"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. Before he could leave the fuselage his parachute pack opened and
the whole canopy and rigging lines spilled into the cockpit. Undeterred, Sergeant Jackson continued. The pilot (Fred Mifflin),
bomb aimer (Maurice Toft) and navigator (Frank Higgins) gathered the
parachute together and held on to the rigging lines, paying them out as
the airman crawled aft. Eventually he slipped and, falling from the
fuselage to the starboard wing, grasped an air intake on the leading
edge of the wing. He succeeded in clinging on but lost the extinguisher,
which was blown away. By this time, the fire had spread rapidly and Sergeant Jackson
was involved. His face, hands and clothing were severely burnt. Unable
to retain his hold he was swept through the flames and over the trailing
edge of the wing, dragging his parachute behind. When last seen it was
only partly inflated and was burning in a number of places. Realising that the fire could not be controlled, the captain gave
the order to abandon aircraft. Four of the remaining members of the
crew landed safely. The captain and rear gunner have not been accounted
for. Sergeant Jackson was unable to control his descent and landed
heavily. He sustained a broken ankle, his right eye was closed through
burns and his hands were useless. These injuries, together with the
wounds received earlier, reduced him to a pitiable state. At daybreak he
crawled to the nearest village, where he was taken prisoner. He bore
the intense pain and discomfort of the journey to Dulag Luft
with magnificent fortitude. After ten months in hospital he made a good
recovery, though his hands require further treatment and are only of
limited use.
This airman's attempt to extinguish the fire and save the aircraft and
crew from falling into enemy hands was an act of outstanding gallantry. To venture outside, when traveling at 200 miles an hour, at a great
height and in intense cold, was an almost incredible feat. Had he
succeeded in subduing the flames, there was little or no prospect of his
regaining the cockpit. The spilling of his parachute and the risk of
grave damage to its canopy reduced his chances of survival to a minimum. By his ready willingness to face these dangers he set an example of
self-sacrifice which will ever be remembered."
From Sgt. Jackson's Victoria Cross citation, awarded on 26 October 1945.
May you be at peace,
Brian & Mel
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