Middleton, Rawdon Hume (1916-1942), an Australian airman, was awarded the Victoria Cross after his death in World War II (1939-1945). On the night of Nov. 28-29, 1942, he was captain of a United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF) bomber during an attack on Turin, Italy. The aircraft was badly damaged by enemy fire, and Middleton was critically wounded. Despite his wounds and diminishing strength, he flew his plane across the Alps to the English coast. With only a few minutes of fuel remaining, Middleton realized that he had little chance of surviving. He ordered the crew to bail out. Then he turned the aircraft seaward where it could crash without endangering others. He and the two crew members who remained with him were killed. Rawdon Hume Middleton was born in Sydney on July 22, 1916.
