Editing Nicholas Alkemade

{{short description|Royal Air Force airman (1922–1987)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}

'''Nicholas Stephen Alkemade''' (10 December 1922&nbsp;– 22 June 1987) was a British [[tail gunner]] in the [[Royal Air Force]] during the [[Second World War]] who survived a [[freefall]] of {{convert|18000|ft|-1}} 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]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Record for Lancaster DS664|url = http://www.lostaircraft.com/database.php?lang=en&e=8207&mode=viewentry#|website = lostaircraft.com|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20130216095122/http://www.lostaircraft.com/database.php?lang=en&e=8207&mode=viewentry%23|archivedate = 2013-02-16|access-date = 2013-01-29|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref> Returning from a 300-bomber [[Bombing of Berlin in World War II|raid on Berlin]], east of [[Schmallenberg]], ''DS664'' was attacked by a German [[Junkers Ju 88]] night-fighter flown by ''Oberleutnant'' [[Heinz Rökker]] of {{lang|de|[[Nachtjagdgeschwader 2]]}}.<ref name="rafmuseum">{{cite web|last = Revell|first = Guy|date = 2014-12-24|title = The Indestructible Alkemade|url = https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/the-indestructible-alkemade/|website = [[Royal Air Force Museum]]|accessdate = 2021-03-02|df = dmy-all|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190722130806/https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/the-indestructible-alkemade/|archive-date = 2019-07-22|url-status = dead}}</ref> The attack caused the Lancaster to catch fire and began to spiral out of control.

He was not wearing a parachute (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 {{convert|18000|ft|-1}} to the ground. His fall was broken by [[fir tree]]s 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, killing pilot Jack Newman, engineer Edgar Warren, bomb-aimer Charles Hilder, and mid-upper gunner John McDonough.<ref>{{Cite book
  |last=Bowman
  |first=Martin
  |year=2016
  |title=German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943–1945
  |language=en
  |location=Barnsley
  |publisher=Pen and Sword
  |isbn=978-1-47384-979-2
  |p=34-37}} </ref> 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 (Schmallenberg)|Oberkirchen]].<ref>{{Cite news
  |journal=Sauerlandkurier
  |date=25 March 2009
  |title=Bilder noch heute vor Augen
  |trans-title=Still Today, Pictures before the Eyes
  |url=http://www.sauerlandkurier.de/hochsauerlandkreis/schmallenberg/bilder-noch-heute-augen-5761012.html
  |language=de
  |access-date=27 December 2016
}}</ref>

Alkemade was subsequently captured and interviewed by the [[Gestapo]], who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hemmings|first=Jay|date=2019-03-07|title=The Airman Who Fell 18,000 Feet Without A Parachute & Lived|url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/nicholas-alkemade-the-raf-airman.html|access-date=2022-05-06|website=WarHistoryOnline.com |language=en}}</ref> This was until the wreckage of the aircraft was examined and his parachute was found as Alkemade had described it.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Daniel|date=2013-11-25|title=Amazing story of the wartime RAF gunner who fell 18,000 feet and survived|url=http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/amazing-story-wartime-raf-gunner-153863|access-date=2022-05-06|website=LeicestershireLive|language=en}}</ref> The Germans gave Alkemade a certificate testifying to the fact.<ref name="rafmuseum"/> He was a celebrated [[prisoner of war]], held in [[Stalag Luft III]], before being repatriated in May&nbsp;1945.

== Later life ==
Alkemade worked in the chemical industry after the war. He appeared on the ITV series ''Just Amazing!'', a programme in which former motorcycle champion [[Barry Sheene]] interviewed people who had, through accident or design, achieved feats of daring and survival. He also appeared with [[Tom O'Connor (comedian)|Tom O'Connor ]] on ''I've Got A Secret'' on BBC One, 5 December 1984.<ref>{{cite web| title = BBC Archive Facebook page|url=https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BZSZzFAMW/|access-date = 2024-12-19}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-29 |title=RAF Wittering re-names building after a 'lucky' man |url=https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/raf-wittering-re-names-building-after-a-lucky-man-9097846/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Stamford Mercury |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography}}
; Fall survivors
* [[Ivan Chisov]], Soviet airforce lieutenant who survived falling from his aircraft in 1942
* [[Juliane Koepcke]], German teenager who survived a {{convert|3000|m|ft|adj=on}} fall after her flight broke up over the Peruvian Amazon in 1971
* [[Alan Magee]], American airman who survived a {{convert|22000|ft|m|adj=on}} fall from his damaged B-17 in 1943
* [[Vesna Vulović]], Serbian flight attendant who survived the {{convert|10000|m|ft|adj=on}} mid-air breakup of her aircraft in 1972
; Other
* [[Freefall]]
* [[List of sole survivors of aviation accidents or incidents]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.parachutehistory.com/other/bonusday.html Parachute History Website]
* [http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/oldstuff/airmanswar/airman.htm Air Scene UK - An Airman's war]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dxvj04WZqc Video clip of Alkemade recounting the event]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alkemade, Nick}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:English people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Fall survivors]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany]]
[[Category:British World War II prisoners of war]]
[[Category:Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II]]