THE LOVING daughter of a VC hero has welcomed plans to give him a proper memorial in Hampton Hill.
Norman Cyril Jackson, a flight engineer for 106 squadron, was honoured for his extraordinary bravery during the Second World War in the face of enemy fire.
Organisations including the Twickenham branch of the Royal Air Force Association had called on Richmond Council to rename a road after the veteran, but that has now been ruled out as being too impractical.
It is now proposing a commemorative plaque either on a house in Burtons Road, where he lived for 50 years after his exploits, or St James's Church in Hampton Hill, where he used to worship.
Daughter Shirley-Anne Donald, 47, a company secretary for J&J products in Feltham, said: "Dad was brilliant father, he had a great sense of humour, he was very courageous but he never thought his actions during World War Two were anything out of the ordinary."
In April 1944, the airman's Lancaster Bomber caught fire after being attacked by a fighter plane at 20,000ft, in a raid over Schweinfurt, Germany.
Sgt Jackson tried to put out the blaze by clipping on a parachute and climbing onto the wing with a fire extinguisher in 200mph winds.
Unfortunately, the plane banked and he plummeted to the ground, landing in bushes.
He spent 10 months in a German hospital where he was treated for injuries, including a broken ankle and burns. He was later sent to a prison camp but escaped.
Sgt Jackson was awarded the medal, the highest military decoration, in October 1945 for his self-sacrifice.
Mrs Donald, who lives in Sunbury, said: "Dad never showed off his gallantry to anyone at Victoria Cross functions, he would always leave his medals in his pocket until the last minute, when he put them on."
