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WW2 Royal Air Force Medal, Log Book and Flying Helmet Grouping of Sergeant Edward Dockray, Air Gunne
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Description
WW2 Royal Air Force Medal, Log Book and Flying Helmet Grouping of Sergeant Edward Dockray, Air Gunner with No55 Squadron, interesting grouping of medals consisting of OHMS boxed (sent to his wife, possible late claim) set of 1939-45 star, Italy star, Defence medal and 1939-45 War medal. Complete with two padded Air Gunners brevet wings and two piece brass forage cap badge. Medals un-named as issued. Accompanying the medals is his original Observers and Air Gunners log book covering the period 1942-1945. The log book begins with training before he moved operationally with No69 Squadron and then No55 Squadron flying bombing missions in Martin Baltimore aircraft over Italy. The log is well filled out with operational entries, photograph of him and his crew and newspaper cuttings etc. Also accompanying the log book is technical note books, service and release book and a well written personal diary where he mentions many of the raids and his experiences during the raids. Also with the group is his original C-Type flying helmet with the original wiring loom and jack plug. Chamois lining to the interior of the helmet. Accompanying the helmet is his original G-Type oxygen mask with microphone. The set remains in very good overall condition and nice to find complete groups such as this today.Edward ‘Ted’ Dockray was born in Leeds in 1920. He served with the Royal Air Force from 15th September 1941 until 7th June 1946. He qualified as an Air Gunner in November 1942. He undertook training in Rhodesia and Kenya and trained in Oxford, Blenheim’s and Baltimore aircraft. In August 1943 he was posted to No69 Squadron operating reconnaissance operations out of Malta and then Sicily. He was posted quite quickly to No55 Squadron, where he was involved in bombing operations, mostly over targets in Italy. His log reports his first operation raid being on a railway junctions and marshalling yards in Lamezia, Southern Italy, where he mentions the fighter escort shooting down enemy aircraft. His diary records this mission, ‘Felt quite shaky as we took off and most of the way to the target which was a railway junction at (blank) Italy. The flak did not start until after we had bombed the target and were just turning away. Then it started thick and fast. Wheeled away from the target and out to sea again and headed for home. The leader of the formation was Sq. Ldr. Hannah, who led the box very well, this evasive action was very good. All planes returned safely back to base, no casualties. On the way back, I accidently fired my guns which I had to clean in the afternoon. Photographs show excellent results. 4 Enemy fighters shot down by escorting Spits.’He mentions a number of hair raising incidents whilst on active service, including one incident in 12th October 1943 where part of the turret blew away in a dive, when they were dropping quickly to 4,000 feet, his comments in his diary were, ‘By Jesus it was cold’. On the 8th December 1943 his crew were tasked with bombing gun positions and troops near Miglianico, his log notes heavy flak and his diary states, ‘This is about the worst raid I ever went on up to present and the worst I want to go on. As we approached the target from the sea the flak started thick and heavy until we crossed the bomb line. Derrick had two holes in his cabin, Mac had one through the nose, I had one through the turret and one just went over Taff’s head just missing my legs. A very shaky raid. The CO’s observer was wounded in the leg. 223 squadron lost one kite which blew up over the target. Damage in our aircraft – one of two holes through the main plane, three pieces of shrapnel in the port engine, one big piece which passed just under my legs and just missed Taffie’s head and smashed through the electrical circuit. Two more pieces in the fuselage which half served two control wires’. By September 1944, he had completed his 80 operational sorties and thus his tour of 183 operational hours. He was transferred to No2 Group Support unit in a training role, based in Norfolk. Upon his release from the RAF, he returned to his career as a professional Golfer at Sand Moor and Middleton park, near Leeds where he lived with his wife and two children.
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WW2 Royal Air Force Medal, Log Book and Flying Helmet Grouping of Sergeant Edward Dockray, Air Gunner with No55 Squadron, interesting grouping of medals consisting of OHMS boxed (sent to his wife, possible late claim) set of 1939-45 star, Italy star, Defence medal and 1939-45 War medal. Complete with two padded Air Gunners brevet wings and two piece brass forage cap badge. Medals un-named as issued. Accompanying the medals is his original Observers and Air Gunners log book covering the period 1942-1945. The log book begins with training before he moved operationally with No69 Squadron and then No55 Squadron flying bombing missions in Martin Baltimore aircraft over Italy. The log is well filled out with operational entries, photograph of him and his crew and newspaper cuttings etc. Also accompanying the log book is technical note books, service and release book and a well written personal diary where he mentions many of the raids and his experiences during the raids. Also with the group is his original C-Type flying helmet with the original wiring loom and jack plug. Chamois lining to the interior of the helmet. Accompanying the helmet is his original G-Type oxygen mask with microphone. The set remains in very good overall condition and nice to find complete groups such as this today.Edward ‘Ted’ Dockray was born in Leeds in 1920. He served with the Royal Air Force from 15th September 1941 until 7th June 1946. He qualified as an Air Gunner in November 1942. He undertook training in Rhodesia and Kenya and trained in Oxford, Blenheim’s and Baltimore aircraft. In August 1943 he was posted to No69 Squadron operating reconnaissance operations out of Malta and then Sicily. He was posted quite quickly to No55 Squadron, where he was involved in bombing operations, mostly over targets in Italy. His log reports his first operation raid being on a railway junctions and marshalling yards in Lamezia, Southern Italy, where he mentions the fighter escort shooting down enemy aircraft. His diary records this mission, ‘Felt quite shaky as we took off and most of the way to the target which was a railway junction at (blank) Italy. The flak did not start until after we had bombed the target and were just turning away. Then it started thick and fast. Wheeled away from the target and out to sea again and headed for home. The leader of the formation was Sq. Ldr. Hannah, who led the box very well, this evasive action was very good. All planes returned safely back to base, no casualties. On the way back, I accidently fired my guns which I had to clean in the afternoon. Photographs show excellent results. 4 Enemy fighters shot down by escorting Spits.’He mentions a number of hair raising incidents whilst on active service, including one incident in 12th October 1943 where part of the turret blew away in a dive, when they were dropping quickly to 4,000 feet, his comments in his diary were, ‘By Jesus it was cold’. On the 8th December 1943 his crew were tasked with bombing gun positions and troops near Miglianico, his log notes heavy flak and his diary states, ‘This is about the worst raid I ever went on up to present and the worst I want to go on. As we approached the target from the sea the flak started thick and heavy until we crossed the bomb line. Derrick had two holes in his cabin, Mac had one through the nose, I had one through the turret and one just went over Taff’s head just missing my legs. A very shaky raid. The CO’s observer was wounded in the leg. 223 squadron lost one kite which blew up over the target. Damage in our aircraft – one of two holes through the main plane, three pieces of shrapnel in the port engine, one big piece which passed just under my legs and just missed Taffie’s head and smashed through the electrical circuit. Two more pieces in the fuselage which half served two control wires’. By September 1944, he had completed his 80 operational sorties and thus his tour of 183 operational hours. He was transferred to No2 Group Support unit in a training role, based in Norfolk. Upon his release from the RAF, he returned to his career as a professional Golfer at Sand Moor and Middleton park, near Leeds where he lived with his wife and two children.
Fine Arms, Armour & Militaria Auction - Two Days
Sale Date(s)
Lots: 1-643
Venue Address
Unit 4 High House Business Park
High House Lane
Kenardington
Kent
TN26 2LF
United Kingdom
Antique Guns – We are not able to offer in house post and packing of any rifles. We will only be able to send antique pistols within the UK. No international bidders on any Antique Guns or Air Rifles / Pistols.
Air Rifles & Air Pistols – Please note we are not able to offer in house post and packing on any air rifle or air pistol. We will require personal collection of any Air Rifle or Air Pistol, without exception. We must have photographic identification provided at the time of collection.
- C&T Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd offer an in house post and packing service for most auctions unless advertised.
- Sorry We Do Not offer In House Post our Packing for our specialist Toy Soldiers and Figures Actions, we can recommend Mailboxes Tunbridge Wells or Jentel Packing.
- We are not able to offer in house post and packing on invoice totals over £3,000 or very fragile, large or heavy items. These items will also need to be shipped by specialist shippers.
- POST BREXIT NOTICE FOR EU BUYERS SHIPPING PURCHASED LOTS OUTSIDE THE UK:From the 1st of January 2021 all sales from the UK to EU customers will be treated as exports. These can be zero rated for UK VAT purposes, as currently applied for non-EU countries. But, items depending on their value and nature, may become liable to import VAT (and customs duty where applicable) when entering the EU (This is the responsibility of the buyer).
Please contact our office 01233 510050 for further information.
- PLEASE NOTE DUE TO NEW RESTRICTIONS, ALL PURCHASERS OF ANY EDGED WEAPON WILL NEED TO PROVIDE US WITH PROOF OF AGE (OVER 18) BEFORE THE ITEM CAN BE SHIPPED.
- ALL LOTS WITH ^ PREFIX CONTAIN IVORY OR ANOTHER PROPERTY THAT WILL REQUIRE CITES LICENSE BEFORE BEING SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF THE EU. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU CAN LEGALLY IMPORT INTO YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE ANY ITEM BEFORE BIDDING IN THE AUCTION.
- ANTIQUE FIRE ARMS CAN NOT BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF THE UK
C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are not responsible for any damage caused when items are in transit with postal or courier firms. We are also not responsible for any package sent either by ourselves or any third party company which is lost in transit.
For lots we are not able to offer in house shipping;
We can recommend the following companies for shipping, who will be happy to quote and pick up:
MailBoxes TunbridgeWells
t: 01892510155
Email:greg@mbetunbridgewells.co.uk
Jentel Packing
t: 01268 776777
Email: enquiries@jentelpacking.co.uk
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• After the auction lot(s) can only be collected from our office, by appointment only and must be paid for in full, prior to your arrival.
C & T Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd
Unit 4 High House Business Park
Kenardington
Nr Ashford Kent TN26 2LF.
Tel: 01233510050
PLEASE READ OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE BIDDING THANK YOU.
Important Information
Please note this auction is a two day auction.
Wednesday 19th July - Lot 1 - 643
Thursday 20th July - Lot 644 -
We offer in house shipping for this auction unless it states in the description that we are not able to do so.
Antique Guns – We are not able to offer in house post and packing of any rifles. We will only be able to send antique pistols within the UK. No international bidders on any Antique Guns or Air Rifles / Pistols.
Air Rifles & Air Pistols – Please note we are not able to offer in house post and packing on any air rifle or air pistol. We will require personal collection of any Air Rifle or Air Pistol, without exception. We must have photographic identification provided at the time of collection.
Terms & Conditions
Buyers Premium: Winning bidders agree to pay the winning bid plus the buyers premium charged by the auction house, this is currently 22% + VAT (26.4% total). Buyers purchasing via an online live bidding platform the-saleroom.com will be charged an additional 4.95% + VAT on the hammer price.
If you are successful in an auction with an absentee, telephone or internet bid, you will be invoiced, normally within 48 hours of the auction taking place. This invoice will normally include a shipping quote. These invoices are sent via email and have an attachment. Once you have had this invoice we require full payment within 7 days, unless another arrangement has been made with the auction house. Items must be collected from C&T Auctioneers and Valuers within 7 days of payment being made, unless agreement is in place with C&T Auctioneers and Valuers.
Shipping
C&T Auctioneers and Valuers offer an in house postal service for this auction, unless stated. However if an item(s) are too large or need specialist shipping methods, this will be conducted by a third party firm.This also relates to lots of a certain value.
C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are not responsible for any damage caused when items are in transit with postal or courier firms. We are also not responsible for any package sent either by ourselves or any third party company which is lost in transit.
PLEASE READ OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS BELOW BEFORE BIDDING THANK YOU
Terms & Conditions
When participating in an auction conducted by C&T Auctioneers and Valuers you are bound by these conditions without exception. All public auctions held by C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are exempt from the Sale of Goods Act. Please make sure that you agree and understand these conditions.
BUYER
1: C&T Auctioneers and Valuers at no point are the legal owners of the lots offered in our auctions. We act solely as an agent between the Vendor and the Buyer.
2: The highest bidder of any lot will not become the legal owner of the lot until all associated fees have been paid to the Auction House, this includes any fees charged by the auction house.
3: Winning bidders agree to pay the winning bid plus the buyers premium charged by the auction house, this is currently 22% + VAT (26.4% total). Buyers purchasing via the-saleroom.com online live bidding platform will be charged an additional 4.95% + VAT on the hammer price.
4: When registering for our auctions you may be required to provide proof of identity and address. If registering for absentee or telephone bids a form of payment method must be left with the auctioneers.
5: It is the responsibility of the bidder to insure that all absentee bids are left with the auction house at least 24 hours before an auction takes place. No bids will be accepted on the day of the auction, unless you are known to the auction house or have an agreement with the auctioneer. C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are not responsible for any errors on a bidding sheet. C&T Auctioneers make every effort to insure all bids left are placed on the auctioneers book, however we cannot accept reliability for any failure to receive or place any bids.
6: If two identical bids are left on one lot, the bid received first will take preference.
7: Telephone bids will only be accepted for lots with a bottom pre sale estimate of £200 or more. Telephone bids will only be accepted for lots with a pre sale estimate of under £200 if you are bidding on multiple lots which equal over £100 or are known to the auction house and have an agreement in place. International bidders we will only accept telephone bids on lots with a pre sale estimate of £500 or more.
8: Bids are accepted solely at the auctioneers discretion. The auctioneer has the legal right to re-open any lot in the auction, even if the hammer has come down. Any bids left via a third party, including a online bidding platform, are not classed as absentee bids and are taken as if a room bid. This may mean that the maximum bid you have left will fall on the bidder in the room, C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are not liable or responsible for any failure for your bid to be executed. C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are also not responsible for any error or problem with any bidding platform software used in the room or at the bidders location.
9: Conditions stated of items are the opinion of the cataloguer for the auction house. It is advised that interested bidders should view items in person or ask for condition reports of any defects. Condition will not be accepted for a reason to return a lot.
10: Some items may be referred to as “gold grade”, this does not mean that the item is made of gold, please make sure you check with us before bidding.
11: Originality of items offered for sale in C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are the opinion of the specialist employed by the auction house. All bidders should make sure that they are happy with the originality of any item they intend to bid on.
12: Any statement made in the description of a lot is the opinion of the specialist cataloguer and will be either from evidence he or she has at the time of writing the description, this may also be information provided by the vendor of the lot. We advise all bidders to confirm this information before the auction takes place.
13: If bidders and buyers who are not experts in the lots they are interested in, we would recommend that they seek independent advice on the lots and the value before bidding.
14: All successful buyers in the auction room, must pay and collect their items on the day of the sale unless an agreement is in place with the auction house.
15: If you are successful in an auction with an absentee, telephone or internet bid, you will be invoiced, normally within 48 hours of the auction taking place. This invoice will normally include a shipping quote. These invoices are sent via email and have an attachment. Once you have had this invoice we require full payment within 7 days, unless another arrangement has been made with the auction house. Items must be collected from C&T Auctioneers and Valuers within 7 days of payment being made, unless agreement is in place with C&T Auctioneers and Valuers.
16: C&T Auctioneers and Valuers do offer an in house postal service for most items in our auctions, unless stated. However if an item(s) are too large or need specialist shipping methods, this will be conducted by a third party firm. Details of the firm we recommend will be passed onto buyers in this case. This also relates to lots of a certain value. PLEASE NOTE C&T AUCTIONEERS AND VALUERS ARE NOT A SHIPPING COMPANY, WE WOULD ASK ALL BUYERS TO BE PATIENT AND ITEMS ARE DEALT WITH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS.
17: C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are not responsible for any damage caused when items are in transit with postal / courier firms. We are also not responsible for any package sent either by ourselves or any third party company which is lost in transit.
18: C&T Auctioneers and Valuers declare the full value of any lot sent to international buyers. We are not responsible for any customs import charges of the country of destination. It is the buyers responsibility to make sure they can legally import the item into their country. We advise international buyers if they are not sure of any import issue, to obtain independent advice.
19: C&T Auctioneers and Valuers accept the following methods of payment, Cash in UK pounds sterling up to £3,000, Personal Cheques (must clear before goods are dispatched), Debit cards, Credit cards (2% surcharge will be added if paying with a credit card from clients outside the EU only), Bank Transfers (Please note that if paying by this method the amount received after the deduction of any bank fees or currency conversion of payment to UK pound sterling must not be less than the sterling amount payable as set out on the invoice).
Credit card payments where the card holder is not present will only be accepted for transactions up to £500.
20: If you purchase an item and you are not happy with the originality of an item you must contact the auction house within 7 days of receiving the lot(s), it is then solely up to the auctioneers discretion to issue a refund. Proof of error in description may be required, this is the responsibility of the purchaser to obtain this information and any fees associated with this are not refundable by C&T Auctioneers and Valuers. We will only accept information by a professional in the chosen field, we will not accept any information from a private individual or internet collectors forum. Any payment fees or postage fees associated with any lot can not be refunded.
21: If originality of an item is accepted proven after the vendor has been paid for a lot, it is up to the vendor, if they are willing to issue a refund. C&T Auctioneers and Valuers are unable to offer a refund without having an agreement from the vendor. Refunds will only be issued to the purchaser of the item and not if the item has been given or sold to a third party.
23: Items purchased must be posted, collected and removed from our premises within two weeks following the sale. Thereafter a daily storage charge of £2 per lot + VAT at prevailing rate. Continued failure to collect or arrange shipping will result in the goods being sold without further notice and without reserve to recover the costs for storage unless agreement has been made in writing with us.
24: All items sold are sold as collectors items, recommended for display use only and we do not advise or take any responsibility if used for the purpose for which they were designed for.
25: Any lots with the following symbol ^, will indicate that a CITES license will be required before the lot can be shipped outside of the EU.
26. Sales to other EC member states
Sales made under the Auctioneers’ Scheme to other member states are treated in the same way as sales within the UK. The sales are liable to VAT in the UK.
