The outstanding Great War D.S.C., D.F.C. group of six awarded to Captain B. A. Millson,...

The outstanding Great War D.S.C., D.F.C. group of six awarded to Captain B. A. Millson, Royal Air Force, late Mercantile Marine and Royal Naval Air Service; after being decorated by the Czar for his good work on the Archangel run as a Third Officer in the Mercantile Marine in 1915, he qualified as a pilot and flew at least 64 raids at night in Handley Pages, often with resultant damage from anti-aircraft fire Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., the reverse hallmarked London 1917; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.V.R.; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. B. A. Millson, R.A.F.); Mercantile Marine War Medal 1914-18 (Bertie A. Millson); Russia, Empire, Medal for Zeal, Nicholas II, gold, the first two on original investiture brooches, the last mounted for wear and all lightly stitched together contemporarily for display, minor contact marks, otherwise nearly extremely fine (6) £6,000-£8,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Bonhams, March 2004. D.S.C. London Gazette 17 April 1918: ‘For skill and courage in carrying out two successful bombing raids on Bruges Docks on the night of 17th-18th February 1918. He has taken part in many night bombing raids flying Handley-Pages.’ D.F.C. London Gazette 8 February 1919: ‘This officer has carried out 64 raids at night, displaying at all times great perseverance in reaching the objective and marked gallantry in attack, notably on the night of 3rd-4th October, when he twice raided an important railway junction, dropping his bombs with skill and precision from 800 feet, obtaining direct hits, and causing serious damage. On the night in question no other machine bombed from a height of less than 4,000 feet owing to the very heavy hostile fire.’ Bertie Arthur Millson was born in Wimbledon, Surrey on 3 December 1892, and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in February 1909. Just over two years later, however, he purchased his discharge and embarked on a career in the Mercantile Marine. By the opening stages of the Great War, he was serving as Third Officer of the Cunard Line’s S.S. Thracia, which ship was commandeered to deliver vital war materials to Russia. In common with other ships on the Archangel run, she became trapped in the ice in the Spring of 1915, and had to be taken in tow by H.M.S. Jupiter after being freed by means of explosive charges. Here, then, the occasion on which Millson clearly distinguished himself, an accompanying translation of the royal decree for his Russian decoration stating: ‘The Chapter of the Imperial and Royal Orders hereby testify that His Imperial Russian Majesty has conferred on 23 April 1915, on Millson, a British subject, and Third Officer of the S.S. Thracia, a gold Medal with the inscription ‘For Faithful Service.’ The Medal is to be worn on the breast with the ribbon of St. Anne.’ (Contemporary copy translation included with Lot). In May 1916, Millson came ashore to pursue a new career in naval aviation and was posted to the Royal Naval Air Service training establishment at Cranwell, where, in August, he gained his aviator’s certificate in a Maurice Farman Biplane. Having then attended a Handley Page course at Manston, he was drafted to No. 3 Wing in France in January 1917, but his cross-Channel flight ended in a crash-landing, in which he received multiple injuries, and he was evacuated home via No. 7 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne. A spell at R.N.H. Haslar ensued, followed by a night flying course back at Manston, and he returned to an operational footing in No. 3 Wing in June 1917. His subsequent active service record, enacted over 18 months and comprising at least 64 sorties in Handley Page bombers was of an exceptional nature. A detailed record of the first 23 of those sorties is contained in his opening pilot’s flying log book, covering the period June-December 1917, and from which, by way of example, the following entries have been extracted: 21-22 July 1917: ‘Raid on Middlekerque dumps. Visibility very poor indeed (no moon). Held in searchlights for 15 minutes. Anti-aircraft fierce and very accurate. No results observed because of searchlight glare. One hit through port upper plane extension and three through fuselage.’ 3-4 September 1917: ‘Raid on Bruges Docks. Attacked from the southward and took a line from S.W. to N.E. The line was observed to straddle the submarine assembling works on the south side of the docks. All bombs exploded. Visibility excellent. Anti-aircraft fire plentiful and accurate. Machine hit once.’ 1-2 October 1917: ‘Raid on Zeebrugge Lock Gates. Crossed the coast from land to sea at 6,000 ft. over Nieuport and approached Zeebrugge from seaward. Arrived over the Mole at 7.000 ft. and started to glide over the lock gates. The line started a bit short but the last three bombs exploded in the close vicinity of the north gate. No actual result could be seen owing to the intense glare of about 10 searchlights, which found and held the machine. Both gun layers kept up a continuous machine-gun fire while we were held in the searchlights. Anti-aircraft fire very plentiful and very accurate. Machine was hit in three places.’ Advanced to Flight Lieutenant in January 1918 and awarded the D.S.C. for his part in a brace of strikes against Bruges docks in February 1918, Millson was re-mustered in the rank of Captain in the newly created Royal Air Force in April 1918. He subsequently served with ongoing distinction as a Flight Commander in No. 207 Squadron from June 1918 until the war’s end, a period of gallant service that resulted in the award of his D.F.C. One example of that gallantry, as cited in an obituary notice, states: ‘On the night of 18-19 July 1918, whilst approaching Valenciennes Railway Junction, he had the petrol pipe of his machine shot away, causing the petrol to pour out of the top tank and rendering the machine in a highly inflammable condition. Notwithstanding these trying circumstances, he continued to take his machine to the objective, over which he made two runs and bombed at 600 feet, getting a direct hit.’ Placed on the Unemployed List after the Armistice, Millson rejoined the Cunard Line and obtained his Master’s certificate in June 1919. And he remained in the Merchant Navy until 1937, when he took up an appointment as an instructor at the School of Air Navigation at R.A.F. Manston. That appointment proved short-lived, however, for he died suddenly at home on 15 August 1937. Sold with the recipient’s original Royal Naval Air Service Pilot’s Flying Log Book, commencing with training flights in June 1916 and ending with operational sorties in December 1917; together with the R.A..F Manston Quarterly of September 1937 containing his obituary notice with portrait photograph.