Ron Middleton
| Rawdon Middleton | |
|---|---|
Rawdon Hume (Ron) Middleton
|
|
| Born |
22 July 1916 Sydney, New South Wales |
| Died | 29 November 1942 (aged 26) English Channel |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–42 |
| Rank | Pilot Officer (posthumously) |
| Unit | No. 149 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
| Relations | Hamilton Hume (great-uncle) |
Rawdon Hume "Ron" Middleton, VC (22 July 1916 – 29 November 1942) was a bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force and a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Middleton was born in Waverley, Sydney on 22 July 1916, and spent his early years in the Central Western district of New South Wales, where he attended Dubbo High School at which a memorial trust in his name has been operating for many years. He was a great-nephew of the colonial explorer, Hamilton Hume. He was an athletic young man, and excelled in cricket and Rugby football at school. After leaving school, he worked for a time as a jackaroo at Leewang station, the large grazing property his father managed.
He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 14 October 1940, and trained as a pilot in the Empire Air Training Scheme. He undertook initial flying training at No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (5 EFTS) Narromine, and advanced training in Canada. In February 1942 he joined No. 149 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, flying as second pilot on Short Stirling bombers. By July of that year he was appointed as an aircraft captain, and flew his first raid as a pilot-in-command against Düsseldorf.
On 28 November 1942, Middleton was captain of Stirling BF372 detailed to bomb the Fiat aircraft works at Turin. It was his twenty-ninth combat sortie, one short of the thirty required for completion of a 'tour' and mandatory rotation off combat operations.
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Wikipedia