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James Brindley Nicolson

Wing Commander · 39329 · United Kingdom

Born: 29 April 1917, Hampstead, London
Died: 2 May 1945, aged 28
Fate: Killed in action

Biography

Wing Commander James Brindley Nicolson holds a singular place in the history of the Royal Air Force as the only member of Fighter Command — and the only pilot of the Battle of Britain — to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

Born in Hampstead on 29 April 1917, he was flying a Hawker Hurricane of No. 249 Squadron on 16 August 1940 when his aircraft was hit by cannon fire near Southampton and set ablaze, wounding him in the eye and foot. As he prepared to bale out of the burning cockpit a Messerschmitt Bf 110 crossed his sights; Nicolson stayed with his blazing aircraft long enough to shoot it down before taking to his parachute, badly burned. The Victoria Cross that followed, gazetted on 15 November 1940, recognised that he had pressed home his attack regardless of his own grievous injuries.

Nicolson recovered and continued to serve, rising to wing commander and a staff appointment in the Far East. On 2 May 1945, flying as an observer in a No. 355 Squadron Liberator over the Bay of Bengal, his aircraft caught fire and crashed into the sea; his body was never recovered. He is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, and his Victoria Cross is held by the Royal Air Force Museum. He was 28.

Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) — casualty records, died 31 March 1944 and Wikipedia — James Brindley Nicolson. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.

Burial / commemoration

Cemetery: Singapore Memorial, Singapore

202 others in this archive died on 2 May →

Timeline

29 April 1917 Born
Hampstead, London
15 November 1940 Gazetted: VC
Victoria Cross
2 May 1945 Died
aged 28

Awards

Victoria Cross (VC) — gazetted 15 November 1940

Awarded for his action on 16 August 1940: though his Hurricane was on fire and he was severely wounded, he remained in the burning cockpit to shoot down an attacking enemy fighter before baling out — the only Victoria Cross awarded to RAF Fighter Command in the Second World War.

Source: CWGC casualty record: NICOLSON, JAMES BRINDLEY → · Commonwealth War Graves Commission