Leonard Henry Trent Group Captain Leonard Henry Trent ( 14 April 1915 – 19 May 1986 ) was a New Zealander recipient of the Victoria Cross , the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . Early life . Trent was born in Nelson , New Zealand on 14 April 1915 , the son of a dentist . In 1919 the family moved to Takaka , where three years later , after taking a short ride in a Gipsy Moth aircraft , Trent became captivated by flying . He was educated at Nelson College and boarded at the school between 1928 and 1934 . Air force career . After induction training at Taieri near Dunedin , he undertook Royal New Zealand Air Force flight training in Christchurch , gaining his wings in May 1938 . A month later he sailed for Britain to join the Royal Air Force . In September 1939 Trent went to France as part of No . 15 Squadron RAF , flying Bristol Blenheim s on high - level photo - reconnaissance missions over enemy territory . The squadron returned to England in December to begin convert to medium bombers . Trent flew numerous combat missions after Germany invaded the Low Countries and France in May 1940 . In July 1940 he received the DFC for his outstanding contribution to the Battle of France . Posted as a training instructor , he married Ursula Elizabeth Woolhouse on 7 August 1940 at Holborn , London . He also test flew the Douglas DB - 7 Boston , which he strongly recommended to the RAF . Trent returned to combat duties in March 1942 and was promoted to Squadron Leader . He had spent six months at Headquarters , No . 2 Group RAF , before assuming command of B Flight in No . 487 Squadron RNZAF , working up on the Lockheed Ventura for daylight raids , a task for which the type was manifestly inadequate . He flew many difficult raids on targets in Holland and the Low countries during the late 1942 and early 1943 . Victoria Cross . He was a 28 - year - old squadron leader , Royal New Zealand Air Force , serving with No . 487 Squadron RNZAF , under Royal Air Force control when he was awarded the Victoria Cross . On 3 May 1943 the squadron was ordered on a " Ramrod " diversionary bombing attack on the power station in Amsterdam , ( the code Ramrod meant a bomber raid escorted by fighters aimed at destruction of a specific target in daylight ) . No . s 118 Sqn , 167 and 504 Squadrons of the Coltishall Wing were to escort the Venturas , and were to be met by further squadrons of No . 11 Group , Fighter Command over the Dutch coast . The Venturas were to cross the coast at sea level so as not to alert German radar , then climb . Unfortunately the 11 Gp Mk IX s flying " Rodeo 212 " ahead of the Venturas arrived early and crossed the coast high — being anxious to gain a height advantage — alerting the German defences . They ran low on fuel before the Venturas arrived and had to leave . The Luftwaffe scrambled some 70 fighters in four formations , with Focke - Wulf Fw 190 s to deal with the escort and Messerschmitt Bf 109 s the bombers . The escort Wing Leader , Wg Cdr Blatchford , vainly attempted to recall the bombers but they were soon hemmed in by fighters . Under constant attack by II Gruppe , Jagdgeschwader 1 , 487 Squadron continued on to its target , the few surviving aircraft completing bombing runs before being shot down . The Squadron was virtually wiped out . Trent shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 with the forward machine gun s of his plane . Immediately afterwards , his own aircraft ( Ventura AJ209 ) was hit , went into a spin and broke up . Trent and his navigator were thrown clear at 7 , 000 feet and became prisoners . Trent , whose leadership was instrumental in ensuring the bombing run was completed , was awarded the Victoria Cross . Stalag Luft III . After his capture Trent was assigned to Stalag Luft III Sagan , Germany ( now Żagań , Poland ) . He participated in the " Great Escape " of 24 March 1944 although he was recaptured almost immediately . The Gestapo executed 50 recaptured prisoners , but Trent received solitary confinement because of his immediate surrender outside the camp . Trent survived the war in a POW camp . Trent was liberated by British forces on 2 May 1945 . He returned to England and promptly recommenced RAF service , learning that his last combat mission had earned him the Victoria Cross . Quiet and unassuming , Trent disliked the fuss the award caused , especially during its investiture at Buckingham Palace on 12 April 1946 , being uncomfortable with the publicity . Post - war career . Continuing in the Royal Air Force after the war , he trained in jets ( having the dubious distinction of having to eject from a de Havilland Vampire and a Gloster Meteor ) and later commanded No . 214 Squadron RAF with the , then , new Vickers Valiant . In 1956 he saw further action during the Suez Crisis , and later in the early 1960s , he was promoted to the rank of Group Captain and was appointed an Air Attaché to Washington DC . Later life . Trent moved to Forrestdale , Western Australia , in 1965 , with his wife , Ursula , and three children , and took a job with MacRobertson Miller Airlines . With his wife , he returned to New Zealand to live at Matheson Bay , north of Auckland , in 1977 , dying on 19 May 1986 at North Shore Hospital . Trent ' s ashes were returned to Western Australia , where they were interred at Fremantle Cemetery alongside those of his daughter , Judith , who had died in 1983 at the age of 31 . A biography , " Venturer Courageous " by James Saunders and Laddie Lucas was published by Hutchinson in 1983 .