Bill Newton

He pressed home low attacks and saved his crew from the sea.

Newton was born on 8 June 1919 at St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria, the youngest child of dentist Charles Ellis Newton and Minnie Newton. He attended Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, where sport became an important part of his early life. Australian War Memorial records describe him as an accomplished all-round sportsman: he represented his school in swimming, played football, golf and water polo, and reached state-level cricket, playing for the Victorian second eleven. After his father's death placed pressure on the family's finances, Newton left school and worked in a Melbourne silk warehouse.

His military association began before the Second World War. On 28 November 1938, Newton enlisted in the 6th Battalion, Royal Melbourne Regiment, part of Australia's Citizen Military Forces. His real ambition, however, was aviation. He left the militia shortly before joining the Royal Australian Air Force on 5 February 1940 as an air cadet. He qualified as a pilot in June 1940 and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer, later becoming a Flying Officer and, on 1 April 1942, a Flight Lieutenant, the highest rank he held.

Newton initially remained in Australia as a flying instructor, including work training pilots under the Empire Air Training Scheme. The role frustrated him because he wanted operational service. After repeated efforts to obtain a combat posting, he was assigned to No. 22 Squadron in May 1942. The squadron was converting to the Douglas Boston light bomber and later deployed to Port Moresby, New Guinea. Newton finally entered the operational air war he had been seeking.

The actions that defined Newton's career followed soon afterward at Salamaua. On 16 March 1943, he led an attack against Japanese positions on the Salamaua Isthmus. His Boston flew through intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire and was repeatedly struck, suffering extensive damage to the fuselage, wings, fuel system, engines and a tyre. Newton nevertheless maintained his attack and bombed from very low altitude. The strike destroyed buildings and supply dumps, including two large fuel installations. Despite the condition of the aircraft, he managed to fly the badly damaged Boston back to base and land successfully.

On 18 March, Newton returned to the Salamaua area with crew members Flight Sergeant John Lyon and Sergeant Basil Gilbert Eastwood. Again he pressed his attack through heavy defensive fire. His aircraft was struck and burst into flames just as the target was hit. Unable to return to base, Newton kept the burning Boston under control and flew it along the coast before ditching in the sea offshore. Eastwood was lost with the aircraft, while Newton and Lyon escaped from the wreck and reached the shore.

Newton and Lyon were subsequently captured by Japanese naval troops and taken for interrogation. Lyon was later killed, while Newton was returned to the Salamaua area. On 29 March 1943, Newton was executed by beheading. He was only 23 years old.

His verified medal group consists of the Victoria Cross, 1939–1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939–1945, and Australia Service Medal 1939–1945. The Australian War Memorial holds Newton's medal group in its National Collection, where it forms part of the permanent record of his service.

Victoria Cross citation

Flight Lieutenant Newton served with No. 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, in New Guinea from May, 1942 to March, 1943, and completed 52 operational sorties. Throughout, he displayed great courage and an iron determination to inflict the utmost damage on the enemy. His splendid offensive flying and fighting were attended with brilliant success. Disdaining evasive tactics when under the heaviest fire, he always went straight to his objectives. He carried out many daring machine-gun attacks on enemy positions involving low-flying over long distances in the face of continuous fire at point-blank range. On three occasions, he dived through intense anti-aircraft fire to release his bombs on important targets on the Salamaua Isthmus. On one of these occasions, his starboard engine failed over the target, but he succeeded in flying back to an airfield 160 miles away. When leading an attack on an objective on 16th March, 1943, he dived through intense and accurate shell fire and his aircraft was hit repeatedly. Nevertheless, he held to his course and bombed his target from a low level. The attack resulted in the destruction of many buildings and dumps, including two 40,000-gallon fuel installations. Although his aircraft was crippled, with fuselage and wing sections torn, petrol tanks pierced, main-planes and engines seriously damaged, and one of the main tyres flat, Flight Lieutenant Newton managed to fly it back to base and make a successful landing. Despite this harassing experience, he returned next day to the same locality. His target, this time a single building, was even more difficult but he again attacked with his usual courage and resolution, flying a steady course through a barrage of fire. He scored a hit on the building but at the same moment his aircraft burst into flames. Flight Lieutenant Newton maintained control and calmly turned his aircraft away and flew along the shore. He saw it as his duty to keep the aircraft in the air as long as he could so as to take his crew as far away as possible from the enemy’s positions. With great skill, he brought his blazing aircraft down on the water. Two members of the crew were able to extricate themselves and were seen swimming to the shore, but the gallant pilot is missing. According to other air crews who witnessed the occurrence, his escape hatch was not opened and his dinghy was not inflated. Without regard to his own safety, he had done all that man could do to prevent his crew from falling into enemy hands. Flight Lieutenant Newton’s many examples of conspicuous bravery have rarely been equalled and will serve as a shining inspiration to all who follow him.

Third Supplement to The London Gazette of 15 October 1943. 19 October 1943, Numb. 36215, p. 4617