September 2018 FLYPAST 77Losing his leg failed to hamper the
distinguished career of Victoria Cross
recipient Ferdinand ‘Freddie’ West, as
Graham Pitchfork explainsVICTORIA CROSS FERDINAND ‘FREDDIE’ WEST
B
orn in London in 1896,
Freddie West spent his
early life in Italy following
the death of his father during the
Boer War. He was commissioned
into the Royal Munster Fusiliers in
May 1915 and was soon in action
on the Western Front, before beingscouts attacked his aircraft from
behind and he was wounded in
the foot. He was determined to
complete his mission though and
dived again to pinpoint the position
more accurately.
As he turned for home, more
enemy scouts attacked him, and
he and his observer returned
their fire... but West was wounded
severely in the left leg. In acute
pain and losing blood, he just
managed to control the aircraft
while still under attack. As he
lapsed into semi-consciousness,
he realised he could not reach
his airfield and landed as soon as
he crossed the lines. Canadian
troops lifted him from his
shattered cockpit, but he insisted
on giving his report before
being transferred to a casualty
station. West’s left leg had to be
amputated before he returned
to a hospital in London, where
he learnt he’d been awarded the
Victoria Cross.
He remained in the peacetime air
force and returned to flying duties,
later commanding 4 Squadron. He
spent most of World War Two as
an air attaché, and in June 1940
arrived in neutral Switzerland as
an air commodore. West supplied
a great deal of intelligence and
provided sanctuary for escaping
servicemen, before sending
them on ‘escape’ routes through
occupied territory. At the end of
the war he was appointed a CBE.
Freddie West died on July 7,
1988; he was awarded the last of
the air VCs of World War One.For For For
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transferred to the Royal Flying
Corps, in which he trained as
an observer before returning to
France to join 3 Squadron.
Freddie accumulated more
than 100 operational flying
hours before training as a pilot,
and he joined 8 Squadron at
Amiens in January 1918. The
unit was employed in the army
co-operation role, flying the two-
seat Armstrong Whitworth FK8.
West soon established himself
as an aggressive and determined
pilot. On April 23 he bombed and
strafed German transport behind
enemy lines. His aircraft was fired
on repeatedly and, with a failing
engine, he managed to land 100
yards west of the Allied trenches.
He was awarded the Military Cross
for his actions.
Ground fire was not the only
hazard; enemy scouts frequently
engaged his aircraft, and on
June 18 West and his observer
accounted for two of them.
By August, Allied infantry had
broken through parts of the
enemy lines and on August 9,
West was flying a low-level visual
reconnaissance sortie in support
of the advance when his aircraft’s
engine was badly damaged. Again,
he just managed to cross the
trenches and deliver his report.
Two days later he took off to
support a tank advance.
Descending through mist he
discovered a large concentration
of German troops and transports.
Diving to low level, he carried
out his recce, but enemy