RAF043 Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid V.C RETIRED

47,01

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Reference RAF043

Brand : WW2

King & Country Royal Air Force RAF043 Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid V.C

On 3 November, 1943 Flight/Lieutenant. Reid. Captained Lancaster “O for Oscar” on a 600 bomber raid on Dusseldorf. While passing over Holland his aircraft was attacked by an Me.110 nightfighter. Bill Reid was seriously wounded by shell fragments and the Lancaster badly damaged but still flyable. Bill and his crew pressed on to their target.

Over Germany they were again attacked…by a FW190 this time and two crew were fatally injured. Bill along with his flight engineer was wounded again and lost their compass. Still they continued the mission… and dropped their bombs exactly on target!

On the route back to the U.K. their Lancaster encountered heavy flak over Holland but just managed to fly over the North Sea.

Although losing power (on all four engines at one point) Bill Reid managed to restart them and make an emergency landing at an airfield in Norfolk. His badly shot up Lancaster just managed to touch ground before the undercarriage collapsed and it completed the arrival on its belly.

For his courage, tenacity and leadership Bill Reid was awarded the Victoria Cross.

This brave but modest Scot passed away in 2001.