Honour The Brave-George Thompson VC

New Year’s Day 1945 dawned as a brutally cold affair, typical of a Northern European winter’s day.

On the ground Allied soldiers made the best of the situation, halffrozen as many were in whatever shelter that was available. The defeat of Nazi Germany would seem to be a foregone conclusion, with Allied land forces having crossed the Rhine into Germany, while in the East the Russian behemoth proceeded in inexorable manner into eastern Poland, their target, Berlin. Their campaign had been an arduous one, from Moscow, Stalingrad and a hundred other bloodsoaked places, and now they were about to exact revenge on a brutal invader.

The Allies’ relentless bombing campaign had reduced the German rail system to virtual chaos, highlighting the absolute importance of the canal systems of north-west Germany. Bomber Command had inflicted significant damage to their canals, but with antlike tenacity the Germans had just as determinedly repaired them. As a result these targets became high priority ones and at the end of this day a young airman’s dedication would result in the award of a posthumous V.C.

George Thompson, the son of a Kinross ploughman was born in 1921 and on leaving school at fourteen had become a grocer’s assistant. His interest in radios had inspired him to enlist in the R.A.F. in 1942 on ground wireless duties and later to volunteer as aircrew. Posted to No.9 squadron, a Lancaster unit based at Bardney, Lincolnshire, Thompson became a wireless operator in New Zealander Harry Denton’s crew. His crew mates were a mix of Scots, Welsh and English NCOs, a typical group, all with respect and trust of each other’s abilities and keen to maintain that team spirit..