Derek Harland Ward, DFC & Bar (31 July 1917 – 17 June 1942) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

He led the squadron in numerous operational missions during the North African campaign, escorting bombers and carrying offensive sweeps on enemy airfields and installations.

[2] After spending the early part of 1938 doing advanced training, Ward was selected to go to the United Kingdom to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) on a short service commission.

[6] The squadron soon began converting to the Hawker Hurricane fighter[2] and in April 1939 Ward demonstrated the aircraft to Grigore Gafencu, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was in England on an official visit.

151 Squadron saw little action after the initial outbreak of the Second World War, only called upon to shoot down stray barrage balloons and pursue unidentified aircraft.

In February 1940, Ward, newly promoted to flying officer, was part of a detachment that operated from RAF Martlesham Heath for two months.

[2][8] Immediately sent into action, on 18 May, Ward was flying with a section of four Hurricanes when he destroyed a Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance aircraft near Valenciennes.

Attempting to land in northern France to refuel, he saw fires in the town nearby as two Do 17s were making a bombing attack on the aerodrome.

The irreverent nose art on the Hurricane he was ferrying back to the United Kingdom, a coat of arms featuring various unlucky symbols captioned by the phrase "So what the hell?

10 Group and tasked with covering the approaches to the ports and harbours along the southwest coast of England, including those of Bristol, Plymouth, and the Isle of Portland.

[11] The squadron continued night fighter operations through the winter months although the Hurricane was not a particularly effective aircraft for this work and did not achieve much success in the role.

Ward, having been promoted to flight lieutenant, began advocating for nighttime intruder missions targeting Luftwaffe installations in occupied France.

[12] In spring 1941, while operating from RAF Charmy Down, the squadron began maintaining a detachment of Hurricanes at St Mary's, located off the coast of Cornwall and one of the Isles of Scilly.

The citation for the DFC, published in the London Gazette read: This officer fought with his squadron during the air operations in France and destroyed 2 enemy aircraft.

In July, 1941, Flight Lieutenant Ward and another pilot intercepted a force of hostile aircraft which attempted to attack one of our aerodromes from a low altitude.

In spite of anti-aircraft opposition hits were believed to have been obtained on 2 enemy aircraft and, in addition a goods train was machine gunned together with buildings and gun-posts.

[17] On 17 June 1942, Ward's squadron was returning to base, very low on fuel, when they were attacked by four Bf 109s, led by the German flying ace Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Marseille.

[20] Ward was originally buried near his crashed Hurricane but his remains were later re-interred at the Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery in Egypt.

[1][19] In June 1944, his parents were presented with his DFC and Bar by the Governor-General of New Zealand, Cyril Newall, in a private ceremony at Auckland.