Middleton Hall — a hero’s tale

Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton was born in Australia in 1916. He died at the age of 26 and was laid to rest in Beck Row, England. (photo courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)  

UNITED KINGDOM

08.04.2016

Story by Gina Randall 

100th Air Refueling Wing   

“Today, Middleton Hall is a popular venue to host Galaxy Club and personal catered events at, as well as lodging military members and visitors,” said Melissa Effingham, 100th Force Support Squadron Galaxy Club catering manager. “It’s a facility that people love to come to so they can be provided an environment that most Air Force bases do not have and allow them to have a sense of nostalgia due to its history.”

East Anglia is a farming area and in 1929 with a gripping agricultural depression, the first phase of base construction brought much needed relief. Crews from Fred Hale and Sons of Sutton, Ely, began the construction and a London-based firm who took over employed many locals.

“The Mildenhall region has long been a location for military forces,” said Robert Mackey, 100th Air Refueling Wing historian. “From the pre-Roman era, through the Middle Ages and into the 20th century. The area’s strategic location between the major coastal cities, the inland farming, trading, and industrial towns, and London has meant that political and military leaders, from Roman Emperors to United Kingdom Prime Ministers, have realized the need to defend and control it.”

In 1939, during the station’s expansion, the western wing was added.

“When the Nazi government threatened war in 1938-39 over Czechoslovakia, the U.K. government began a rush of construction projects to upgrade the RAF’s fighter, coastal and bomber forces. A substantial portion of this effort went into building infrastructure and facilities that could be quickly expanded during crisis or war,” Mackey added. “RAF Station Mildenhall, as one of the newest bases of the rapidly expanding Bomber Command, was a perfect selection for expansion. It was during this period that new dining facilities, barracks and defensive structures were built, to include Middleton Hall.”

In more recent history the building was memorialized as Middleton Hall in memory of Pilot Officer Rawdon Hume Middleton.

Born in Australia in 1916, Middleton enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1940 and was sent to Canada to continue his instruction. In 1941 he reached Britain and became a pilot in Stirling bombers. As far from his homeland as he could possibly be, he was struck by flak on a mission over Italy. Middleton was wounded in the face and lost his right eye. The aircraft dived to 800 feet after he lost consciousness.

The second pilot was able to gain control and after Middleton gained consciousness he headed for England, knowing there was insufficient fuel on board to make it. After being hit again, over the English coast with only five minutes of fuel on board, Middleton ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft.

Five men left the aircraft before it crashed into the sea, killing Middleton. His body washed ashore at Dover. He was only 26 years old.

“To say that Middleton was a ‘brave man’ is not enough.” Mackey said. “The raw bravery, focus on the mission, and concern for his crew, despite his own horrific wounds, exemplified the level of sacrifice that could only be rewarded by the highest honor that His Majesty, King George VI, could give—the Victoria Cross. For the Airmen of the 100th ARW and their fellow U.S. Air Force units here at RAF Mildenhall, Middleton’s heroism is a living example of valor and courage that is a constant reminder of how high the cost was to normal men and women in World War II, who gave everything for freedom. The renaming of the old officers’ mess at RAF Mildenhall was a small gesture in memorializing not only the actions of Pilot Officer Middleton, but all of his brothers in the Allied Air Forces from 1939-1945 that gave all.”

His bravery earned Middleton a posthumous Victoria Cross. This medal recognizes acts of extreme bravery carried out under direct enemy fire and since 1856 only 1,354 people have been awarded the Victoria Cross. The queen turned down the first suggestion of a name ‘For the Brave’ as she declared that all her soldiers were brave.

The act of valor also earned Middleton the respect of the 100th ARW. Today, and for years to come, the men and women of RAF Mildenhall remember this tragic tale as they walk through the doors of Middleton Hall. As they attend a retirement ceremony to celebrate the military career of a colleague, they reflect on the short life of this young pilot.

This brave soul was laid to rest in the churchyard of St. John's, Beck Row, outside base, with full military honors. He found his final resting place alongside other commonwealth heroes. These people who left their homeland, knowing they may never return, left to fight for a country not even their own. They fought for the freedom of a small country on the other side of the world, a country forever indebted to these brave souls.
(sources: https://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676514/
http://www.iwm.org.uk/sites/default/files/public-document/Facts_and_Figures_VC_GC.pdf
http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/About-Us/Heritage-Information)

• Date Taken: 08.04.2016
• Date Posted: 08.08.2016 05:28
• Story ID: 206375
• Location: GB