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NZ401757 Pilot Officer Ian Murray Vass FIELD.
Parents: Mr. & Mrs. G. Field of Hope, Nelson.

Ian Field was born at Hope, Nelson, on the 27th
May, 1915. He received his secondary education at Nelson College
where he passed the Matriculation examination. After leaving school
he studied with a correspondence college and was successful in passing
the Electrical Wireman's Registration Examination. In September, 1938
he joined the Air Force Civil Reserve. His civilian occupation as
that on an electrical wireman and he was so employed by Mr. R.W.
Drogemuller, Electicion of Nelson, when on the 25th September, 1939
he applied for war service in the R.N.Z.A.F.

Pilot Officer Field was enlisted for training on aircrew
on the 2nd July, 1940 at the Ground Training School, Levin and on the
28th July, he was posted to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School,
New Plymouth, for elementary flying training. On the 29th September
he was posted to No. 2 Flying Training School, Woodbourne, where on
the 12th December, 1940 he was awarded his flying badge. He was
commissioned in the rank of pilot officer on the 18th January, 1941.
On the 28th January, 1941 he embarked on the "Aorangi" at Auckland to
proceed to the United Kingdom.

The journey was made via Canada and Pilot Officer Field
arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth on the 6th
March, 1941. He was posted on the 10th March to No. 20 Operational
Training Unit, Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland, where he crewed
up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. On the
21st May, 1941 he was posted to No. 40 Squadron, Alconbury, Huntingdon-
shire with this squadron as pilot of a Wellington bomber he took part
in twenty-nine operational flights, his targets including Dusseldorf
(2) Cologne (5) Munster, Bremen (2), Hamburg (3), Mannheim, Kiel,
Duisburg (3) Karlsruhe (2), Frankfurt (2), Berlin and Emden all in
Germany; Brest and Cherbourg in occupied France; Turin in Italy, and
Rotterdam in Holland.

First Officer Field was pilot of a Wellington bomber
which took off on air operations on the night of the 12/13th Oct.
1941 to attack the target of Bremen. The aircraft failed to return