Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has had his latest “hero of the month” article published in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The August issue of the magazine has four pages on the life and career of Warrant Officer Norman Jackson VC, who showed incredible bravery during the Second World War.
Jackson, who was born in Ealing, west London, was adopted by the Gunter family and never knew the identify of his real parents. Before the war, he worked as a fitter and turner but, after the outbreak of war, he served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
His act of amazing bravery came on night of April 26/27 1944 while serving as a flight engineer on a Lancaster bomber that had just carried out a raid near Nuremberg, the centre of the German ball bearing industry.
After being attacked by an enemy night-fighter, the Lancaster was damaged and caught fire. Jackson, despite being injured in the attack, volunteered to climb on to the fuselage with a fire extinguisher to fight the blaze on one of the aircraft’s wings. However, after jettisoning the escape hatch – and at 20,000 feet and 200 mph – his parachute pack opened and his canopy and rigging lines spilled into the cockpit.
As the fire burned out of control, Jackson, by this point outside the aircraft, received burns to his hands and face. Unable to grip on, he slipped off the plane and into the air with his parachute ablaze. He was injured yet again as he landed, breaking an ankle. Jackson was feared by his comrades to have died but he was, in fact, taken as a Prisoner of the War and had his injuries treated.
He was awarded the VC after the war ended and he and his wife, Alma, went on to have seven children. After a happy retirement from his job as a travelling salesman, Jackson died in March 1994 at Hampton Hill, Middlesex, aged 74.
Lord Ashcroft’s articles for Britain at War for the past 11 years have been largely based on excerpts from his seven books on gallantry: Victoria Cross Heroes, Special Forces Heroes, George Cross Heroes, Heroes of the Skies, Special Ops Heroes, Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II and Falklands War Heroes.
Lord Ashcroft is a military historian who has lectured extensively on courage and his various medal collections.
- Lord Ashcroft’s latest article appears in the August issue of Britain at War which is on sale now.
