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BOMBER'S ORDEAL
HEROIC PILOT GETS V.C.
W.A. Navigator Killed.
LONDON, Dec 15.-The Ring has
conferred the Victoria Cross on Act
ing Flt-Lt William Reid, RAFVR, of
Glasgow, in recognition of his con
-spicuous bravery. The citation states
that on the night of November 3
Pilot Reid was captain of a Lan
caster detailed to attack Dusseldorf.
A Messerschmitt 110 attacked soon
after the Lancaster crossed the Dutch
coast, wounding Reid in the head
and shoulders and hands, damaging
the elevators and making the plane
difficult to control The enemy also
badly damaged the rear turret and
put out of action the communica
tions system and compasses.
Reid said nothing of his injuries
and continued on his mission. Soon
afterwards a Focke-Wulf 190 raked
the Lancaster from stem to stern,
killing the navigator, fatally wound
ing the radio-operator, hitting the
mid-upper turret, putting the oxygen,
system out of action and again
wounding Reid. The enemy's fire
also wounded the flight-engineer in
the forearm but despite his injury
he continued to supply Reid with
oxygen from the portable supply.
Reid refused to be turned from his
objective. He memorised the course to
the target and continued in such a
normal manner that the bomb-aimer,
who was cut off by the failure of the
communications system, knew noth
ing about the captain's injuries or
the casualties among his comrades.
Dusseldorf was reached some 50 min
utes later. Photographs show that
when the bombs were relased the
plane was right over the centre of
the target. Steering by the Pole
Star and the moon, Reid then set a
course for home. He was growing
weak from loss of blood, the emerg
ency oxygen supply had given out
and the cold was intense owing to the
windscreen having been shattered.
Reid lapsed into semi-consciousness
and the flight-engineer, with some
help from the bomb-aimer, kept the
Lancaster in the air, crossed the
North Sea and sighted an airfield.
Reid revived, resumed control and
despite ground mist partially ob
scuring the runway light and also
blood from a head wound getting
into his eyes, safely landed, al
though one leg of the plane under
carriage collapsed when the load
came on it.
The Lancaster's navigator, who
was killed, was Pilot-Officer Alan
Jeifreys, RAAP, of Perth (born in
Fremantle), who played cricket with
the West Australian State team.
$