Norman Cyril Jackson

Norman Cyril Jackson VC (8 April 1919 – 26 March 1994) was a sergeant in the Royal Air Force (RAF) who earned the Victoria Cross during a Second World War bombing raid on Schweinfurt, Germany in April 1944.

Born in Ealing, Middlesex, Jackson was adopted as a one-week-old baby by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Gunter.

Jackson's 31st mission was a raid on the German ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt on the night of 26–27 April.

Having bombed the target, Jackson's Lancaster (serial ME669) was attacked by a German night fighter and a fuel tank in the starboard wing caught fire.

Jackson, already wounded from shell splinters, strapped on a parachute and equipped himself with a fire extinguisher before climbing out of the aircraft and onto the wing, whilst the aeroplane was flying at 140 mph, in order to put out the fire.

He gripped the air intake on the leading edge of the wing with one hand, and fought the fire with the other.

The flames seared his hands, face, and clothes.

The fighter returned and hit the bomber with a burst of gunfire that sent two bullets into his legs.

The burst also swept him off the wing.

He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1939 and originally served as a Classified Fitter IIE (engines).

In January 1941, he was assigned to a Sunderland flying boat squadron based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

He applied for retraining as a flight engineer and returned to England in September 1942.

On 28 July 1943, he joined No. 106 Squadron which operated Avro Lancaster bombers.

Jackson completed his tour of 30 missions on 24 April 1944, but, as he had flown one sortie with a different crew, he chose to fly once more so that he and his original aircrew could finish their tour together.

This airman was the flight engineer in a Lancaster detailed to attack Schweinfurt on the night of 26th April 1944.

Bombs were dropped successfully and the aircraft was climbing out of the target area.

Suddenly it was attacked by a fighter at about 20,000 feet.

The captain took evading action at once, but the enemy secured many hits.

A fire started near a petrol tank on the upper surface of the starboard wing, between the fuselage and the inner engine.

Sergeant Jackson was thrown to the floor during the engagement.

Wounds which he received from shell splinters in the right leg and shoulder were probably sustained at that time.

Recovering himself, he remarked that he could deal with the fire on the wing and obtained his captain's permission to try to put out the flames.

Pushing a hand fire-extinguisher into the top of his life-saving jacket and clipping on his parachute pack, Sergeant Jackson jettisoned the escape hatch above the pilot's head.

He then started to climb out of the cockpit and back along the top of the fuselage to the starboard wing.

He was promoted to warrant officer and his Victoria Cross (VC) award was gazetted on 26 October 1945.

When he went to Buckingham Palace to receive his VC from King George VI, he was accompanied by Leonard Cheshire who was also due to receive his on that day.

Group Captain Cheshire insisted that, despite the difference in rank, they should approach the King together.

Jackson remembers that Cheshire said to the King, "This chap stuck his neck out more than I did – he should get his VC first! Of course the King had to keep to protocol but I will never forget what Cheshire said."

Extract from Fourth Supplement, The London Gazette No 37324 of Friday 26 October 1945:

"The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the VICTORIA CROSS in recognition of most conspicuous bravery to:-

905192 Sergeant (Now Warrant Officer) Norman Cyril Jackson R.A.F.V.R., 106 Squadron.

The Gunters also adopted Geoffrey Oliver Hartley, who in 1951 was awarded the George Medal as a Federation of Malaya police lieutenant for protecting his party, which included three children, from bandits.

Upon this occasion, Mrs. Gunter said, "We adopted two of the finest sons any parents could wish for."

Jackson qualified as a fitter and turner.

Although he was married and in a reserved occupation at the outbreak of the Second World War, he enlisted in the RAF.

He fell 20000 ft, but his smouldering and holed parachute worked well enough to save his life.

He suffered further injuries upon landing, including a broken ankle, but managed to crawl to a nearby German village the next morning, where he was paraded through the street.

He spent 10 months recovering in hospital before being transferred to Stalag IX-C prisoner-of-war camp.

He made two escape attempts, the second of which was successful as he made contact with a unit of the US Third Army.

Jackson's exploit became known when the surviving crewmen of his bomber were released from German captivity at the end of the war.