Wartime pilot saved his stricken plane and crew by climbing on to the wing to put out an engine fire Co-pilot Sgt James Ward crawled along wing rope tied around his waist Pilot Sq Ldr Reuben Widdowson's DFC has sold for £7,500 at an auction Widdowson kept plane steady while Ward draped canvas cover over fire After extinguishing flames Ward was pulled back into Wellington bomber Death defying: Co-pilot Sergeant James Ward crawled out along the wing with nothing but a length of rope tied around his waist for security It was an incredible act of bravery that saw a wartime pilot save his stricken plane and crew by climbing onto the wing to put out a fire at 10,000ft. Co-pilot Sergeant James Ward defied death and a 100mph slipstream by crawling out along the wing with nothing but a length of rope tied around his waist for security. Sgt Ward was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery - and now, the Distinguished Flying Cross won by the pilot, Squadron Leader Reuben Widdowson, has sold for £7,500 at auction in London. Sq Ldr Widdowson did a remarkable job keeping the blazing plane steady while Sgt Ward draped a canvas cover over the inferno in the engine. After extinguishing the flames he was pulled back into the Wellington bomber by the rest of the crew who had been preparing to bail out over the North Sea. Sq Ldr Widdowson managed to fly the battered plane back to its base in Suffolk where it was only stopped from careering off the end of the runway by a barbed wire fence. The two pilots had been flying a Wellington bomber and its crew of six on a raid over Munster, Germany, in July 1941 when they were shot at by a Messerschmitt 110 nightfighter. Although rear gunner Sgt Alan Box shot the Luftwaffe plane down, the bomber was critically damaged with its starboard engine out of action and ablaze. Sq Ldr Widdowson instructed the crew to put their parachutes on in readiness to jump and then yelled out ..."and see if you can put out that bloody fire." Sgt Ward ripped away the fuselage fabric and tried in vain to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. Prized: Sq Ldr Widdowson's medals sold for £7,500 at the auction at Spinks in Bloomsbury, Central London Saved: After extinguishing the flames co-pilot Sergeant James Ward was pulled back into the Wellington bomber (file picture) by the rest of the crew who had been preparing to bail out over the North Sea Peter Elliott, head of archives at the RAF Museum, said: "I don't think when Widdowson told someone to put the fire out he was seriously suggesting that someone went out on to the wing. "Ward picked up the cockpit canvas cover and casually told a member of the crew "I think I will hop out with this." Hero: Squadron Leader Reuben Widdowson did a remarkable job keeping the blazing plane steady His comrade tried to dissuade him and Ward agreed to have a rope tied around his waist with the other end tied around the chest of a crew man. Widdowson held the aircraft steady to enable Ward to get onto the wing. The metal wing was covered in fabric and that allowed Ward to grab hold of something as he crawled out. Ward held on with one hand as he managed to smother the fire with the cover. The slipstream began to tug the cover and it then whipped off. But the flames gradually lessened and Ward was pulled back into the aircraft. They had just set out over the North Sea at the time and so this would have all happened at a height of 10,000ft. As captain, Widdowson's aim was to get the aircraft home but more importantly his crew as well, rather than they bale out and be captured or killed. But to say Ward went the extra mile to ensure this would be something of an understatement. When you think of RAF Victoria Crosses in World War Two, you think of people like Guy Gibson and Leonard Cheshire but James Ward isn't one of those names that immediately springs to mind. Sgt Ward, a New Zealander, was invited to Downing Street to meet Winston Churchill after his heroic action. Sadly, he was killed two months later when his aircraft was struck by flak over Hamburg, caught fire and crashed. Sq Ldr Widdowson's medals sold at Spinks in Bloomsbury, Central London. Saved: After extinguishing the flames co-pilot Sgt Ward was pulled back into the Wellington bomber (file picture) by the crew The Wellington, which was affectionately known as the 'Wimpey' by crews, was first proposed by British engineering firm Vickers in 1932. The company produced a twin-engined 'heavy' bomber with the use of geodetic construction. This involved 'weaving' the individual struts of the fuselage to provide a resilient airframe. The first squadron to receive the Wellington was No 99 at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, in 1938. Crews saw the aircraft as sturdy, reliable and able to take plenty of damage in combat. The first full day of conflict at the start of the Second World War in 1939 saw 14 Wellingtons in action against the Germans at Brunsbüttel. More than 11,000 Wellingtons were built, with many surviving into the 1950s in second-line duties with the Royal Air Force.