For Valour : Acting Flight Lieutenant William Reid (122438) VC Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

November 3, 1943, over Holland and Germany

Acting Flight Lieutenant William Reid (122438) VC Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
21 December 1921 – 28 November 2001

After a slow start, by the winter of 1943/44, Bomber Command was growing in both strength and effectiveness; aided by new electronic navigation systems and improved tactics, including the specially-dedicated Path Finder Force, industrial targets across Germany were being attacked. But so too were the Luftwaffe night fighters improving and becoming more dangerous.

Bomber Command’s War Diary records that on the night of 3/4 November, 600 bombers were detailed to attack Dusseldorf. Flight Lieutenant Reid was captain and pilot of Lancaster LM 360, coded ‘O’ attached to 61 Squadron based at RAF Syerston. At 16.59 hrs., he lifted his Lancaster into the air.

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Officer’s Pin

The London Gazette 14 December 1943

The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the VICTORIA CROSS on the under-mentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery: — Acting Flight Lieutenant William REID (124438), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 61 Squadron. On the night of November 3rd, 1943, Flight Lieutenant Reid was pilot and captain of a Lancaster aircraft detailed to attack Dusseldorf.

Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast, the pilot’s windscreen was shattered by fire from a Messerschmitt. Owing to a failure in the heating circuit, the rear gunner’s hands were too cold for him to open fire immediately or to operate his microphone and so give warning of danger; but after a brief delay he managed to return the Messerschmitt’s fire and it was driven off.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Lancaster (c) Crown Copyright

During the fight with the Messerschmitt, Flight Lieutenant Reid was wounded in the head, shoulders and hands. The elevator trimming tabs of the aircraft were damaged and it became difficult to control. The rear turret, too, was badly damaged and the communications system and compasses were put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid ascertained that his crew were unscathed and, saying nothing about his own injuries, he continued his mission.

Soon afterwards, the Lancaster was attacked by a Focke Wulf 190. This time, the enemy’s fire raked the bomber from stem to stern. The rear gunner replied with his only serviceable gun but the state of his turret made accurate aiming impossible. The navigator was killed and the wireless operator fatally injured. The mid-upper turret was hit and the oxygen system put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid was again wounded and the flight engineer, though hit in the forearm, supplied him with oxygen from a portable supply.

Flight Lieutenant Reid refused to be turned from his objective and Dusseldorf was reached some 50 minutes later. He had memorised his course to the target and had continued in such a normal manner that the bomb-aimer, who was cut off by the failure of the communications system, knew nothing of his captain’s injuries or of the casualties to his comrades. Photographs show that, when the bombs were released, the aircraft was right over the centre of the target.

Victoria Cross, Obverse

Steering by the pole star and the moon, Flight Lieutenant Reid then set course for home. He was growing weak from loss of blood. The emergency oxygen supply had given out. With the windscreen shattered, the cold was intense. He lapsed into semi-consciousness. The flight engineer, with some help from the bomb-aimer, kept the Lancaster in the air despite heavy anti-aircraft fire over the Dutch coast.

The North Sea crossing was accomplished. An airfield was sighted. The captain revived, resumed control and made ready to land. Ground mist partially obscured the runway lights. The captain was also much bothered by blood from his head wound getting into his eyes. But he made a safe landing although one leg of the damaged undercarriage collapsed when the load came on.

Wounded in two attacks, without oxygen, suffering severely from cold, his navigator dead, his wireless operator fatally wounded, his aircraft crippled and defenceless, Flight Lieutenant Reid showed superb courage and leadership in penetrating a further 200 miles into enemy territory to attack one of the most strongly defended targets in Germany, every additional mile increasing the hazards of the long and perilous journey home. His  tenacity and devotion to duty were beyond praise.’

After recovering from his wounds, Reid was posted to 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron and resumed bombing raids, by now including daylight raids against V-1 flying bomb sites and in support of the Allied armies now fighting in Normandy. However, on 31 July 1944, Reid had the misfortune of his Lancaster being wrecked by a bomb dropped from a higher aircraft. Reid baled out but became a Prisoner of War. He retired from the RAF in January 1946.

His VC is privately held.

Credits:

Citation: London Gazette 14 December 1943

Additional biographical details: For Valour: The Air VCs Chaz Bowyer, Grub Street Publishing.