My Uncle Robert Middleton was born in August 1924, and only ever had flying in mind as an occupation. He joined the RAFVR in 1941, but was too young to join aircrew, and so was advised to train as an aircraft engineer.
I'm reliably informed that being a typical Scotsman, Bert liked a drink, and loved to have a good time socially.
At the first opportunity, he volunteered for aircrew duty,and with his mechanical experience, was steered towards training as a flight engineer. After his time at various Operational Training Units, he was posted to 630 Sqn, based at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire, flying in Lancasters.
Bert's Operational record is still unknown to me, but I believe he was nearing completion of his 2nd tour when he was killed in action. 15 Lancasters from 630 Sqn were detailed to join a large raid on the ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt on 26th April 1944. His aircraft, ND789, was intercepted, and badly damaged by a Luftwaffe night fighter over the French/German border, and crash landed almost intact near the village of Muhlhausen, in the state of Baden-Wurttemburg.
A villager, who is still alive, tells of hearing the aircraft being attacked, and circling for up to 15 minutes looking for a suitable place to crash land. He also remembers eye witnesses who went to the scene, to find at least two crewmen standing by the badly damaged aircraft. Another crewman was heard to cry for help from within the aircraft, and when his colleagues went back to assist, the whole plane exploded killing all the crew.
The ironic part is that Bert need not have been on the flight. He was a stand in that night for the regular flight engineer, who was hospitalised with a burst eardrum. ND789 was the only aircraft lost from 630 Squadron on that raid.
The crew of seven were initially buried in the village churchyard, and in 1946, were re-interred at Durnbach War Graves Cemetery, near Munich.
In recent years, a local from the village, Mr Roland Watzl, researched the circumstances of the crash, and gathered a remarkable database of facts, including details of the Luftwaffe pilot who attacked the Lancaster. A memorial stone to the aircraft and crew has been erected on the site, largely due to public donations, and the generosity of the people of Muhlhausen.
