Notes
He is also listed on IWM 53448 and 101458. On the former it states: 'Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, V.C., D.F.M. Royal Air Force/ Volunteer Reserve. No. 218 Squadron./ On the night of 12th August 1943, Flight Sergeant Aaron was captain/ and pilot of a Sterling bomber detailed to attack Turin. His plane was/ hit by an enemy fighter, causing it to become unstable. Flight Sergeant Aaron had been hit in the face, arm and lung, and was unable to/ speak or use his right arm. With the navigator dead and other crewmen/ wounded, he urged the bomb aimer by signs to take the controls/ and set a course for North Africa. After treatment, he insisted on/ returning to the cockpit, where he helped to navigate by writing instructions with his left hand.
Five hours later, the flare path at Bone airfield in Algeria was sighted/ and Flight Sergeant Aaron summoned enough strength to direct the/ bomb aimer in the hazardous task of landing the damaged aircraft/ in darkness, with the undercarriage retracted. By the fifth attempt/ at landing he was near to collapse, but the landing was completed/ by the bomb aimer.
Nine hours after landing Flight Sergeant Aaron died from exhaustion/ had he been content to rest and conserve his strength he would probably recovered, but his determination and sense of responsibility for his aircraft and crew enable d him to confront the crisis, and gave generously of himself until he could give no more.'