Flt Lt John Cruickshank and many others of his generation were very much part of my growing up. I had numerous books that I avidly read from cover to cover telling the exploits of these men, some were VCs, many were not but regardless of that to my adolescent mind they were all my heroes. John Cruickshank always stuck in my mind because of his determination to get his aircraft and crew home, the other who had a similar impact was FS Aaron who although severely wounded after a friendly fire incident over the Italian Alps got his damaged Stirling back to England so that his crew could all bale out safely.
There are two dit’s that I recall about John Cruickshank, one involved some sniping comment from a mean spirited civil servant who questioned whether the action merited an award of the VC as the captain of the Catalina had a vested interest in getting the thing home............priceless!
The other, which really does seem to sum up his humility was that his wife didn’t even know he had been awarded the VC until long after they were married. How’s that for underplaying your achievements.