James Allen Ward | |
|---|---|
 Sergeant James Allen Ward standing in the cockpit of his Vickers Wellington at Feltwell, Norfolk, July 1941 | |
| Born | 14 June 1919 Wanganui, New Zealand |
| Died | 15 September 1941 (aged 22) over Hamburg, Germany |
| Buried | Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery Ohlsdorf, Hamburg |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service | Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1941 |
| Rank | Sergeant Pilot |
| Unit | No. 75 Squadron |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
James Allen Ward, VC (14 June 1919 – 15 September 1941) was a New Zealand aviator and a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded at the time to personnel of the British and Commonwealth forces.
Born in Wanganui, Ward was a teacher when the Second World War began. He immediately volunteered for the Royal New Zealand Air Force and after completing flight training in New Zealand, travelled to England. In mid-1941, he was posted to No. 75 Squadron, which operated Vickers Wellington bombers. He participated in his first few bombing missions as a co-pilot, during the last of which, on 7 July 1941, he earned the VC for his feat in climbing out onto the wing of his Wellington bomber to extinguish an engine fire caused by a night fighter attack. Ward was the first of three New Zealand airmen to be awarded the VC during the Second World War. He was killed two months later commanding his own Wellington on a bombing mission to Germany.