At the outbreak of war in 1939 Gatward was a sergeant pilot and was commissioned on 27 July 1940[2] and flew Bristol Blenheims with No 53 Squadron on low level raids.

Intelligence gathered by Major Ben Cowburn of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the early Spring of 1942 showed that the Germans paraded down the Champs-Élysées in Paris every day between 12:15 and 12:45.

The plan was to fly at low level down the Champs-Élysées, strafe the German soldiers on parade and as a backup target, attack the Kriegsmarine headquarters in the Ministère de la Marine (the former home of the French Naval Ministry).

Initial weather conditions of ten tenths cloud at 2,000 feet with heavy precipitation were encountered and the aircraft set course for the target at 11:31 hours.

Crossing the French coast a few miles eastward of Fécamp at 11:58 hours, the cloud cover thinned out and by the time they reached Rouen there was bright sunshine.

[3] The intelligence information about the time of the parade was incorrect so there were no German soldiers to strafe, but Fern released the first Tricolour down the flare chute over the Arc de Triomphe.

Upon returning to Northolt, the dead bird, which was found to be a French crow, was removed from the starboard radiator and laid to rest at the airfield.

Air Test[citation needed]Following the Paris raid he was appointed the personal assistant to Lt Gen Noel Mason-MacFarlane, the Governor of Gibraltar.

Returning to the active duty roster in June 1943, Gatward became a Flight Commander with 404 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force, operating from RAF Wick.

[4] In August his raid with 24 Beaufighters against enemy shipping in Norwegian waters succeeded in sinking four minesweepers and putting a destroyer out of action but the squadron suffered many losses.

After serving 30 years in the RAF he retired on 3 September 1964 with the rank of group captain at the Air Cadet Headquarters at White Waltham.

[5] Gatward had one daughter, a love child (Janice [Jan] born in London in 1949, now living in Australia), with Theressa (Tess) Warren (1918–2019)[citation needed].

In July 1944, he participated in an operation which resulted in the destruction of an enemy convoy, comprising three medium sized merchant vessels and six escorting ships.