Michael Herrick

Michael James Herrick, (5 May 1921 – 16 June 1944) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He is credited with having shot down at least six enemy aircraft. Born in Hastings, Herrick joined the RAF in 1939. During the Battle of Britain he flew Bristol Blenheims on night operations with No. 25 Squadron, destroying three German bombers. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his actions during the battle. In late 1941, Herrick was sent to New Zealand on secondment to the Royal New Zealand Air Force to take command of its new No. 15 Squadron. With the squadron he flew two operational tours in the Pacific, including several missions around Guadalcanal, and destroyed a number of Japanese aircraft. In 1944, having been awarded a bar to his DFC, he returned to England to resume service with the RAF and was posted to No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron, which operated the de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber, as one of its flight commanders. Herrick was killed during a daylight raid on a German airfield at Aalborg in Denmark. In recognition of his services in the Pacific, he was posthumously awarded the United States Air Medal.