267

-3- (centre aligned)
On the night of the 15/16th February 1944 Squadron Leader Hegman was the Captain of a Lancaster bomber which took off from Oakington on operations against Berlin and failed to return to its base. All the members of the crew were classified as missing. Subsequently, as no news of Squadron Leader Hegman's fate was forthcoming, his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 15th February, 1944. Shortly after he was reported missing it was announced he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the citation reading as following:-
"ONE NIGHT IN JANUARY, 1944 SQUADRON LEADER HEGMAN WAS PILOT AND CAPTAIN OF ONE FORCE OF BOMBERS DETAILED IN AN ATTACK ON BERLIN. EARLY ON THE OUTWARD JOURNEY, SOME IMPORTANT GEAR BECAME INEFFECTIVE. NEVERTHELESS SQUADRON LEADER HEGMAN DECIDED TO CONTINUE HIS MISSION AND EVENTUALLY REACHED THE TARGET SOME 10 MINUTES AFTER THE ATTACK WAS SCHEDULED TO END. IN SPITE OF STRONG DEFENCES SQUADRON LEADER HEGMAN MADE A SUCCESSFUL BOMBING RUN AND AFTERWARDS FLEW BACK TO HIS AIRFIELD, WHERE HE EFFECTED A SAFE LANDING. HIS EFFORTS ON THIS OCCASION WERE TYPICAL OF THE DETERMINATION AND FEARLESSNESS HE HAS INVARIABLY SHOWN IN PRESSING HOME ATTACKS ON THE ENEMY. HE IS A GALLANT AND SKILFUL LEADER WHOSE STERLING QUALITIES HAVE IMPRESSED ALL."

Find a Grave link with a photo of Squadron Leader Hegman: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18403674/john_alfred-hegman

5/2/8380 A.S.2.
940 hours as
PILOT. (underlined)

Mrs. O.M. Foster (S) (right aligned)
Waimauka, (right aligned)
Kaipara Line, (right aligned)
NORTH AUCKLAND. (right aligned & underlined)