Derek Harland Ward Squadron Leader Derek Harland Ward , DFC & Bar , was a New Zealand flying ace during the Second World War . He was credited with six kills , one shared destroyed , one probable and four damaged against the " Luftwaffe " . Ward was shot down and killed by the German ace Hans - Joachim Marseille on 17 June 1942 . Among his notable victories was a Focke - Wulf 200 " " Condor " " , destroyed on 1 May 1942 . Career . A doctor ' s son , Ward was born in Whangarei on 31 July 1917 . After obtaining his pilot ’ s licence in April 1937 he joined the RNZAF and after training sailed to Britain in April 1938 to serve with the RAF . On 1 June 1937 Ward was granted a short service commission as a Pilot Officer . In mid - June 1938 he was posted to No . 151 Squadron , a unit which saw no action in the early part of the war . Followng the start of the German blitzkrieg in May 1940 Ward and five other pilots delivered new Hurricanes to No . 87 Squadron in France . Following high casualties Ward and the other pilots remained with 87 Squadron , flying on operations . On 18 May Ward destroyed a Henschel 126 and the next day damaged a Do 17 . On 20 May any aircraft still serviceable with the Squadron were ordered back to the UK . Ward took a Hurricane with no gunsight and few working instruments . Attempting to land in northern France to refuel , he saw fires in the town nearby as two Dorniers were making a bombing attack on the aerodrome . Atttaking , he scoring hits on one and chased off the other . Ward was then attacked by Bf 109 ’ s , and managed to land . After refuelling he took off and low over the Channel ran into more Bf 109 ’ s . Ward dived to low level and reached Debden safely . During the Battle of Britain No . 87 Squadron was heavily engaged in the South West and on the Southern coast approaches . On 15 August 1940 Ward claimed a Bf 110 destroyed . In winter of 1940 the Squadron continued night patrols and intruder attacks against airfields in France . He was awarded the DFC in October 1941 . Ward was posted overseas in September 1941 and took command of No . 73 Squadron in Egypt on night defence duties . Ward commanded a detached Flight operating in the Western Desert with ’ Whitforce ’ . Flying bomber - escorts , offensive sweeps and attacks on enemy airfields , on 8 December 1941 he destroyed a Ju 88 . By early 1942 Ward was often flying several sorties a day . He destroyed an He 111 on 9 February and probably a Bf 109 four days later . On 1 May 1942 , while strafing Barce airfield at night , Ward saw a four - engined aircraft - probably a FW 200 Condor - and shot it down in flames . He was awarded a Bar to his DFC for this action . In early June 1942 the Squadron returned to day operations . Last battle . Around midday on 17 June 1942 , Ward ' s Squadron was returning to base , very low on fuel , when they were attacked by Messerschmitt Bf 109 s from " Jagdgeschwader 27 " . Two Hawker Hurricanes were shot down and their pilots bailed out . Most of the Squadron had not noticed this and landed , but according to Allied reports , Ward returned to protect the pilots in their parachutes only to be shot down and killed . According to the German report of the action : Around midday four Bf 109s ran into ten Hurricanes and approximately 20 Curtiss planes in the air between Gambut and Ras Azeiz . " Oberleutnant " Marseille was the first to dive into a thick crowd of enemy fighters and shot one of them down on his first pass . As he was breaking to shake an enemy off his tail , another plane flitted across his gunsight . Marseille fired immediately and this opponent , too , fell burning . He then sighted four fighters flying in a defensive circle protecting their fellow pilot [ s ] in the chute harness . Marseille shot down two more out of the Lufbery circle . His fellow pilots encouraged Marseille to continue for another kill , to achieve his 100th kill . " Jochen " pounced down upon an enemy aircraft just taking off from Gambut which had only reached an altitude of 100 metres . One of these last three kills was Ward . Squadron Leader Derek Harland Ward DFC RAF of No . 73 Squadron RAF is buried at Plot 1 C 10 at the Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery , Egypt