MIDDLETON, Rawdon Hume
| Service Number: | 402745 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 October 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Pilot Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 149 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Waverley, New South Wales, Australia, 22 July 1916 |
| Home Town: | Yarrabandai, Forbes, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Dubbo High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Jackeroo |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Kentish Coast, England, 29 November 1942, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
St John Churchyard, Beck Row, Suffolk, England |
| Tree Plaque: |
Dubbo Middleton Grove
|
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bywong Flight Sergeant Rawdon Middleton VC Rest Area, Dubbo P/O Rawdon Hume Middleton Memorial, Forest Hill Flight Sergeant Rawdon Middleton V.C. Memorial, Gilgandra Flight Sergeant Rawdon Hume Middleton VC Memorial Plaque, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Keith Payne VC Memorial Park, North Bondi War Memorial, Parkes & District Cenotaph, Parkes RSL Roll of Honour, Parkes Remembrance Walk, RAAF Wagga Mural Memorial - Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) |
World War 2 Service
| 14 Oct 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 402745 | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Oct 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman, 402745, Sydney, New South Wales | |
| 15 Oct 1940: | Involvement Leading Aircraftman, 402745, Empire Air Training Scheme | |
| 6 Dec 1941: | Promoted Flight Sergeant | |
| 1 Feb 1942: | Transferred Flight Sergeant, No. 149 Squadron (RAF) | |
| 15 Nov 1942: | Promoted Pilot Officer, No. 149 Squadron (RAF) | |
| 29 Nov 1942: | Involvement Pilot Officer, 402745, No. 149 Squadron (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 |
Help us honour Rawdon Hume Middleton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Kearney
Middleton, Rawdon Hume (1916–1942)
by Leigh Edmonds
Rawdon Hume Middleton (1916-1942), airman, was born on 22 July 1916 at Waverley, Sydney, son of native-born parents Francis Rawdon Hamilton Middleton, station-manager, and his wife Faith Lillian, née Millar. Rawdon was educated at Dubbo High School and worked as a jackeroo on Leewong, a station at Yarrabandi, near Parkes, managed by his father. Nicknamed 'Ron', he was a keen cricketer and footballer, despite being slightly built. He was a good-looking young man, very quiet and a little moody, with a strong 'streak of honest determination'.
On 14 October 1940 Middleton enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force under the Empire Air Training Scheme. He learned to fly at Narromine and received further instruction in Canada. Arriving in Britain in September 1941, he was promoted flight sergeant in December and posted to No.149 Squadron, Royal Air Force, in February 1942. After gaining experience as second pilot in Stirling bombers, he became first pilot and captain in July. Next month he was posted to No.7 Squadron, R.A.F. He returned to No.149 in September.
By 28 November 1942 Middleton had completed twenty-eight operational flights. Three of his crew had already flown their quota of thirty and could have left, but decided to stay through loyalty to Middleton. Their sortie that night was to Turin, Italy. Over the target they were hit by flak. One shell exploded in the cockpit wounding Middleton. His right eye was destroyed and the bone above it exposed; he was probably also wounded in the body and legs.
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https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/middleton-rawdon-hume-11118 (adb.anu.edu.au)
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Rawdon (Ron) Middleton was the great nephew of the Australian explorer, Hamilton Hume. He represented Dubbo High in the 1933 and 1934 Astley Cup (tennis). Rawdon Middleton died on 29 November 1942 in the English Channel after returning most of his crew safely back home to England. They had completed a successful bombing mission over the Fiat Factory at Turin, Italy. For his extraordinary actions in saving his crew and preventing his aircraft from crashing into civilian houses in England, Middleton was awarded the Victoria Cross. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10676514
Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton VC has received a Last Post Ceremony at the AWM, Canberra, commemorating his war service. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2075966
Also, on the AWM website is a short news reel film of Rawdon Middleton’s very moving funeral. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C189303
Ron Middleton was in course number 7 at the No. 5. E.F. T.S., Narromine. The death rate of the pilots from these early training courses during the war was very high. E.g., from the 53 pilots who completed course number 7 at the Narromine RAAF flying training school 27 of the pilots, including Middleton, were killed during WW2.
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