Nicholas Alkemade

Nicholas Stephen Alkemade (10 December 1922 – 22 June 1987) was a British tail gunner in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War who survived a freefall of without a parachute after abandoning his out-of-control, burning Avro Lancaster heavy bomber over Germany.

War service On the night of 24 March 1944, 21-year-old Flight Sergeant Alkemade was one of seven crew members in Avro Lancaster B Mk. II, DS664, of No. 115 Squadron RAF flying from RAF Witchford. Returning from a 300-bomber raid on Berlin, east of Schmallenberg, DS664 was attacked by a German Junkers Ju 88 night-fighter flown by Oberleutnant Heinz Rökker of . The attack caused the Lancaster to catch fire and began to spiral out of control.

Alkemade was not wearing a parachute as there was no room in the turret, so he climbed towards the middle of the plane to get a parachute, but was initially beaten back by the flames.

His parachute eventually caught fire and was unserviceable, so Alkemade jumped from the aircraft without it, preferring to die on impact rather than burn to death. He fell to the ground. His fall was broken by fir trees and a soft snow cover on the ground. He was able to move his arms and legs and suffered only a sprained leg. The Lancaster crashed, bursting into flames and killing pilot Jack Newman, engineer Edgar Warren, bomb-aimer Charles Hilder, and mid-upper gunner John McDonough. They are buried in the Hanover War Cemetery. In 1998, Joe Cleary, a survivor of Newman's crew, met with Rökker and they visited the Lancaster's crash site near Oberkirchen.

Alkemade was subsequently captured and interviewed by the Gestapo, who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute. This was until the wreckage of the aircraft was examined and his parachute was found as Alkemade had described it. The Germans gave Alkemade a certificate testifying to the fact.

Alkemade died on 22 June 1987 in Liskeard, Cornwall, aged 64.

In January 2020, 115 Squadron at RAF Wittering voted to rename a building as "The Alkemade Building" in honour of his achievements in the RAF.