British Forces

Flight Lieutenant William Reid, VC.

PA

William "Bill" Reid was the pilot of a Lancaster bomber involved in a raid over Germany. In the run-in to the attack, his aircraft was severely damaged by German night fighters; of his crewmembers was killed, another (the navigator) mortally wounded. Reid himself was severely wounded, suffering serious head wounds and wounds to his hands. In spite of this, he insisted on pressing his attack to the target and releasing his bombs. He then turned for home, and managed to return to base in spite of his difficulty in retaining consciousness due to blood loss (his surviving crew had to jog him repeatedly to keep him awake). His landing was, apparently, particularly difficult, since it was achieved in spite of blood from his head wounds obscuring his vision. Bill Reid survived his wounds, and the war, dying of natural causes many years later. Best regards, JR.