When Bill Reid’s VC was sold at auction in 2009 it fetched a record breaking £348,000. However, the act of bravery that earned him the medal and saved his crew is priceless
William ‘Bill’ Reid was born in Baillieston, Lanarkshire, Scotland on December 21, 1921 as the son of a blacksmith. He studied metallurgy at college and decided to apply to the RAF, qualifying as a Flight Lieutenant and joining 61 Sqn at RAF Syerston, Nottinghamshire on September 6, 1943. His first sortie over occupied Germany was on August 30 when he flew as second pilot on a 9 Sqn Lancaster on a mission to Munchen-Gladbach.
Reid would fly seven more sorties with 61 Sqn before he and his regular crew were detailed to perform an attack on Dusseldorf on the evening of November 3, 1943.
Allocated Lancaster LM360 – coded QR-O – Reid joined a flight of approximately 600 bombers given the same target. Accompanying him were Flt Sgts J A Jefferies (navigator), Les Rolton (bomb aimer), J W Norris (flight engineer), J J Mann (wireless operator), D Baldwin DFM (mid-upper gunner) and A F ‘Joe’ Emerson (rear gunner).
LM360 departed Syerston at 4.59pm. It was at 21,000ft (6,400m) when it reached the Netherlands but suddenly the windscreen was sp…
