Lloyd Allan Trigg

Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC was a New Zealand pilot who served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. Operating in the maritime patrol and anti-submarine role, Trigg demonstrated exceptional bravery during operations over the Atlantic. He is most famous for his final mission in August 1943, during which he pressed home a devastating attack on a German U-boat despite his aircraft being heavily on fire.

Trigg was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for this action, which resulted in the destruction of the German submarine U-468. Tragically, Trigg and his entire crew were killed when their Consolidated Liberator bomber crashed into the sea immediately after the attack.

His Victoria Cross is unique in military history as it was awarded based entirely on the evidence and recommendation of the enemy survivors from the destroyed U-boat. There were no surviving Allied witnesses to the engagement, making the testimony of the German crew, who were deeply impressed by his gallantry, the sole basis for the decoration.