249

404359 Pilot Officer Kenneth Fenton HEALD. (surname underlined)
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. H.F. Heald of Tokomaru Bay.

Kenneth Heald was born at Auckland on the 10th December, 1918. He received his secondary education at New Plymouth Boy's High School where he passed the Senior Free Place examination. His sports were cricket, football, tennis and swimming. He was employed on general farm duties on his father's sheep station at Tokomaru Bay. In April 1939 he applied for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force but was unsuccessful owing to the outbreak of hostilities. On the 10th October, 1939, he applied for war service in the R.N.Z.A.F.

Pilot Officer Heald was enlisted in aircrew on the 23rd November 1940 at the Ground Training School, Levin and posted on the 19th December 1940 to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training Unit, Bell Block for his elementary flying training; thence on the 8th February 1941 to No. 3 Service Flying Training School, Ohakea. At this station on the 24th March 1941, he was awarded the flying badge and he was promoted to sergeant on the 3rd May 1941 to flight sergeant on the 1st December 1941; and commissioned in the rank of pilot officer on the 30th June 1942. Meanwhile, on the 26th May, 1941, he had embarked for the United Kingdom.

The journey was made by way of Canada and Pilot Officer Heald arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, on the 3rd July, 1941. He was posted on the 19th of the same month to No. 11 Operational Training Unit, Bassingbourn, Hertfordshire, where he crewed-up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. On the 22nd September, 1941, he was posted to No. 57 Squadron, Feltwell, Norfolk, and commenced operational flying. With this squadron as pilot of a Wellington bomber he took part in twenty-six operational flights comprising attacks on Emden (2), Cologne (4), Bremen, Dusseldorf, Essen (7), Rostock (2), Berlin and Lubeck all in Germany. He also carried out an attack on the German fleet and attacked targets in Dunkirk, Osten, Brest (2), and Paris in France, and the aerodrome at Soesterburg, Holland.