JV928 DA-Y

A Consolidated Catalina IVA of No. 210 Squadron, coded DA-Y, flown from Sullom Voe in the Shetlands by Flying Officer John Cruickshank on anti-submarine patrol on 17/18 July 1944. When a first run failed to release the depth charges, Cruickshank attacked again and sank the U-boat, but the Catalina was raked by return fire that killed the navigator and wounded Cruickshank in more than seventy places. Refusing morphine so he could stay alert, he helped bring the aircraft back across the sea and held on until it could be landed safely. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, and lived to become the last surviving Second World War recipient.