Covered in frozen blood, aged 21, he flew 200 miles to drop bombs and win VC
FOUNDING SSAA member Bill Reid’s breathtaking bravery and skill won him Britain’s highest award for valour – the Victoria Cross.
As a wounded 21-year old pilot of a Lancaster bomber, Mr Reid battled enemy fire that killed his comrades, flying 200 more miles to complete their mission.
It was November 1943 when his aircraft was suddenly attacked by a German Messerschmitt night fighter.
His plane’s windscreen was smashed and he was injured in the head, hands and shoulder.
Battling unconsciousness, the young pilot could feel blood from his wounds beginning to freeze on his face as cold air rushed into the cockpit.
His seven-man crew’s oxygen supply and compass were all destroyed.
Moments later, a second German fighter attacked, riddling the bomber from stem to stern with shells. The navigator was killed and the wireless operator was fatally injured.
Bill now knew that navigation would only be possible by observing the moon and Pole Star.
Despite that, he pressed on a further 200 miles to Dusseldorf and dropped his bombs directly on target.
Only then did he turn for home, falling unconscious several times on the way.
Mr Reid, of Crieff, Perthshire, recovered and returned to duty. He was proud to be a part of the elite 617 Dambusters Squadron.
It was whilst on a mission with them that he was eventually brought down by friendly fire near Rheims in north-east France.
He recalls: ‘It was a lovely July evening and the planes above must have seen us below.
‘They were supposed to be 15 minutes behind us but, as it turned out, one dropped his bomb load right on top of us. The plane was torn apart and went into a terrible spin. When the nose fell off I was thrown out and parachuted into a tree. ‘Only one other crew member got out – the other five all died in the plane. ‘I tried to buy some time to give them a chance but the controls were useless as they had all been cut away by the bombs which hit us from above.’ Mr Reid ended the war as a PoW. Afterwards, he went on to help form the SSAA and also served as its president.