Michael Herrick, born in Hastings on 5 May 1921, was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School. While still a student, he obtained his pilot's licence with the Hawkes Bay Aero Club.
In late 1938 Herrick gained a cadetship at RAF College, Cranwell, and left New Zealand in March 1939 to take up in April what was normally a two year course. The outbreak of war on 3 September led to the course being shortened and Herrick graduated on 7 March 1940. Ten days later he joined 25 Squadron, seven weeks before his nineteenth birthday.
Amongst other duties the Squadron's Blenheims were flying night defensive patrols. During one such patrol on 4 September 1940 Herrick intercepted and destroyed two He III's, the unit's first victories of the war. Nine days later he shot down another He III and this great success in these pioneer days of night interception was recognised by the award of a DFC.
In October 1940 the first Beaufighters arrived and the crews began retraining on the greatly improved airborne radar equipment. On 9 May 1941 Herrick damaged a Ju 88 and on 22 June shot one down.
Herrick was posted back to New Zealand for attachment to the RNZAF and arrived on 23 December 1941. After instructing for two months at the Flying Training School at Woodbourne, he then moved to Ohakea, where he remained until late June 1942, when he joined the newly-formed 15 Squadron at Whenuapai as a flight commander.
The unit had no aircraft, its promised Kittyhawks having been diverted to the Middle East. In response to an American request the squadron personnel sailed from Wellington in October 1942 for Tonga, where they took over the P-40's and equipment of the USAAF's 68 Pursuit Squadron. When 15 Squadron's CO was killed in a flying accident in March 1943 Herrick took command and led the unit through two operational tours until mid-December 1943.
Herrick and one of his flight commanders shot down a Zero floatplane, the first Japanese aircraft destroyed by New Zealand fighters in the Pacific. He shot down another Zero on 7 June, shared a Val dive-bomber on 1 October and a Zeke fighter on October 27. For services in the Pacific Herrick was awarded a Bar to his DFC in February 1944.
Herrick returned to Britain by sea, via the USA, to join 305 Squadron as a flight commander. The unit was a Polish fighter-bomber unit, equipped with Mosquitos and flying night operations, mostly against enemy airfields and V bomb launching sites.
In May 305 began daylight free-lance intrusions over enemy territory. Herrick took off on a morning sortie on 16 June with Flying Officer Turski as navigator. It was Herrick's first such operation and he headed for Denmark in company with another Mosquito, captained by Wing Commander Bob Braham. At the Jutland coast they parted, Herrick making for the airfield at Aalborg and Braham for Copenhagen.
Herrick's Mosquito was intercepted and shot down by a FW 190 flown by Leutnant Spreckels. Both Herrick and Turski baled out but were too low; Turski's body was found in the woods where the Mosquito crashed but Herrick, who had fallen into the sea, was not found until 4 July.
On 25 June Braham was also shot down by Speckels. When the two men met after the war the German said that Herrick had put up a brave fight.
Herrick was awarded the US Air Medal for gallantry in the Pacific. It was presented to his parents in Wellington in July 1944. Two other sons were also killed on active service. Brian Herrick, was lost on 24th November 1940 whilst flying a Blenheim with RAF Coastal Command. Dennis Herrick died on the 30th June 1941 after being brought down into the sea on the 26th June flying a Blenheim on an anti-shipping strike off Brest.
Kurt Welter, a LW ace with 34 confirmed kills shot down 7 Mosquitoes in his Fw190, so the Mossie was not invulnerable by any stretch of the imagination.
