After completing his flight training, the latter part of which was received in the United Kingdom, he was posted to the Royal Air Force's No.

Having been commissioned after being awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in August 1942, he was sent to a training unit later that year; he returned to No.

Flying as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force in support of the Allied landings in Normandy, he was shot down and killed while strafing a train.

Interested in flying, he qualified as a pilot in 1939 and was a member of the Civil Air Reserve.

[4] In March 1940, Joyce, a salesman at the time, joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).

[5] He was sent for training to the RNZAF base at Wigram Aerodrome and in late 1940, with others from his flight school intake, including future fellow flying ace Desmond Scott, he sailed to England as a sergeant pilot to serve in the Royal Air Force (RAF).

After his arrival, he received further flight training at RAF Sutton Bridge, where he learnt to fly the Hawker Hurricane.

The squadron, commanded by fellow New Zealander Russell Aitken, was transferred to Martlesham Heath near Ipswich the following spring, becoming part of No.

Later in the month while flying at night, this time near Maaten Bagush on 26/27 June, Joyce saw a Ju 88 400 feet (120 m) above him.

The citation, published in The London Gazette read: During a long and continuous period of service, this airman has performed splendid work.

In low level machine gun attacks on enemy ground targets he has displayed great determination and achieved much success.

Flying Supermarine Spitfires, it was operating along the Adriatic coast, supporting partisans in the Balkans.

Briefly operating from the RAF station at Ford before a shift to Funtington, the squadron was part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force.

On D-Day, the squadron escorted the gliders and transports carrying airborne troops to Normandy.