CWGC Kranji: J B NICOLSON VC

He was only person in Fighter Command to be honoured with the VC.

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As Flight Lieutenant Nicolson turned to avoid further shots into his burning aeroplane, he suddenly found that the Me110 had overtaken him and was right in his gunsight. His dashboard was shattered and was, in his own words, "Dripping like treacle" with the heat. The Messerschmitt was two hundred yards in front and both were diving at about 400 m.p.h.
As Flight Lieutenant Nicolson pressed the gun button he could see his right thumb blistering in the heat. He could also see his left hand, which was holding the throttle open, blistering in the flames.
The Messerschmitt zig-zagged this way and that trying to avoid the hail of fire from the blazing Hurricane. By this time the heat was so great that Nicolson had to put his feet on the seat beneath his parachute. He continued the flight for several minutes until the Messerschmitt disappeared in a steep dive. Eyewitnesses later reported that they had seen it crash a few miles out to sea.

 

Craig,

Here is a picture of him from the book "Battle of Britain" by John Frayn Turner.

He was shot in the buttocks whilst parachuting and about to hit the ground by a LDV (Home Guard).

As a Wing Commander he became Officer in Charge of training South East Asia and was Killed in a plane crash (Liberator) in the bay of Bengal before the war was over.

Regards
Tom

 

Thanks Tom. Very lucky not to be shot and killed by LDV!

 

Craig,

His life hung by a thread for two days as he was so badly injured, but to be shot on top of this was really unlucky.

Regards
Tom

 

I have just received my latest copy of the BBC History magazine. During my first quick look through, I noticed a photo captioned as 'Flight Lieutenant Eric Nicolson chatting with schoolchildren...' Now, the BBC have not covered themselves in glory with their coverage of the anniversary of the Battle of Britain but I was surprised to read the name of the only Battle of Britain Victoria Cross winner as 'Eric' rather than 'James'. However, prior to venting my spleen at the BBC, I thought that I had better check. CWGC have him named as James Brindley Nicolson; however, a google search brings up a couple of sites naming him as Eric James Brindley Nicolson.

Can any of our experts enlighten me?

Roxy

 

Roxy,
My Battle of Britain book shows him as James B. Nicolson.

I do not know where the name Eric came from.

Regards
Tom

 

Never heard the Eric name myself.

 

Liberator KH 210; Place - Bay of Bengal; Date - 2 May 1945

Aircraft Type: Liberator
Serial number: KH 210
Unit: 355 Sqn RAF

Summary:

Liberator KH 210 of 355 Sqn RAF was detailed on 2 May 1945 to bomb gun emplacements at Rangoon, Burma. The aircraft took off at 0051 hours on 2nd May from Sanbani, and at 0330 hours a message was received “position 20.52N, 89.33E, height 3000 feet, air speed 135mph”. From this it was assumed that the aircraft was returning with engine trouble and would have arrived at Sabani at 0630 hours, but the aircraft failed to arrive. A search Catalina sighted wreckage and observed two crew clinging to the wreck badly injured.

Crew:

DE SOUZA, Gerald Anthony (Squadron Leader) 118069 RAF (Captain - 1st Pilot)

NICOLSON, James Brindley VC DFC (Squadron Leader) 39329 RAF (Passenger)

PULLEN, Michael Henry (Flight Sergeant) 434840 RAAF (discharged 1946) (2nd Pilot)

SPILLARD, Jack (Warrant Officer) 1512153 RAF (Navigator)

NICOLSON, Donald Tofft (Flight Sergeant) 428122 RAAF (Wireless Operator Air)

DOHERTY, Samuel Arthur (Flight Sergeant) R/251292 RCAF (Wireless Operator Air)

CAMERON, Donald Urquhart (Flight Sergeant) 1823810 RAF (Flight Engineer)

HILL, Brian (Flying Officer) 163701 RAF (Air Gunner)

CALLAND, John (Flying Officer) 101424 RAF (Air Gunner)

BELL, Robert Taylor (Sergeant) 1826150 RAF (Air Gunner)

HELSBY, Laurence (Sergeant) 1755315 RAF (Air Gunner)

KNIGHTLEY, E L (Sergeant) 1480397 RAF (Air Gunner)


Both Flt Sgt Pullen (RAAF) and Sgt Knightley (RAF) were rescued, and the body of FltSgt Doherty (RCAF) recovered. It was recorded that the remaining 9 crew members had lost their lives at sea.

 

From the CWGC entry:

The citation in the London Gazette of 15th November, 1940, gives the following details: On August 16th, 1940, during an air battle near Southampton, four cannon shells hit wing Cdr. Nicolson's aircraft, two wounding him and one setting fire to the gravity tank. When about to abandon his plane he sighted an enemy fighter which, despite the flames in his cockpit, he attacked and brought down. In so doing he incurred serious burns on his hands, face and neck. In continuing to engage the enemy although wounded and with his aircraft on fire, wing Cdr. Nicolson displayed exceptional gallantry and disregard for his own life.

 

Nicolson was a Flight lieutenant when he earned his VC.

He rose through the ranks and became a Wing Commander before his tragic death.

Regards
Tom

 

Hi, folks,

Just wanted to expand a bit on Nicolson's last flight in Liberator KH210, as found in the Court of Inquiry into the loss of KH210. Note that one of the survivors was Eric KIGHTLEY, not KNIGHTLEY.

355 Sqn Liberator KH210, skippered by 118069 S/Ldr Gerald Anthony De Souza, took off from Salbani, India at 0051 on 2 May 1945, bound for the Rangoon, Burma area on a bombing op. Among De Souza's 11 crewmates was 39329 W/Cdr James Brindley Nicolson VC DFC, flying as an observer.

At an unclear time (official records are conflicting) in good weather on the outward leg, No. 1 engine caught fire and was quickly feathered. Bombs were jettisoned. The aircraft reversed course for Salbani, and the following message was sent: “Position 20°52’ N, 89°33’ E. Height 3000 feet. Course 305°. Ground speed 135 mph.”

Shortly afterwards the aircraft rolled to starboard, the automatic pilot was disengaged, and normal flying was momentarily regained by the experienced S/Ldr De Souza and his 2nd pilot, 434840 F/Sgt Michael Henry Pullen RAAF, using their combined strength on the controls. However, the tendency to roll continued. It became necessary to throttle back on the three good engines to keep the aircraft level, but this resulted in a gradual loss of height.

Ultimately S/Ldr De Souza ordered the crew to prepare for ditching. At 200 feet the aircraft again rolled to starboard, at which moment S/Ldr De Souza was heard by F/Sgt Pullen to say, “I think the other engines are going.” The Liberator crashed approx. 10 minutes after feathering, and it seems probable that it hit the water on a starboard roll.

The two injured survivors, F/Sgt Pullen and 1480397 Sgt Eric Leslie Kightley (front gunner), had no memory of the moment of impact, but Sgt Kightley, coming to his senses in the water, saw a large fire about 50 yards away, which he believed was the burning aircraft. Clinging to wreckage, they were rescued on 2 May at position 21°18’ N, 89°04’ E by separate Air/Sea Rescue Catalinas.

They had heard the shouts of two other crew members in the water, but they drifted out of shouting range. Neither survivor had seen or heard of R/251292 F/Sgt Samuel Arthur Doherty (2nd W/Op), whose body was recovered. Nine men were never found despite an Air/Sea Rescue operation over the next days.

There was no clear evidence of the cause of the handling problems experienced by the pilots. One theory was that an engine or engines on the starboard side were cutting intermittently.

Regards,

Matt