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{{Short description|Australian Victoria Cross recipient (1919–1943)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
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{{Infobox military person
|name            = Bill Newton
|image           = P02134.001Newton.jpg
|alt              = Informal head-and-shoulders portrait of a dark-haired, moustachioed man in dark military jacket with pilot's wings on the left breast pocket, and peaked cap
|caption         = Newton, {{circa}} 1942
|birth_date      = {{birth date|df=yes|1919|6|8}}
|death_date      = {{death date and age|1943|3|29|1919|6|8|df=yes}}
|birth_place     = [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]], Victoria, Australia
|death_place     = [[Salamaua]], [[Territory of New Guinea]]
|nickname        = "The Firebug"; "Blue Cap"
|allegiance      = Australia
|branch          = [[Citizen Military Force]] (1938–40)<br />[[Royal Australian Air Force]] (1940–43)
|serviceyears    = 1938–43
|serviceyears_label={{nowrap|Service years}}
|rank            = [[Flight lieutenant]]
|unit            = [[No. 22 Squadron RAAF|No. 22 Squadron]] (1942–43)
|commands        =
|battles         = 
{{tree list}}
* World War II
** [[New Guinea campaign]] 
*** [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea]]{{POW}}{{Executed}}
{{tree list/end}}
|awards          = [[Victoria Cross]]
}}

'''William Ellis Newton''', [[Victoria Cross|VC]] (8 June 1919 – 29 March 1943) was an [[List of Australian Victoria Cross recipients|Australian recipient]] of the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of the [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] armed forces. He was honoured for his actions as a bomber pilot in [[Papua New Guinea]] during March 1943 when, despite intense [[anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft fire]], he pressed home a series of attacks on the [[Salamaua|Salamaua Isthmus]], the last of which saw him forced to [[Water landing|ditch]] his aircraft in the sea. Newton was still officially posted as missing when the award was made in October 1943. It later emerged that he had been taken captive by the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]], and executed by [[Decapitation|beheading]] on 29&nbsp;March.

Raised in [[Melbourne]], Newton excelled at sport, playing cricket at youth state level. He joined the [[Australian Army Reserve|Citizen Military Forces]] in 1938 and enlisted in the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) in February 1940. Described as having the dash of "an [[Errol Flynn]] or a [[Keith Miller]]",<ref name="Macklin">Macklin, ''Bravest'', pp. 195–197</ref> Newton served as a [[Flight instructor|flying instructor]] in Australia before being posted to [[No. 22 Squadron RAAF|No.&nbsp;22 Squadron]], which began operating [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|Boston]] light bombers in New Guinea late in 1942. Having just taken part in the [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea]], he was on his fifty-second mission when he was shot down and captured. Newton was the only Australian airman to receive a Victoria Cross for action in the [[South West Pacific theatre of World War&nbsp;II]], and the sole Australian to be so decorated while flying with an RAAF squadron.

==Family, education and sport==
Born in the [[Melbourne]] suburb of [[St Kilda, Victoria|St Kilda]] on 8&nbsp;June 1919, Bill Newton was the youngest child of dentist Charles Ellis Newton and his second wife Minnie.<ref name="ADB">[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/newton-william-ellis-bill-11232 Newton, William Ellis (Bill) (1919–1943)] at [[Australian Dictionary of Biography]]. Retrieved 18 May 2010.</ref><ref name="Weate">Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', pp. 1–6</ref> His three older half-siblings from Charles' earlier marriage included two brothers, John and Lindsay, and a sister, Phyllis. Bill entered [[Melbourne Grammar School]] in 1929, but two years later switched to the nearby St Kilda Park Central School as the family income was reduced through the impact of the [[Great Depression in Australia|Great Depression]].<ref name="Weate"/> In 1934, aged fifteen, he was able to return to Melbourne Grammar where, despite struggling with his schoolwork, he completed his [[Intermediate Certificate (Australia)|Intermediate certificate]].<ref name="ADB"/><ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p. 7</ref> He gave up further study when his father died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of fifty-one, and began working in a silk warehouse.<ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p. 8</ref><ref name="Page">Page, ''Wings of Destiny'', pp. 141–142, 151</ref>

Considered while at school to be a future leader in the community, Newton was also a talented all-round sportsman, playing [[cricket]], [[Australian rules football]], golf and water polo.<ref name="High Fliers">Stephens; Isaacs, ''High Fliers'', pp. 88–90</ref><ref name="Gillison">Gillison, [http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/26/chapters/32.pdf ''Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942'', p. 699] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122051627/https://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/26/chapters/32.pdf |date=22 November 2015 }}</ref> A [[fast bowling|fast bowler]] in cricket, he was friends with [[Keith Miller]], and collected the [[Cricket Victoria|Victorian Cricket Association]] (VCA) [[VCA Colts cricket team|Colts]] bowling trophy for 1937–38; Miller collected the equivalent batting prize.<ref>Perry, ''Miller's Luck'', pp. 30–31</ref> In January 1938, Newton dismissed [[Test cricket|Test]] batsman [[Bill Ponsford]]—still the only Australian to have twice scored 400 in a [[first-class cricket|first-class innings]]<ref>[http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/94177.html First-class matches: Most runs in an innings] at [http://www.cricinfo.com/ Cricinfo]. Retrieved 20 May 2010.</ref>—for four in a Colts game at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]].<ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p. 11</ref> The following year, he gained selection in the [[Victorian cricket team|Victorian Second&nbsp;XI]].<ref name="High Fliers"/> He opened the bowling against the [[New South Wales cricket team|New South Wales Second&nbsp;XI]]—his first and only match—taking a total of 3/113 including the wickets of [[Ron Saggers]] and [[Arthur Morris]] who, like Miller, went on to become members of the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|''Invincibles'']].<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/168/168270.html Victoria Second XI v New South Wales Second XI] at CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 May 2009.</ref>

==Early career==
Newton had been a [[sergeant]] in his [[Australian Army Cadets|cadet corps]] at school, and joined the [[Citizens Military Force]] on 28&nbsp;November 1938, serving as a [[Private (rank)|private]] in the machine-gun section of the [[6th Battalion (Australia)#Inter war years|6th Battalion, Royal Melbourne Regiment]].<ref name="Staunton">Staunton, ''Victoria Cross'', pp. 253–255</ref><ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p. 15</ref>  Still employed in the silk warehouse when World War&nbsp;II broke out in September 1939, he resigned to join the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) on 5&nbsp;February 1940.<ref name="ADB"/><ref name="AWM Timeline">[http://www.awm.gov.au/people/timeLine_658.asp Flight Lieutenant William Ellis Newton, VC: Timeline] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513081817/http://www.awm.gov.au/people/timeLine_658.asp |date=13 May 2009 }} at [[Australian War Memorial]]. Retrieved 27 February 2009.</ref> He had earlier attempted to enlist when he turned eighteen in 1937, but his mother refused to give her permission; with Australia now at war, she consented.<ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p.  9</ref> His brothers—dentists by profession, like their father—also enlisted in the armed forces, John as a [[Lieutenant|surgeon lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Australian Navy]] and Lindsay as a [[Captain (armed forces)|captain]] in the [[Royal Australian Army Medical Corps|Army Medical Corps]].<ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p. 17</ref>

[[File:IR001Newton.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.28|Newton relaxing at Wagga in 1941|alt=Informal outdoor portrait of dark-haired moustachioed man in suit leaning on fence, flanked by two dark-haired women]]
Newton undertook basic training with [[No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF|No.&nbsp;1 Elementary Flying Training School]] in [[Parafield Airport|Parafield]], South Australia, flying [[De Havilland Tiger Moth]]s, and with [[No. 21 Squadron RAAF|No.&nbsp;21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron]] at [[RAAF Williams#RAAF Williams, Laverton|RAAF Station Laverton]], Victoria, flying [[CAC Wirraway]]s. He was awarded his [[Aircrew brevet|wings]] and commissioned as a [[pilot officer]] on 28&nbsp;June 1940. Following advanced training on [[Avro Anson]]s with [[No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF|No.&nbsp;1 Service Flying Training School]] at [[RAAF Williams#RAAF Base Point Cook|RAAF Point Cook]] in September, he was selected to become a [[flight instructor]]. He completed the requisite course at [[Central Flying School RAAF|Central Flying School]] in [[Camden, New South Wales|Camden]], New South Wales, and was promoted to [[flying officer]] on 28&nbsp;December.<ref name="Staunton"/><ref name="Weate pp. 19-22">Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', pp. 19–22</ref> He subsequently began training students under the [[British Commonwealth Air Training Plan|Empire Air Training Scheme]] at [[No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF|No.&nbsp;2 Service Flying Training School]] near [[RAAF Base Wagga|Wagga Wagga]], under the command of Group Captain [[Frederick Scherger]].<ref name="Weate pp. 19-22"/><ref name="Bowyer">Bowyer, ''For Valour'', pp. 306–312</ref>

In October 1941, Newton transferred to [[No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAAF|No.&nbsp;5 Service Flying Training School]] at [[Uranquinty]]. He found instruction frustrating, as he longed for a combat assignment. His fortunes changed in February 1942, when he was selected for the navigation course on Ansons at the General Reconnaissance School based at Laverton. From there he was sent to [[No. 1 Operational Training Unit RAAF|No.&nbsp;1 Operational Training Unit]] at [[Sale, Victoria|Sale]], Victoria, for conversion to [[Lockheed Hudson]] twin-engined light bombers during March and April.<ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton'' VC, pp. 26–28</ref>

Promoted to [[flight lieutenant]] on 1&nbsp;April 1942, Newton was posted the following month to [[No. 22 Squadron RAAF|No.&nbsp;22 (City of Sydney) Squadron]], based at [[RAAF Base Richmond|RAAF Station Richmond]], New South Wales.<ref name="Page"/><ref name="Staunton"/> Previously equipped with Hudsons, the unit had just begun converting to the more advanced [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|Douglas Boston]] when Newton arrived. A comrade described him as a "big brash, likeable man who could drink most of us under the table, was a good pilot, good at sports, and had a way with girls".<ref name="Page"/> No.&nbsp;22 Squadron was engaged in [[Convoy|convoy escort]] and [[anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine patrols]] off [[Sydney]] from July to September, before moving north to [[RAAF Base Townsville|Townsville]], Queensland.<ref>Page, ''Wings of Destiny'', pp. 152–155</ref> In November, it was deployed to [[Port Moresby]] in Papua New Guinea, under the control of [[No.&nbsp;9 Operational Group RAAF]].<ref name="22Sqn">[http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11057.asp 22 Squadron RAAF] at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 18 May 2010.</ref><ref>Page, ''Wings of Destiny'', p. 164</ref>
{{-}}
==New Guinea campaign==
Newton undertook the first of his fifty-two operational [[sortie]]s on 1&nbsp;January 1943, under the leadership of his commanding officer, Squadron Leader [[Keith Hampshire (RAAF officer)|Keith Hampshire]]. During February, Newton flew low-level missions through [[monsoon]] conditions and hazardous mountain terrain, attacking Japanese forces ranged against Allied troops in the [[Morobe Province|Morobe province]].<ref name="Wilson">Wilson, ''The Brotherhood of Airmen'', pp. 125–127</ref><ref>Weakes, ''Bill Newton VC'', pp. 40–42</ref> In early March, he took part in the [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea]], one of the key engagements in the [[South West Pacific theatre of World War II|South West Pacific theatre]],<ref name="Stephens pp. 164-167">Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 164–167</ref> bombing and strafing [[Lae]] airfield to prevent its force of enemy fighters taking off to intercept Allied aircraft attacking the Japanese fleet.<ref name="Wilson"/><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wilson|first=David|url=http://defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4503/history/story01.htm|title=A brave and determined man|magazine=Air Force News|volume=45|issue=3|date=13 May 2003|access-date=20 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706121901/http://defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4503/history/story01.htm|archive-date=6 July 2011}}</ref> Newton gained a reputation for driving straight at his targets without evasive manoeuvre, and always leaving them in flames; this earned him the nickname "The Firebug".<ref name="ADB"/><ref name="High Fliers"/> The Japanese gunners reportedly knew him as "Blue Cap", from his habit of wearing an old blue cricket cap on operations. In spite of the hazards of the air war in New Guinea, he was quoted as saying, "The troops on the ground should get two medals each, before any airman gets one".<ref>Page, ''Wings of Destiny'', pp. 186, 197, 229</ref>

===Attacks on Salamaua===
[[File:AC0031Boston.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.28|Bostons of No. 22 Squadron over New Guinea, c. 1942–43|alt=Three twin-engined military aircraft flying low above a valley]]
On 16 March 1943, Newton led a sortie on the [[Salamaua|Salamaua Isthmus]] in which his Boston was hit repeatedly by Japanese anti-aircraft fire, suffering damage to its fuselage, wings, fuel tanks, and undercarriage. He continued his attack and dropped his bombs at low level on buildings, ammunition dumps and fuel stores, returning for a second pass at the target<!--which one?--> to strafe it with machine-gun fire.<ref name="ADB"/><ref name="Wilson"/> Newton managed to get his crippled machine back to base, where it was found to be marked with ninety-eight bullet holes.<ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', pp. 58–61</ref> Two days later, he and his two-man crew made a further attack on Salamaua with five other Bostons. As he bombed his designated target, Newton's plane was seen to burst into flames, having been raked by cannon fire from the ground.<ref name="Macklin"/><ref>Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', p. 63</ref> Attempting to keep his aircraft aloft as long as possible to get his crew away from enemy lines, he was able to [[Water landing|ditch]] in the sea approximately {{convert|1000|yd|m}} offshore.<ref name="Macklin"/><ref name="ADB"/>

The Boston's [[navigator]], Sergeant Basil Eastwood, was killed in the forced landing but Newton and his [[Radio|wireless operator]], [[Flight Sergeant]] John Lyon, survived and managed to swim ashore.<ref name="Wilson"/> Several of the other aircraft in the flight circled the area; one returned to base straight away to inform Hampshire, and the remainder were later forced to depart through lack of fuel. Newton and Lyon originally made their way inland with the help of natives, aiming to contact an Australian [[Coastwatchers|Coastwatcher]], but subsequently returned to the coast. There they were captured by a Japanese patrol of No.&nbsp;5 Special Naval Landing Force.<ref name="AWM Timeline"/><ref name="Weate pp. 64-65">Weate, ''Bill Newton VC'', pp. 64–65</ref> The two airmen were taken to Salamaua and interrogated until 20&nbsp;March, before being moved to Lae, where Lyon was [[bayonet]]ed to death on the orders of [[Rear Admiral]] Ruitaro Fujita, the senior Japanese commander in the area.<ref name="Wilson"/><ref name="Wigmore">Wigmore et al., ''They Dared Mightily'', pp. 163–164</ref> Newton was taken back to Salamaua where, on 29&nbsp;March 1943, he was ceremonially beheaded with a [[Katana|samurai sword]] by [[Sub-Lieutenant]] Uichi Komai, the naval officer who had captured him.<ref name="Macklin"/><ref name="Bowyer"/> Komai was killed in the [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines|Philippines]] soon afterwards, and Fujita committed suicide at the end of the war.<ref name="Bowyer"/>

===Revelations and reactions===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 280
 | image1 = 100644Newton.jpg
 | alt1 = Three-quarter portrait of moustachioed man in flying suit with a belt of machine-gun ammunition slung over his shoulders, leaning against an aeroplane
 | caption1 = Newton c. 1942–43
 | image2 = Newton VC medals March 09.JPG
 | alt2 = Row of five military medals with ribbons
 | caption2 = Newton's medals at the Australian War Memorial
}}
It was initially believed that Newton had failed to escape from the Boston after it ditched into the sea, and he was posted as missing.<ref name="Macklin"/> Hampshire had immediately dispatched a sortie to recover the pair that were last seen swimming for shore, but no sign of them was found. Two weeks later, he wrote a letter to Newton's mother in which he described her son's courage and expressed the hope that he might yet be found alive. Hampshire concluded, "Bill is one of those rare fellows I shall miss for a long time, and if it is to be, remember for an age".<ref name="Weate pp. 64-65"/> The details of his capture and execution were only revealed later that year in a diary found on a Japanese soldier. Newton was not specifically named, but he was identified by circumstantial evidence: the diary entry recorded the beheading of an Australian flight lieutenant who had been shot down by anti-aircraft fire on 18&nbsp;March 1943 while flying a Douglas aircraft.<ref name="Gillison"/> The Japanese observer described the prisoner as "composed" in the face of his impending execution, and "unshaken to the last".<ref name="Stephens pp. 164-167"/> After the decapitation, a seaman slashed open the dead man's stomach, declaring, "Something for the other day. Take that."<ref>Page, ''Wings of Destiny'', p. 283</ref>

General Headquarters South West Pacific Area released details of the execution on 5 October, but initially refused to name Newton due to the lack of absolute certainty as to identification. Air Vice Marshal [[William Bostock|Bill Bostock]], Air Officer Commanding [[RAAF Command]], contended that naming him would change the impact of the news upon Newton's fellow No.&nbsp;22 Squadron members "from the impersonal to the closely personal" and hence "seriously affect morale".<ref name="Gillison"/> News of [[Japanese war crimes|the atrocity]] provoked shock in Australia.<ref name="Stephens pp. 164-167"/> In an attempt to alleviate anxiety among the families of other missing airmen, the Federal government announced on 12&nbsp;October that the relatives of the slain man had been informed of his death.<ref name="Gillison"/>

===Victoria Cross===
Newton was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for his actions on 16–18 March, becoming the only Australian airman to earn the decoration in the South West Pacific theatre of World War&nbsp;II, and the only one while flying with an RAAF squadron.<ref name="Staunton"/><ref name="Stephens pp. 164-167"/> The citation, which incorrectly implied that he was shot down on 17&nbsp;March rather than the following day, and as having failed to escape from his sinking aircraft, was promulgated in ''[[The London Gazette]]'' on 19&nbsp;October 1943:<ref name="Staunton"/>

{{Quote|''[[Air Ministry]], 19th October, 1943.''
[[George VI|The KING]] has been graciously pleased, on the advice of Australian Ministers, to confer the
VICTORIA CROSS on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery:&nbsp;—

Flight Lieutenant William Ellis NEWTON (Aus. 748), Royal Australian Air Force, No. 22 (R.A.A.F.) Squadron (missing).

Flight Lieutenant Newton served with No. 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, in New Guinea from May, 1942, to March, 1943, and completed 52 operational sorties.

Throughout, he displayed great courage and an iron determination to inflict the utmost damage on the enemy. His splendid offensive flying and fighting were attended with brilliant success.
Disdaining evasive tactics when under the heaviest fire, he always went straight to his objectives. He carried out many daring machine-gun attacks on enemy positions involving low-flying over long distances in the face of continuous fire at point-blank range.

On three occasions, he dived through intense anti-aircraft fire to release his bombs on important targets on the Salamaua Isthmus. On one of these occasions, his starboard engine failed over the target, but he succeeded in flying back to an airfield 160 miles away.
When leading an attack on an objective on 16 March 1943, he dived through intense and accurate shell fire and his aircraft was hit repeatedly. Nevertheless, he held to his course and bombed his target from a low level. The attack resulted in the destruction of many buildings and dumps, including two 40,000-gallon fuel installations. Although his aircraft was crippled, with fuselage and wing sections torn, petrol tanks pierced, main-planes and engines seriously damaged, and one of the main tyres flat, Flight Lieutenant Newton managed to fly it back to base and make a successful landing.

Despite this harassing experience, he returned next day to the same locality. His target, this time a single building, was even more difficult but he again attacked with his usual courage and resolution, flying a steady course through a barrage of fire. He scored a hit on the building but at the same moment his aircraft burst into flames.

Flight Lieutenant Newton maintained control and calmly turned his aircraft away and flew along the shore. He saw it as his duty to keep the aircraft in the air as long as he could so as to take his crew as far away as possible from the enemy's positions. With great skill, he brought his blazing aircraft down on the water. Two members of the crew were able to extricate themselves and were seen swimming to the shore, but the gallant pilot is missing. According to
other air crews who witnessed the occurrence, his escape-hatch was not opened and his dinghy was not inflated. Without regard to his own safety, he had done all that man could do to prevent his crew from falling into enemy hands.

Flight Lieutenant Newton's many examples of conspicuous bravery have rarely been equalled and will serve as a shining inspiration to all who follow him.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=36215 |supp=y|page=4617|date=15 October 1943}}</ref>}}

==Legacy==
[[File:WENewtonVCLaeWarMemorial.jpg|thumb|upright=1.28|alt=Rectangular metal plaque grave marker on flat headstone| Newton's grave marker at Lae War Cemetery]]
Buried initially in an unmarked bomb crater in Salamaua, Newton's body was recovered and re-interred in [[Lae War Cemetery]] after [[Salamaua–Lae campaign|Salamaua's capture]] by Allied troops in September 1943.<ref name="Wigmore"/><ref name="Remembrance Driveway">[https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/about/environment/protecting-heritage/remembrance-driveway/vc-citations/ellis-newton-vc.html William Ellis Newton VC] at [[Remembrance Driveway (Australia)|Remembrance Driveway]]. Retrieved 27 February 2009.</ref> His grave marker bears the epitaph {{Smallcaps|For God, my king, my country}}.<ref>{{CWGC|id=2156356|name=Newton, William Ellis|access-date=28 January 2020}}</ref> In early 1944, the recently constructed No.&nbsp;4 Airfield in [[Nadzab]] was renamed Newton Field in his honour.<ref name="Air War Against Japan p. 186">Odgers, [http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/27/chapters/12.pdf ''Air War Against Japan'', p.  186]</ref> For many years, the story of Newton's death was intertwined with that of an [[Australian commandos#M & Z Special Units|Australian commando]], Sergeant [[Leonard Siffleet|Len Siffleet]], who had also been captured in New Guinea. A photograph showing Siffleet about to be beheaded was discovered by American troops in April 1944 and was thought to have depicted Newton in Salamaua, but there is no known photograph of the airman's execution.<ref>[http://www.awm.gov.au/people/658.asp Flight Lieutenant William Ellis Newton, VC] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413130851/http://www.awm.gov.au/people/658.asp |date=13 April 2009 }} at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 February 2009.</ref>

Newton's mother Minnie was presented with her son's Victoria Cross by the [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]], the [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Duke of Gloucester]], on 30&nbsp;November 1945. She donated it to the [[Australian War Memorial]], Canberra, where it remains on display with his other medals.<ref name="Wigmore"/><ref>[http://www.awm.gov.au/virtualtour/valour.asp Victoria Crosses at the Memorial] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304030247/http://www.awm.gov.au/virtualtour/valour.asp |date=4 March 2009 }} at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 February 2009.</ref> Newton is also commemorated on Canberra's [[Remembrance Driveway (Australia)|Remembrance Driveway]].<ref name="Remembrance Driveway"/> In the 1990s, his friend Keith Miller successfully fought to ensure that the [[Victoria Racing Club]] abandoned a plan to rename the William Ellis Newton Steeplechase—run on [[Anzac Day]]—after a commercial sponsor. Later in the decade, Miller also publicly questioned [[Australia Post]]'s exclusion of Newton from a series of stamps featuring notable Australians such as cricketer [[Donald Bradman|Sir Donald Bradman]].<ref>Perry, ''Miller's Luck'', p. 475</ref> A plaque dedicated to No.&nbsp;22 Squadron was unveiled at the Australian War Memorial by the [[Chief of Air Force (Australia)|Chief of Air Force]], Air Marshal [[Angus Houston]], on 16&nbsp;March 2003, the sixtieth anniversary of Newton's attack on Salamaua.<ref>Page, ''Wings of Destiny'', p. 367</ref>

{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Bowyer|first=Chaz|author-link=Chaz Bowyer|year=2002|orig-year=1992|title=For Valour: The Air VCs|location=London|publisher=Caxton|isbn=1-84067-240-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Gillison|first=Douglas|year=1962|title=Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I&nbsp;– Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942|location=Canberra|publisher=[[Australian War Memorial]]|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070209/}}
* {{cite book|last=Macklin|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Macklin|year=2008|title=Bravest: How Some of Australia's Greatest War Heroes Won Their Medals|location=Crows Nest, New South Wales|publisher=[[Allen & Unwin]]|isbn=978-1-74114-882-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Odgers|first=George|author-link=George Odgers|orig-year=1957|year=1968|title=Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume II&nbsp;– Air War Against Japan 1943–1945|location=Canberra|publisher=Australian War Memorial|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070210/}}
* {{cite book|last=Page|first=Charles|title=Wings of Destiny: Wing Commander Charles Learmonth, DFC and Bar and the Air War in New Guinea|year=2008|publisher=Rosenberg Publishing|location=Dural, New South Wales|isbn=978-1-877058-64-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Perry|first=Roland|author-link=Roland Perry|title=Miller's Luck: The Life and Loves of Keith Miller, Australia's Greatest All-Rounder|year=2006|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=Sydney|isbn=978-1-74166-222-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Staunton|first=Anthony|title=Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles They Fought|year=2005|publisher=Hardie Grant Books|location=Prahran, Victoria|isbn=978-1-74066-288-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Stephens|first=Alan|orig-year=2001|year=2006|title=The Royal Australian Air Force: A History|location=London|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=0-19-555541-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Stephens|first=Alan|author2=Isaacs, Jeff|year=1996|title=High Fliers: Leaders of the Royal Australian Air Force|location=Canberra|publisher=[[Australian Government Publishing Service]]|isbn=0-644-45682-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Weate|first=Mark|title=Bill Newton VC: The Short Life of a RAAF Hero|year=1999|publisher=Australian Military History Publications|location=Loftus, New South Wales|isbn=1-876439-78-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Wigmore|first=Lionel|author2=Harding, Bruce|author3=Williams, Jeff|author4=Staunton, Anthony|year=1986|title=They Dared Mightily|location=Canberra|publisher=Australian War Memorial|isbn=0-642-99471-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Wilson|first=David|year=2005|title=The Brotherhood of Airmen|location=Crows Nest, New South Wales|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=1-74114-333-0}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=7 June 2024|en-Bill Newton-article.ogg}}
* {{Commons category inline|Bill Newton}}


{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Bill}}
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