'Courage Aflame' By Bob Moore
May 21, 2019 21:25:38 GMT 12
Dave Homewood, skyhawkdon, and 1 more like this
Post by longforgan on May 21, 2019 21:25:38 GMT 12
I have just finished Formatting and correcting this book and sent it off to the printers. This book is the life of Sergeant James Ward VC. It is 304 pages long and covers his life from his birth to his death. Bob Moore has had an amazing amount of contact and information from James Ward's family and I found it a great book to read while formatting and correcting it. There will be three launches for the book, two in New Zealand and one in England. It will be available from July this year and for those interested pre-orders are from patrobmoore@xtra.co.nz. The book is hard cover and the price of the book has been set at $69.
Bob Moore was born in Wellington: the 4yr-old saw his father enter Trentham Military Camp and later embark with 22Bn 2nd NZEF for England and WW2. Post war attendance at Christchurch Boys’ High School and the School Cadet Corps( 1st= prize in graduating from the Training Unit) developed an interest in the military. A degree from Auckland University, CMT and near 10 years in the Territorial Force, was followed by Teaching: initially Primary then 35yrs in Secondary and some Tertiary Education. Appointment as Senior Master to Wanganui Boys’ College (now Whanganui City College) started a near 40years of research on James Allen Ward VC: Jimmy, after whom the hall was named was unknown. Jimmy’s sisters, with the Army Museum, Waiouru, enabled the creation of the James Allen Ward Memorial Display Archive that graces the foyer of City College. Bob was elected an Honorary Member of 75Sqn NZ Association, lectured to USAF Sergeants at RAF Feltwell in 2012, and now, his story culminates in the definitive biography of Jimmy Ward VC.
5th August, 1941: the London Gazette announced that King George VI had graciously conferred the award of Victoria Cross on Sgt Pilot, James Allen Ward, 75(NZ)Squadron,RAF.
Vickers Wellington AA-R was attacked by a night fighter when returning from a raid on the German City of Munster on the night 7/8th July 1941. Amidst other major damage, bullets from the MeBf 110 punctured a fuel line to the starboard engine causing a jet-like fire to emerge from the wing. Desperate efforts to put the fire out proved useless: the wing covered in dopped linen was threatened. Jimmy summed up the situation and thought ”he had a good chance!” Helped by the Observer-Navigator, Jimmy climbed out through the astrodome and along to the seat of the fire to try and put it out. While not extinguished Jimmy saved the wing by his actions in tearing the fabric away from the fire. Given the freezing temperature, the prop-wash, the aircraft bouncing around at thousands of metres above the Zuider Zee, Jimmy hung on with one hand while trying to stuff an engine cover into the seat of the fire. Such action in saving his crew and aircraft, gallantry in the face of the enemy, warranted the award.
Sadly, after the announcement, Jimmy and his crew were shot down over Hamburg on 15/16th September. Attendance at Buckingham Palace he had been notified of was not to be: his parents were presented with his medal by NZ’s Governor General, at Wellington, in October 1942.
The book corrects myths and previously published errors. It is the story of Jimmy’s family in Coventry and later as immigrants to NZ ; Jimmy’s life, his death, and later, discovery by exhumation in 1946.
Bob Moore was born in Wellington: the 4yr-old saw his father enter Trentham Military Camp and later embark with 22Bn 2nd NZEF for England and WW2. Post war attendance at Christchurch Boys’ High School and the School Cadet Corps( 1st= prize in graduating from the Training Unit) developed an interest in the military. A degree from Auckland University, CMT and near 10 years in the Territorial Force, was followed by Teaching: initially Primary then 35yrs in Secondary and some Tertiary Education. Appointment as Senior Master to Wanganui Boys’ College (now Whanganui City College) started a near 40years of research on James Allen Ward VC: Jimmy, after whom the hall was named was unknown. Jimmy’s sisters, with the Army Museum, Waiouru, enabled the creation of the James Allen Ward Memorial Display Archive that graces the foyer of City College. Bob was elected an Honorary Member of 75Sqn NZ Association, lectured to USAF Sergeants at RAF Feltwell in 2012, and now, his story culminates in the definitive biography of Jimmy Ward VC.
5th August, 1941: the London Gazette announced that King George VI had graciously conferred the award of Victoria Cross on Sgt Pilot, James Allen Ward, 75(NZ)Squadron,RAF.
Vickers Wellington AA-R was attacked by a night fighter when returning from a raid on the German City of Munster on the night 7/8th July 1941. Amidst other major damage, bullets from the MeBf 110 punctured a fuel line to the starboard engine causing a jet-like fire to emerge from the wing. Desperate efforts to put the fire out proved useless: the wing covered in dopped linen was threatened. Jimmy summed up the situation and thought ”he had a good chance!” Helped by the Observer-Navigator, Jimmy climbed out through the astrodome and along to the seat of the fire to try and put it out. While not extinguished Jimmy saved the wing by his actions in tearing the fabric away from the fire. Given the freezing temperature, the prop-wash, the aircraft bouncing around at thousands of metres above the Zuider Zee, Jimmy hung on with one hand while trying to stuff an engine cover into the seat of the fire. Such action in saving his crew and aircraft, gallantry in the face of the enemy, warranted the award.
Sadly, after the announcement, Jimmy and his crew were shot down over Hamburg on 15/16th September. Attendance at Buckingham Palace he had been notified of was not to be: his parents were presented with his medal by NZ’s Governor General, at Wellington, in October 1942.
The book corrects myths and previously published errors. It is the story of Jimmy’s family in Coventry and later as immigrants to NZ ; Jimmy’s life, his death, and later, discovery by exhumation in 1946.
