Nicolson was 23 years old and a flight lieutenant in No. 249 Squadron during the Second World War when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 16 August 1940 having taken off from RAF Boscombe Down near Salisbury, Nicolson's Hawker Hurricane was almost certainly fired on by the Messerschmitt Bf 109 of Heinz Bretnütz of II./JG 53, who returned to base with claims for two Hurricanes following this action. Nicolson's engine was damaged and the petrol tank set alight. As he struggled to leave the blazing machine, he saw another Messerschmitt, managed to get back into the bucket seat, pressed the firing button, and continued firing until the enemy plane dived away to destruction.[4] He was able to open his parachute in time to land safely in a field. On his descent, he was fired on by members of the Home Guard, who ignored his cry of being a RAF pilot.[4]
Victoria Cross citation
The announcement and accompanying citation for the decoration was published in supplement to the London Gazette on 15 November 1940, reading
Air Ministry, 15 November 1940.
The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery : –
Flight Lieutenant James Brindley NICOLSON (39329) – No. 249 Squadron.
During an engagement with the enemy near Southampton on 16th August 1940, Flight Lieutenant Nicolson's aircraft was hit by four cannon shells, two of which wounded him whilst another set fire to the gravity tank. When about to abandon his aircraft owing to flames in the cockpit he sighted an enemy fighter. This he attacked and shot down, although as a result of staying in his burning aircraft he sustained serious burns to his hands, face, neck and legs. Flight Lieutenant Nicolson has always displayed great enthusiasm for air fighting and this incident shows that he possesses courage and determination of a high order. By continuing to engage the enemy after he had been wounded and his aircraft set on fire, he displayed exceptional gallantry and disregard for the safety of his own life.[5]
Fully recovered by September 1941, Nicolson was posted to India in 1942. Between August 1943 and August 1944, he was a squadron leader and commanding officer of No. 27 Squadron, flying Bristol Beaufighters over Burma. During this time, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Nicolson was the only Battle of Britain pilot and the only pilot of RAF Fighter Command to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, England.
Commemoration
In 2015, the RAF repainted a modern Eurofighter Typhoon jet, ZK349, in Second World War colours, and applied Nicolson's squadron number, GN-A, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.[7]
Mason, Peter D. Nicolson VC': the Full and Authorised Biography of James Brindley Nicolson, the only Pilot of Fighter Command in World War II to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Ashford, UK: Geerings, 1991. ISBN0-9513042-9-1.