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1843513 Sergeant John Mainwaring Stewart MOIR. (surname underlined)
Parents Mr. & Mrs. G.K. Moir of Paekakariki.

John Moir was born at Masterton on the 16th December, 1922, and accompanied his parents when in 1936 they went home to Scotland where John attended the Aberdeen Grammar School afterwards proceeding to the University of Aberdeen. His intention to return to New Zealand was frustrated by the outbreak of war and as soon as he was eligible he applied for war service in the Royal Air Force.

Sergeant Moir was enlisted for aircrew training on the 6th March, 1941, at No. 3 Recruit Centre, Padgate, and commenced his flying training on the 5th May at the Elementary Flying Training School, Hooton Park, Cheshire, but this training was discontinued and on the 8th November he was remustered to air gunner under training and posted to No. 8 Air Gunner's School, Evanton, Rossshire. Here, on the 9th January, 1942 he was awarded his Air Gunner's Badge and received his promotion to sergeant. His next posting was on the 21st April 1942 to No. 15 Operational Training Unit, Harwell, Berkshire, to crew up and complete his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. While with this unit he took part in a bombing raid on Bremen. After completing his training with the Operational Training Unit, Sergeant Moir was posted to No. 1443 Ferry Training Flight also at Harwell and from there on the 19th July, 1942, as rear gunner of a Wellington bomber he left England on posting to the Middle East.

The journey was made with one intermediate landing at Gibraltar and Landing Ground No. 224 in the Western Desert was reached on the 21st July after twenty-two hours twenty-five minutes flying. On his arrival Sergeant Moir was posted to No. 148 Squadron operating from that landing ground. With this squadron as rear gunner of a Wellington bomber Sergeant Moir took part in a further eighteen operations which together with the flight along the North African coast from Gibraltar which counted as one operational flight, and the attack on Bremen carried out at the Operational Training Flight, brought the total of his operations to twenty. The operations with No. 148 Squadron comprised twelve attacks on shipping and harbour installations at Tobruk, five attacks on enemy troop concentrations in the battle area of the Western Desert and an attack on an enemy landing ground.

On the night of the 27/28th September, 1942, Sergeant Moir was rear gunner of a Wellington bomber detailed to attack shipping in Tobruk Harbour.