A bomber pilot's sacrifice

29th November 1942: Flight Sergeant Ron Middleton awarded VC. Despite terrible injuries he flies home , saving five of his crew, but dies as his aircraft ditches

A seven-man crew from No 149 Squadron, Royal Air Force under the nose of Short Stirling W7455/`OJ-B' at Mildenhall, Suffolk, while the aircraft is being bombed-up.

Bomber Command was now making the long haul across France and over the Alps to bomb targets in the industrial north of Italy. Such long trips made huge demands on the crews and aircraft - and that was before they had to deal with enemy fighters and flak. It was an especially difficult flight for the Stirling bomber with its low ceiling, which effectively meant they had to fly through the Alps rather than comfortably over them

Ground staff are dwarfed by the imposing bulk of a Short Stirling of No. 149 Squadron, Mildenhall, 29 January 1942.

On the night of 28/29 November, seven of 149 Squadron's Stirlings were among the 47 that set off for the Fiat Works at Turin, along with 117 Lancasters, 45 Halifaxes and 19 Wellingtons. One of 149 Squadron's Stirlings was piloted by Sergeant Ron Middleton from Waverley in Sydney, Australia. He was on his 29th mission, one short of completing a 'tour' and being rested for a while. Twenty-six-year-old Middleton was by all accounts a popular man.

Flight Sergeant Rawdon ‘Ron’ Hume Middleton VC (1916-1942)

The following excerpt comes from Bomber Command: Reflections of War¹ :

Middleton had not always been buoyant and companionable. He had been introspective and even melancholic. But that had all changed on the night of 6/7 April 1942 when he was second pilot of a Stirling on the raid on Essen.

Over the target they were caught in the searchlights and then repeatedly attacked by a night fighter, which ripped pieces out of the starboard wing and set an engine on fire. The crippled Stirling made it back to Lakenheath only to break up completely when the undercarriage collapsed on landing. The incident seemed to have had an astonishing effect on Middleton. It roused him out of his melancholy and galvanised him into a buoyant, companionable mood, which never left him.

Bomb aimer Flight Lieutenant Huia Russell DFC, who flew several ops as Air Observer on Middleton's crew, recalled that on one occasion they 'stooged' around the 'drome for two hours trying to wind down the undercarriage without success and finally they were instructed to fly to Newmarket and belly-land on the famous horse racing course. On making a circuit the starboard engine started backfiring and then failed completely as they were about to land.

The ground controller instructed Middleton to put the Stirling down in a corner of the airfield as he did not want the Rowley Mile obstructed for night flying. They nipped in just over the perimeter hedge and touched down perfectly. As they came to a halt, earth came in through the bomb aimer's position. The main damage was bent air­ screws. Middleton said later that they flew the first aircraft to pass the winning post at Newmarket!

Eight months later they would not be so lucky.

Handley Page Halifax Mark II Series 1s of No. 10 Squadron RAF based at Melbourne, Yorkshire, gain height in the failing evening light while outward bound on a raid to Turin, Italy.

Vertical night aerial photograph taken over Turin with the aid of a 4.5-inch Photoflash bomb, during a raid by aircraft of Bomber Command. The area illuminated is around the Piazza Adriano (right of centre), crossed by Corso Francesco Ferrucci and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

...

Gradually the details became known. H-Harry had experienced great difficulty in climbing to 12,000 feet to cross the Alps and this ate up fuel fast. The night was so dark that the mountain peaks were almost invisible. His fuel barely sufficient for the return journey.

Middleton had to decide whether to go on or turn back. Flares were sighted ahead but he pressed on and even dived to 2,000 feet to identify the target, despite the difficulty of regaining height. Three flights were made over Turin at this low altitude before the target was identified and the aircraft came under fire from AA guns. A large piece was shot out of the port main plane and then a shell burst in the cockpit shattering the windscreen and wounding both first and second pilots. A piece of shell splinter struck Middleton's face, destroying his right eye and he was probably wounded also in the body and legs.

The second pilot, Hight Sergeant Leslie Hyder, an ex-Glasgow student, on his fifth operation, was wounded in the head and both legs. The wire­less operator, Pilot Officer Norman Skinner, 31 years old and a former journalist from Scarborough, was wounded in one leg.

Middleton became unconscious and the aircraft dived to 800 feet before the second pilot regained control and took the aircraft up to 1,500 feet where the bombs were released. Flak was still coming up and the aircraft was hit many times. The three gunners replied continuously until the rear turret was put out of action.

Middleton had now recovered consciousness. Getting clear of the target, he ordered the second pilot back to receive first aid. Before this was completed the second pilot insisted on returning to the cockpit as the captain could see very little and could speak only with great difficulty and pain.

Course was set for base, facing an Alpine crossing and a homeward flight in a damaged aircraft with insufficient fuel. Abandoning the air­ craft or landing in northern France was discussed but Middleton decided to try to reach the English coast so that his crew could parachute to safety. Because of his wounds and diminishing strength he knew that by then he would have little or no chance of saving himself.

Four hours later the French coast was reached and there the aircraft, flying at 6,000 feet, was once more hit by AA fire. Middleton, still at the controls, mustered sufficient strength to take evasive action. After the Stirling crossed the Channel, five minutes' fuel was left. Middleton ordered the crew to jump while he flew parallel with the coast for a few miles, after which he intended to head out to sea.

The aircraft crashed into the sea soon afterward.

Flight Sergeant Rawdon Hume Middleton RAAF was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the first of two such awards made for actions on raids to Italy, and Australia's second air VC in the Second World War.

On 5 February 1943 the RAF gave Middleton a warrior's burial. In the tiny airfield chapel at Mildenhall four sergeants from the Australian's squadron maintained an hour's vigil with bowed heads and reversed rifles, guarding a flag-draped coffin bearing Middleton's forage cap and side arms.

The mourners included Mary Giddings and Canadians, New Zealanders, Americans and others who had been his friends. The pall bearers were members of his squadron. Middleton was buried with full military honours in the Military Cemetery in the churchyard of St. John's Church in Beck Row. He was buried in the rank of Pilot Officer, although news of his commission had not reached him before his death.

From the Victoria Cross citation²:

"Flight Sergeant Middleton was determined to attack the target regardless of the consequences and not to allow his crew to fall into enemy hands. While all the crew displayed heroism of a high order, the urge to do so came from Flight Sergeant Middleton, whose fortitude and strength of will made possible the completion of the mission. His devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming odds is unsurpassed in the annals of the Royal Air Force".

Original wartime caption: The crew of this Lancaster have flown together in training and operations for six months. They have been on five operational sorties. Picture (issued 1943) shows - The crew of Lancaster "Y" after their return from a raid on Turin. Right to left - Sergeant W.F.Neill of Belfast flight engineer, he was formerly a fitter in the R.A.F. and has taken part in 15 operations; Pilot Officer Don West of Fesno California, the captain who has taken part in six operations. Flying Officer J. McP Elliott of Glasgow, bomb aimer, formerly an oil company clerk, has taken part in five operations. Pilot Officer N. Buggey, navigator, of Billericay, Essex, formerly a school teacher, has taken part in six operations; Sergeant H.F. McKernin, wireless operator, of Belfast, formerly a labourer who has flown in five operations; Sergeant F.P. Heaton, mid-upper gunner, of Manchester, who was a decorator and has flown on five operations; Sergeant J. Edmunds, rear gunner, of Brighton, who was a student and has taken part in five operations.

1. Martin Bowman has recorded an extraordinary number of accounts from World War II aircrew. In this five-volume series, he tracks the progress of RAF Bomber Comand through the war, telling the story of individual raids, together with much background material on the individual airmen involved. This an invaluable guide for anyone interested in the air war in Europe. Bomber Command: Reflections of War, Volume II.

This excerpt appears by kind permission of Pen & Sword Books Ltd. Copyright remains with the author.

2. London Gazette: 15 January, 1943