http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/a-20/A28-3/vc_citation.html Flight Lt William Newton Victoria Cross Citation On 16 March, Flight Lt William Newton of 22 Squadron, RAAF flew his Boston bomber through intense and accurate shell fire and although his aircraft was repeatedly hit, he held to his course and bombed his target from a low level. The attack resulted in the destruction of many buildings and dumps including two 40,000 gallon fuel installations. Newton managed to fly his crippled aircraft back to base and successfully land. Two days later, he again attacked Salamaua at low level but this time was shot down and captured. On 29 March he was executed by the Japanese. For his ten months operational flying but particularly for his actions on 16 March he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The citations states that: Flight Lieutenant William Ellis Newton served with No. 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, in New Guinea from May 1942 to March 1943 and completed 52 operational sorties. Throughout, he displayed great courage and an iron determination to inflict the utmost damage on the enemy. His splendid offensive flying and fighting were attended with brilliant success. Disdaining evasive tactics when under the heaviest fire, he always went straight to his objective. He carried out many daring machine-gun attacks on enemy positions involving low-flying over long distances in the face of continuous fire at point-blank range. On three occasions, he dived through intense anti-aircraft fire to release his bombs on important targets on the Salamaua Isthmus. On one of these occasions, his starboard engine failed over the target, but he succeeded in fiying back to an airfield 160 miles away. When leading an attack on an objective on 16 March 1943, he dived through intense and accurate shell fire and his aircraft was hit repeatedly. Nevertheless, he held to his course and bombed his target from low level. The attack resulted in destruction of many buildings and dumps, including two 40,000 gallon fuel installations. Although his aircraft was crippled, with fuselage and wing sections torn, petrol tanks pierced, main-planes and engines seriously damaged, and one of the main tyres fiat, Flight Lieutenant Newton managed to fly back to base and make a successful landing. Despite this harassing experience, he returned next day to the same locality. His target, this time a single building, was even more di~icult but he again attacked with his usual courage and resolution, flying a steady course through a barrage of fire. He scored a hit on the building but at the same moment his aircraft burst into flames. Flight Lieutenant Newton maintained control and calmly turned his air craft away and fiew along the shore. He saw it as his duty to keep the aircraft in the air as long as he could so as to take his crew as far away as possible from the enemy's positions. With great skill, he brought his blazing aircraft down on the water. Two members of the crew were able to extricate themselves and were seen swimming to the shore, but the gallant pilot is missing. According to other air crews who witnessed the occurrence, his escape hatch was not opened and his dinghy was not inflated. Without regard to his own safety, he had done all that man could do to prevent his crew from falling into enemy hands. Flight Lieutenant Newton's many examples of conspicuous bravery have rarely been equalled and will serve as a shining inspiration to all who follow him. (London Gazette: 19 October 1943).
Presumably one or other account of his death is wrong: is it definite that he survived the ditching and was captured and executed? If so, was he deliberately singled out by the Japanese for this fate on account of his reputation? Either way, a very brave man. I believe it is true to say that he was the only member of the RAAF to be awarded the Victoria Cross while serving under direct RAAF command: the other RAAF recipients, Middleton and Edwards, were operating with the RAF in Europe. Also, other than Cheshire and perhaps Malcolm he was one of the few airmen to be awarded the VC for operations over a period of time, rather than solely for one episode. Adrian
Spot on, AR. The VC citation is incorrect, Newton survived the crash but was captured and executed. The Japanese apparently put two and two together once they realised he was the pilot of the aircraft that had bombed them and was subsequently seen to be hit. You are right about the RAAF VC as well. Newton was the only one to be awarded it in the SW Pacific while on RAAF ops. Interesting that both Edwards and Newton were both light bomber guys. Can't remember what Middleton (bomber most likely of course) was...or Malcolm for that matter which is rather shameful! Off to google I go!
Should we have a VC thread to discuss the actions of recipients or will that be okay to do here in biographies?
I was thinking that too, Spidgeman. I can't remember what made me look him up but it is an interesting link given the valuable thread you started. You might be interested to know there is talk of the A-20 that was recently bought by a Queensland collector, from the US, being painted in Newton's colours - JU-C IIRC.
