From November 1, 2004 the official name of the area of Liverpool in which the College is located has been Middleton Grange. The suburb is named after a World War Two Australian airman – Flight Sergeant Rawdon Middleton. The decision of Liverpool City Council to rename the area was welcomed by the College Council.
The area has had a long association with aviation, hence the naming of new streets after people and organisations connected to aviation. Flight Sergeant Rawdon Hume Middleton was born in Waverley on 22 July, 1916. He was a great nephew of the explorer Hamilton Hume. Rawdon grew up in central western NSW and was educated in Gilgandra and Dubbo. He joined the RAAF Empire Air Training Scheme in October 1940 and was posted to 149 Squadron RAF Feb 1942. He was killed in action on 29 November 1942.
Middleton was captain and first pilot of a Sterling aircraft detailed to attack the Fiat works at Turin (Italy) on 28 November 1942. This was his 28th sortie over enemy territory: his 30th would have been his last. Great difficulty was experienced over the Alps on the 4 hour flight to the target and while over the target the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Middleton was badly wounded; his right eye was destroyed, he was hit in the legs and he temporarily lost consciousness. The second pilot was also badly wounded. He managed to keep the plane flying.
The possibilities of abandoning the aircraft on land in Nazi occupied northern France were discussed but Middleton stated his intention to attempt to reach the English coast. The crew had been in the air for over 7 hours and the aircraft had been badly damaged.
After reaching the English Channel, there was only sufficient fuel for 5 minutes flying. Flight Sergeant Middleton flew the aircraft parallel with the English coast and ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft. Five of the crew parachuted from the aircraft but two remained to assist him.
Middleton flew the plane out to sea where it crashed a short time later. He was determined not to crash it on houses as many other pilots had done. All remaining on board were killed.
“Flight Sergeant Middleton was determined to attack the target regardless of the consequences and not to allow his crew to fall into enemy hands. While all the crew displayed heroism of the highest order, the urge to do so came from Middleton’s fortitude and strength of will made possible through the completion of the mission. His devotion to duty in the face of overwhelming odds is unsurpassed in the annals of the RAF” (The London Gazette, 15 January, 1943)
His body was washed ashore at Dover on 1 February, 1943 and he was buried after a full military funeral in the churchyard of St John’s Beck Row, Suffolk, England.
He was the first of only four Australian airmen to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The plaque at the Middleton Rest Area 25km north of Canberra states:
“Dedicated to the memory of a gallant airman who gave his life for his comrades and his country.”
His life and the circumstances of his death contain many lessons from which all of us and future generations of students of Thomas Hassall and the residents of Middleton Grange can learn.
We have committed to become the vehicle through which the legacy of the man after whom this new suburb is to be named is kept alive. With the assistance of the Australian War Memorial and the RAAF, the College has assembled pictures and documents relating to Rawdon Middleton so that it may become the focal point in the community for the perpetuation of his legacy to Australia.
In 2007 our new sporting fields were opened by Mr Brian Booth (former Australian Cricket Captain) and were named in honour of Flight Sergeant Rawdon Middleton VC. The College was honoured to make contact and interview Mr Stuart Bill the author of a book titled “Middleton VC’. It is a well written and researched book about the life of Rawdon Middleton. We were blessed to have Mr Stuart Bill donate a copy of the book to be presented as a student leadership award.
The Rawdon Middleton VC Sports Complex building has been named after him in honour of his service and was opened in 2018.
