at Wanganui on June 14, 1919, and is the younger son of Mr and Mrs P. H Ward, 35 Konini Street, Wanganui. Prior to bis enlistment in the Royal New Zealand Air Force he was a schoolteacher at Castlecliff School, Wanganui. He was educated' at the Wanganui Technical Clollege and Wellington -Training College. Among the schools at which he taught were Aramoho, Raetihi and Castlecliff. He commenced flying training in- New Zealand in July, 1940. Interviewed at Wanganui Sergeant Ward’s mother said: In his letter her son said little about the incident. “I expect lie was ‘very careful.’ He added the rear-gunner got the Distinguished Flying Medal and the captain the Distinguished Flying Cross and ‘they tell me they are thinking up something for me’.”