Taken from todays Daily Telegraph.

Widow to sell VC air ace's logbooks

The flying logbooks of the only pilot to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Battle of Britain are to be sold by his widow.

They record the courage of Flt Lt James Brindley Nicolson in the laconic manner of the true hero: "Shot down 12.55 hrs. Baled out."

The message hides the true valour of the only fighter pilot to gain the award during the Second World War. The London-born air ace defied horrific injuries to stay in his blazing Hurricane to shoot down a Messerschmitt, then feigned death as he parachuted out at the last moment to be buzzed by another enemy aircraft.

The logbooks are to be sold by his widow Muriel, of Tadcaster, N Yorks, together with his pilot's licence, RAF notebook, his "No 1" blue jacket, maps, mess bills, photographs and an eagle's feather presented to him by native American Indians. They are expected to fetch up to £30,000 at Christie's in London on Dec 2.

Flt Lt - later Wg Cdr - Nicolson, who also won the Distinguished Flying Cross, met his moment of destiny over Southampton on Aug 16, 1940.

His aircraft was hit by four cannon shells from a Messerschmitt, one of which blinded him in one eye and another blew away his heel. His engine was damaged and the petrol tank set alight, but as he struggled to get out he saw another Messerschmitt. He continued firing until the enemy plane spiralled to destruction. Not until then did he bale out.

He died in 1945, being recorded as missing believed killed after a flying battle in the Bay of Bengal. His final logbook is stamped: "Death presumed".

I have always been puzzled as to why he was the only person to recieve this medal.There must've been many others that deserved it

If I remember correctly, I've seen two of his uniforms. The first one was at Hendon and has his VC and the second; the one he was wearing on Aug 16, 1940, was at the museum at Tangmere. It includes the half-shot away shoe.

Does anyone know if it is still there?

Folks,

It is odd regarding that single BoB RAF VC. Yet the RAF in its infinite wisdom was reluctant even to acknowledge pilots who had shot down 5 enemy planes and who therefore became an "Ace" in the eyes of everyone else throughout the world.

The undying gratitude of a war besieged nation and Churchill's statement regarding "the few" was the most many lived to see as a reward of any kind. IMHO every man who gives his life for his country, any country, deserves it's highest honor bar none. Still that is a poor trade for one's life and the promise of the future. I imagine not many of the brave lads really care about the medals anyway.

I hope that this sale is voluntary and not from duress. It would be a real shame if this man's widow must resort to selling precious mementos to make a go of it her few remaining years on this earth before she rejoins her brave husband.

Hmmmmm. That poignant thought regarding the hero's widow might just be grist for the HWH story mill some day.

Morgul,

Interesting information, and a timely reminder of November 11th - Armistice Day. Nicolson's VC DFC group of medals went quite some time ago for a huge six figure sum. There are some good pictures of him, including one taken after receiving his VC at Buckingham Palace, in the BBTN tome.

Some later info on him:

'In April 1945 Nicolson was on the staff of HQ RAF Burma. On May 2 he went on a bombing raid with a Liberator of 355 Squadron, as an observer. After taking of from Salbani the aircraft was 130 miles south of Calcutta, when one engine caught fire. The Liberator crashed into the sea and there were only two NCO survivors.'

APO 21.12.36. PO 21.10.37. FO 12.5.39. FL 3.9.40. SL 1.12.41.

I'm sure we all hope that we would do similarly valiant things in the same situation. How many of us truly would though..

One of the reasons i believe that there was only one VC awarded was the strict laws that are in place for the VC including the amount of observers of a task neded. I dont know the inns and out of it but i remember reading it somewhere.

Cowman

Cowman,

I think you've hit the nail on the head there.

VC: The terms of issue are too lenghty and tedious to wade through but are most strict and demanding.
Witness testimony has to be impeccable.

Fighter pilots are usually too focused on watching their own backs to pay close attention to others' performance.
Perhaps Fighter Command got the thin end of the wedge regarding this award. There have been instances when the VC has been issued for prolonged periods of active service as opposed to a single act of gallantry. There would have been some fighter pilots who could have qualified in this respect, surely?

There was certainly a case in point with one of Bomber Command's 19 VC awards, where, in all cases, crew eyewitness accounts would form the cornerstone of assessment for the medal.
Group Captain Leonard Cheshire's citation in September 1944 'related not to any single action but to his whole career as bomber pilot'.
Incidentally, he also received the DSO and two Bars and a DFC.

A letter in the Telegraph today pointed out that the last VC awarded in WW2 went posthumously to another fighter pilot, Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve flying Corsairs with Squadron 1841 of the Fleet Air Arm.

On 9th August 1945 at Onagawa Wan, Honshu, Japan. Lieutenant Gray led an attack on a Japanese destroyer. In the face of fire from shore batteries and a heavy concentration of fire from some five warships he pressed home his attack, flying very low to ensure success. Although wounded and with his aircraft in flames he made at least one direct hit, sinking the destroyer before his aircraft crashed into the bay.

http://www.navalmuseum.ab.ca/gray.html