Sergeant Norman Jackson (1919-1994) served as a flight engineer for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was awarded Victoria Cross (VC) for his brave actions during an attack on his Lancaster bomber, whilst on a mission in Germany.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Norman was working as a qualified fitter and volunteered for the RAF.
He served as ground crew in West Africa, before joining 106 Squadron as a flight engineer, in July 1943. By April 1944 he had completed 30 bombing missions and he was due to return home. However, Norman decided to join his regular crew on one last operation, on 26 April 1944.
After bombing a factory in Schweinfurt, central Germany, Norman’s Lancaster bomber was attacked by a German night fighter. He was wounded and the bomber’s right wing caught fire, blazing dangerously close to the fuel tank.
As the flight engineer, and the most experienced man onboard, Norman felt it was his job to tackle the fire. He strapped on a parachute, grabbed a fire extinguisher and climbed out onto the wing, 6,000 metres above the ground. Battling against fierce winds, Norman used a fire extinguisher to tackle the fire and managed to get it under control. The German night fighter then launched another attack and he was hit in the legs. Norman fell from the wing, plummeting towards earth with his parachute burning. He survived the fall, but was badly injured and soon captured by Germans on the ground. Four other members of the bomber crew survived but two were lost.
Norman spent ten months in a German hospital with a broken ankle and a badly burned eye and hands, which never fully recovered. When he returned home he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his incredible actions.
Norman went on to take a sales job for a whisky brand and had six children with his wife, Alma.
You can see Norman Jackson's VC in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at IWM London.
