Victoria Cross awarded to Pilot Officer Cyril Joe Barton, 1944

Cyril Barton was a Second World War bomber pilot. He was awarded his Victoria Cross for his actions during the raid on Nuremberg on the night of 30 March 1944.

During the raid Barton's Halifax bomber was badly damaged by two Luftwaffe night-fighters. A misunderstanding in on-board communications in the aircraft meant that three of the 7-man crew abandoned the aircraft, believing it to be going down, leaving Barton with no navigator, bombardier or wireless operator. Rather than turn back for England, he decided to press on with the mission, against the odds of further attacks in a semi-wrecked aircraft that was leaking fuel and handicapped by lack of a full crew. Arriving over the target, he released the bomb payload himself and then, as Barton turned the aircraft for home, its ailing starboard engine blew-up. Subsequently he nursed the damaged airframe over a four-and-a-half-hour flight with no navigational assistance back across the hostile defences of Germany and occupied Europe, and across the North Sea. As his aircraft crossed the British coast its fuel ran out because of the battle damage leakage and, with only one engine still running on vapours, and at too low a height to allow a remaining crew bail-out by parachute, Barton crash-landed the bomber at the village of Ryhope, steering away in the final descent from the houses and coal pit-head workings. Barton was pulled from the wrecked aircraft alive but died of injuries sustained in the landing before he reached the hospital. The three remaining on-board members of the crew survived the forced landing. The Nuremberg raid would be one of the most disastrous Bomber Command would launch in the war; in total 108 Bombers & 537 men were lost. Another 157 were captured and became Prisoners of War. For his gallantry Barton was awarded the Victoria Cross. He had written a final letter to his mother, to be opened in the event of his death. In it he had written that he estimated the life expectancy for bomber crews to be 20 missions, but that he was not afraid. Barton was killed after completing his 19th mission.