THE top brass of Dubbo RSL Sub Branch has joined forces with Dubbo City Council to create a special place of remembrance for "a boy" who made a decision that most grown men could never contemplate.
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Seventy years ago this month, Royal Australian Air Force pilot officer Rawdon Hume Middleton chose death in order to save his crew.
In the thick of WWII action, the former Dubbo High School student defied the loss of an eye, a faltering plane and enemy fire to get his men back to England after a bombing mission to Italy.
After most had parachuted to safety, the 26-year-old diverted the plane away from houses and headed out into the English Channel that claimed his body until early 1943 when it was washed ashore at Dover.
The pilot officer was lauded then as he is now for heroism “above and beyond”, reports sub branch president Tom Gray and secretary Bill Greenwood.
The former jackaroo received a posthumous Victoria Cross with a citation that speaks of his special place in the defence forces and Australia.
“His devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming odds is unsurpassed in the annals of the Royal Air Force,” it reads.
On the 50th anniversary of the hero’s death on November 29, 1942, a plaque was installed in the ground near Dubbo’s cenotaph as a mark of respect and admiration.
But it has not turned out to be a special place for a braveheart who learned to fly at Narromine and was nicknamed Ron.
Eighteen months ago, with the 70th anniversary on the horizon, Mr Gray felt the need to rally his troops.
“I don’t think anyone knew it (the plaque) was there,” he said.
“They were walking over it and something had to be done.”
Enter the council and sculptor Brett Garling, who Mr Greenwood reports is creating a bronze bust of Ron Middleton, a descendant of colonial explorer Hamilton Hume, at a “discounted rate” of $16,000.
The sub branch and the council are equally sharing the cost of the exercise that will culminate in a ceremony on November 29.
Mr Greenwood said the bust would be erected on a plinth on pavers near the cenotaph, with the plaque attached to one side of the plinth.
“Everyone” is welcome to attend the ceremony where a representative of the RAAF will address a crowd that the sub branch hopes will include young and old, including WWII RAAF veterans.
Mr Gray and Mr Greenwood yesterday told of their admiration for the pilot officer who was “just a boy” when he mustered unimaginable courage.
They see his legacy in the men and women currently serving Australia in places like Afghanistan.
“They are all heroes in my eyes,” Mr Gray said as his sub branch mate nodded.
kim.bartley@ruralpress.com
