Orsbridge, Philip These historical views of ye last glorious expedition of his Britannic majesty's ships and forces against the Havannah. [London, c.1765]. Folio, engraved frontispiece, 12 engraved plates by Canot and Mason after D. Serres, 50 x 74.5cm, each plate framed and glazed, some light foxing to plates, plates laid down on backing boards Note: A series of depictions from the last major operation of the Seven Years War, 1756–63. The Capture of Havana was part of England's offensive against Spain when she entered the war in support of France late in 1761. The British Government's response was immediately to plan large offensive amphibious operations against Spanish overseas possessions, particularly Havana, the capital of the western dominions and Manila, the capital in the east. Havana needed large forces for its capture and early in 1762 ships and troops were dispatched under Admiral Sir George Pocock and General the Earl of Albemarle. The force that descended on Cuba consisted of 22 ships of the line, four 50-gun ships, three 40-gunners, a dozen frigates and a dozen sloops and bomb vessels. In addition there were troopships, storeships, and hospital ships. Pocock took this great fleet of about 180 vessels from Jamaica and sailed through the dangerous Old Straits of Bahama to take Havana by surprise. "Overall, the enterprise has been rated a masterpiece of planning, amphibious warfare, and naval prowess." (ODNB) Philip Orsbridge was a lieutenant on board the Orford at the capture of Havana and he recorded in drawings the events as they unfolded. On his return to London he decided to turn his sketches to advantage by publishing them. Influenced by the policies of George Anson, First Lord of the Admiralty from 1749 to 1762, who encouraged men like Orsbridge to improve themselves through scientific inquiry and draftsmanship. (Monks, S. 2005)
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Triang-Hornby: Battle Space series Medical Corps Ambulance Car, Bomb Transporter (lacks bomb), Helicopter Car (lacks helicopter), Spy Satillite Car (lacks satillite) in original boxes; Jouef (for Playcraft); two engines in original corrugated boxes, two freight, G-VG, boxes generally G (8) Illustrated
BANKSY (BRITISH, B. 1975) BOMB LOVE Screen-print, signed and dated 2004, not numbered, pubished by Pictures on Walls. 70cm x 50cm (27.6in x 19.7in) Notes: This work is sold with a certificate of authenticity from Pictures on Walls. This work was given to the current vendor by the artist and an un-numbered proof not from the limited edition.
A World War II Kukri knife the blade stamped 1942 Pioneer Calcutta, length of blade 34cm with wooden grip, also another later Kukri knife length of blade 36cm with decorative brass grip, a tourist ware Arab knife with curved blade, length of blade 18cm with decorative brass handle and scabbard, also a First World War deactivated Mills bomb complete with pin!
A Distinguished Conduct Medal (1937-47), awarded to 967465 SJT.E,B.BAILEY. R.A., together with a red and blue enamelled brass lapel badge, and a folder of related ephemera including Official letters regarding the investiture on Tuesday 17th December 1946, letter from the DCM League, Service and Pay Book, Diary for 1944, Release Book, newspaper cuttings etc. **Sergeant Edward Bailey was awarded the DCM for gallantry in Malta. He was in command of a Bofors gun detachment on an aerodrome where he showed great bravery and coolness when bombs fell on the gun position. He kept the gun firing during two or three such raids until a bomb put his gun out of action.
Sir Claude Francis Barry (1883-1970), full length portrait of Mary Marshall, oil on board, 60" x 51", Paris Salon label on reverse, to be sold with a copy of the original catalogue "La Revue Moderne, 1st September 1965" (This picture is illustrated on page 5) and with two hand-written letters from Barry the envelopes post-marked 31/10/63 and 4/4/64. " You stole the show with your great beauty and glorious voice. Your attraction is very disturbing to any man who sees you, you know I often dream about you - you know your beauty is not just physical the beauty of your character shines in your face - artists know these things Mary"; the second letter finishes "Do you know you are one of the loveliest girls in the World." Also included in the sale are a copy of a photograph of her wearing the dress in the painting and a Columbia Records postcard. Sir Claude Francis Barry was born 125 years ago into a rich family whose wealth was based on heavy industry. But he had a troubled childhood after the death of his m ther when he was two and his father's subsequent re-marriage in 1893. In 1905 he went to live in St Ives. Barry was a pacifist and was any way exempted from military service; he did not fight in the First World War. From about 1905, he exhibited his pointilistic works at the Royal Academy and elsewhere. Between the Wars he became renowned for his etchings and spent much of his time on the Continent returning to St Ives in 1939. Most of his etching plates were stored in Milan and were destroyed by a bomb in 1944. After the War he left Cornwall to live on Jersey. It is during this period that he painted many of his portraits including this one. Provenance; This portrait is sent in for sale by the sitter. Mary Marshall knew the artist well and he had great admiration for her as a singer. She was born in Bolton and was a solo artiste with Columbia in the 1950's. For a short time she was a member of a group "The Three Shades". She moved from her recording company and accepted a contract to perform in the Channel slands for impresario Sydney James, where she caused an unprecedented sensation; they were married in 1960 and settled in Guernsey. Mary continued in Sydney's Olde Tyme Music Hall shows and cabarets for many years having had two daughters. She retired in 1979 and remains in Guernsey today having remarried after her husband's death in 1985.
Three: Private E. V. S. Pedley, 11th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, who died of wounds in Gallipoli in August 1915 1914-15 Star (1816 Pte., 11/Bn. A.I.F.); British War and Victory Medals (1816 Pte., 11-Bn. A.I.F.), together with related Memorial Plaque (Ernest Victor Starkey Pedley), good very fine (4) £250-300 Ernest Victor Starkey Pedley was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and enlisted in the 11th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force in January 1915, aged 21 years, having been employed as a Dairyman. Subsequently embarked for Gallipoli, he died of wounds - ‘shrapnel wounds in legs’ - at the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station on 6 August 1915 (official records and letter to his father back in England refer). His unit’s war diary for that date states: ‘6 August 1915: About 1430 this morning the enemy made an attack in force on Leane’s Trench which we recently captured - they crept up close under the parapet and delivered a heavy bomb attack. So fierce was the onslaught that the enemy succeeded in getting a foothold in the right section of our trenches .. We immediately blocked with sand bags the communication trench leading from that portion of the trench occupied by the enemy. Our men in the trench endeavoured by fire and bombs from the flank to dislodge the enemy but failed. A storming party was then formed of about 30 men under 2nd Lieutenant Prokter to rush the trench from Tasmania Post. This they did in a most dashing manner under heavy M.G. and rifle fire. As their casualties were considerable in carrying out this operation I did not consider the remainder sufficiently strong to seize and hold the position, so I detailed 2nd Lieutenant Franklyn to follow up - they charged over the open ground in a gallant manner and succeeded in completing the capture of the trench, shooting and bayonetting all the Turks left there. It was then found that a party of Turks had rallied into No. 1A sap, where for sometime they held out, but they were ultimately taken prisoner and sent off to headquarters. Meanwhile, Turkish reinforcements had been hurried up and took cover close in front of our parapets, from which they could not be dislodged even by bombs. They attempted to dig under our trenches and as there was a danger of our trenches being blown up. I decided to launch a counter-attack from the left flank to clear out the enemy from under our parapets. For this purpose 2nd Lieutenant Hall and 25 men were detailed and they succeeded in clearing the enemy out and also arrested an attack which was developing from our left. The enemy attack continued for six hours during which a heavy bombardment by heavy guns took place as well as incessant rifle and machine-gun fire. The trenches and parapets were badly knocked about but with the assistance of the Engineer Company they were speedily repaired. The enemy was completely repulsed with heavy loss and the whole of the trench left in our possession. Our casualties were heavy especially from bomb wounds.’ The Battalion sustained losses of 41 killed and 93 wounded. Pedley is buried in Shell Green Cemetery at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli.
Five: S. Mentoor, South African Forces 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals; Africa Service Medal, all officially named (C286861 C. Mentoor) Five: W. Johnson, South African Forces Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals; Africa Service Medal, all officially named (C301948 W. Johnson) Four: A. L. Davies, South African Forces 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War and Africa Service Medals, all officially named (209793 A. L. Davies) Pair: S. Kirkland, South African Forces War and Africa Service Medals, both officially named (105843 S. Kirkland) very fine and better (16) £60-80. #60-80 1100. Seven: Major J. K. Irvine, Rhodesian Forces, attached South African Forces, who was wounded in action in October 1944 while serving in the 1/6th Field Regiment, S.A.A. 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals; Africa Service Medal 1939-45 (S.R. 598437); Efficiency Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue, Southern Rhodesia (1039 Major), the sixth with attempted erasure of initials and surname, very fine and better and rare (7) £250-300 John Kenneth Irvine was born in Bulawayo in April 1917, and moved to Salisbury in March 1926. A merchant by profession, he enlisted in the Southern Rhodesia Light Battery (S.R.L.B.) in September 1939, was transferred to 4th Battery, Royal Horse Artillery in the Western Desert in April 1940, back to the S.R.L.B. in August 1942, when he was commissioned, and to the 1/6th Field Regiment, South African Artillery in March 1943, in which latter unit he remained employed until the end of hostilities and was wounded in action in Italy on 13 October 1944 - ‘Bomb wounds, scalp’. Irvine, who was released in the rank of Lieutenant in June 1946, was awarded his Efficiency Medal in October 1953; sold with copied service record.
Five: Sapper J. M. Watermeyer, 95 Bomb Disposal Company, South African Engineers 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War medals; Africa Service Medal 1939-45, all officially inscribed ‘231237 J. M. Watermeyer’, good very fine and better (5) £80-100 John Maitland Watermeyer was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in August 1916 but was working as a surveyor in South Africa at the outbreak of hostilities. Enlisting in the Union Defence Force at East London in July 1942, he was embarked for the Middle East in August 1943, where he served in 95 Bomb Disposal Company, S.A.E.C. until April 1944. Transferring to 21 Field Company, S.A.E.C. in the latter month, he served in Italy from June 1944 until August 1945, and was discharged in January 1946; sold with copied service record.
Sold by Order of the Family The outstanding Gallipoli V.C., Western Front M.C. group of seven awarded to Major H. James, Worcestershire Regiment, who was thrice wounded - twice in Gallipoli and again on the Somme in July 1916: his V.C. - the first such distinction won by his regiment - was awarded for extraordinary acts of bravery in June-July 1915, the last of them amounting to a protracted one man stand in an enemy sap near Gully Ravine throughout which, amidst mounds of dead and dying, he was exposed to ‘a murderous fire’ and ‘a shower of bombs’ Victoria Cross (Lieut. H. James, 4th Bn. Worcestershire Regt; 28 June & 3 July 1915); Military Cross, G.V.R. unnamed as issued; 1914-15 Star (2 Lieut., Worc. R.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt.); French Croix de Guerre 1914-1916, with palm, the reverse of the upper and lower arms privately engraved, ‘Lt. H. James, V.C., 1st Bn. Worc. Regt.’ and the reverse centre ‘July 7th’; Panama, Medal de la Solidaridad 1917, bronze, generally good very fine (7) £160,000-180,000 V.C. London Gazette 1 September 1915: ‘For most conspicuous bravery during the operations in the southern zone of the Gallipoli Peninsula. On 28 June 1915, when a portion of a regiment had been checked owing to all the officers being put out of action, 2nd Lieutenant James, who belonged to a neighbouring unit, entirely on his own initiative, gathered together a body of men and led them forward under heavy shell and rifle fire. He then returned, organized a second party, and again advanced. His gallant example put fresh life into the attack. On 3 July 1915, in the same locality, 2nd Lieutenant James headed a party of bomb-throwers up a Turkish communication trench, and after nearly all his bomb-throwers had been killed or wounded, he remained alone at the head of the trench and kept back the enemy single-handed till a barrier had been built behind him and the trench secured. He was throughout exposed to a murderous fire.’ M.C. London Gazette 15 October 1918: ‘During an attack, he rode forward when the situation was obscure under heavy fire, and brought back most valuable information. He then reorganised and led forward parties of men from other units and skilfully formed a defensive flank where a gap had occurred, exposing himself for many hours to a very heavy fire. By his gallantry, coolness, and utter disregard of personal safety, he set a splendid example to all ranks.’ Herbert James was born in Ladywood, Birmingham in November 1887, where his father ran a jewellery engraving business. According to his sister, it was decided that he should enter the teaching profession after his education at Smethwick Central School, and certainly he was employed as a teacher’s assistant and later primary teacher at the Bearwood Road and Brasshouse Lane Schools, but, ‘being of a roving disposition’, he wanted to go abroad, and, in April 1909, against his father’s wishes, he enlisted in the 21st Lancers, in which regiment he was appointed a Trooper and embarked for Egypt. Gallipoli By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, James was serving as a Lance-Corporal in India, but he was quickly appointed to a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment and, in March 1915, embarked for the Dardanelles. Landing at ‘W’ Beach, Cape Helles on 24 April, James received a serious head wound in the severe fighting of the 25th-26th, and was evacuated to Malta. About two months later he rejoined the 4th Battalion, in time for a newly planned attack up Gully Ravine. The following account of his exploits on 28 June was taken from The Worcestershire Regiment in the Great War, by Captain H. F. Stacke, M.C.: ‘All was ready and at 9 a.m. that morning the British guns opened fire, and at 10 a.m. the attacking troops advanced. The Worcestershires were not involved in that attack, their role being confined to holding the Brigade line further to the right, but the Battalion came in for heavy gun fire while the struggle on their left swayed to and fro. On the left flank the Turkish defences along the sea cliffs were taken with comparative ease; but in the Gully Ravine itself the fire of two strong redoubts held up the attack and drove the Lowland Battalions back into our lines. That evening the 5th Royal Scots renewed the attack on these two redoubts, only to fail in their turn. The 5th Royal Scots in particular were heavily punished and most of their Company Officers were killed or wounded. Orders had been given that the 4th Worcestershires further to the right were to keep touch with the Scotsmen and to be ready to exploit any success. For that purpose Lieutenant James had been sent into the trenches of the Royal Scots to act as a Liaison Officer. When affairs became critical, he went up to the front line, at the request of the Royal Scots’ C.O., to assist in the attack. All the Scots officers in his vicinity had fallen, so Lieutenant James took command of the disorganised troops around him, restored order and established a satisfactory position. Then he went back and brought up reinforcements, only to find on his return that a renewed counter-attack by the enemy had shattered the defence. Once again, Lieutenant James re-established the line and maintained the defence until darkness fell.’ In point of fact, as verified by the citation for his subsequent award of the V.C., James led two counter-attacks himself, an extraordinary feat given the losses suffered during earlier attempts made by the Lowland Battalions - by way of illustrating the ferocious nature of the enemy’s response to such initiatives, it is worth noting that one of them, the 8th Scottish Rifles, lost 25 of its 26 officers and 448 men - all of them in the space of five minutes. And the slope up which he led his men was bereft of cover except for bushes and scrub. Over the next two or three days the fighting surged back and forth until, by 1 July, the Turks had been pushed back each side of the Ravine, but not to its immediate front, where their positions formed a salient. And it was in the attack launched on that salient by the Worcestershires and Hampshires on the 2 July - not the 3rd as cited in the London Gazette - that James rounded-off the deeds that would result in the award of his V.C. The regimental history continues: ‘After due consideration it was decided that, in view of the increasing shortage of gun ammunition, a bombing attack up the existing saps would be preferable to a big attack over the top. Two saps in the centre of the hostile line were assigned to the Worcestershires; other saps further to the left were allotted to the Hampshires. At 9 a.m. on 2 July the attack began. The attacking parties climbed out of our own sapheads, dashed across the open, rushed the sapheads of the enemy and made their way forward up the trenches. The two Turkish sapheads assigned to the 4th Worcestershires were each attacked by a party of about 30 men, those on the right being led by Lieutenant Mould and those on the left by Lieutenant James. At first all went well. The enemy, surprised by the unusual hour of attack, fell back along the trench and Lieutenant James’ party were able to make their way up the saphead. Their advance was difficult for the winding trench was full of dead bodies. Since 4 June fight after fight had raged along it and soldiers of all ranks, including even a dead General, a Brigadier of the Lowland Division, were now heaped in the trench, some half-buried by fallen sand, others but newly killed. The bombers advanced up the saphead to the trench junction at its further end. There the enemy were in waiting, and a furious bombing fight ensued. The enemy were well provided with bombs (in Gallipoli the British forces had at that date only ‘jam-tin ‘bombs. The Turks were supplied with spherical bombs of archaic appearance, but of much greater effect). and in rapid succession
A well-documented and exceptional Second World War immediate D.S.O., two tour D.F.C. group of eight awarded to Squadron Leader J. B. Starky, Royal Air Force, late Royal New Zealand Air Force: in what was undoubtedly one of the great ‘epics ‘of the last war, he flew home his crippled Lancaster after two crew had baled out and two others lay seriously wounded - but Starky was no stranger to perilous flight, having already survived a crash-landing in the desert and coaxed back another Lancaster minus six feet of its starboard wing Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., 1st issue, silver-gilt and enamels, the reverse of the suspension bar undated, an official replacement in its Garrard, London case of issue; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1943’, an official replacement in its Royal Mint case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; New Zealand War Service Medal 1939-45, the first two virtually as issued, the remainder very fine or better (8) £2500-3000 D.S.O. London Gazette 28 September 1943. The original recommendation states: ‘At 20.11 hours on the night of 5-6 September 1943, Lancaster Y-DS 682 took off for Mannheim. The Captain, Acting Squadron Leader J. B. Starky, was on his forty-seventh trip; the remainder of the crew had about 20 sorties each to their credit. At 01.50 hours the aircraft, with starboard elevator almost completely shot away, the Navigator and Wireless Operator missing, and two more of the crew wounded, forced landed successfully at Ford. What follows is the story of events in between: The trip was uneventful until some 20 miles short of the target. The weather was clear and the aircraft was flying at 19,000 feet. Suddenly without any previous warning, a night fighter dived in a head-on attack. Our aircraft was badly hit, the cockpit was filled with smoke and a bright light gave the impression of a fire. It then went into a violent spiral - the central column rocking violently - and being unable to regain control the Captain gave the order to abandon by parachute. The Mid-Upper Gunner, Sergeant K. Tugwell, called out that the Rear-Gunner was stuck in his turret and the Captain made a desperate effort to regain control. The stick became a little easier, due to the dinghy which had been jammed in the tail unit blowing free, and the Captain regained control. The night fighter - a Ju. 88 - then attacked again from the rear. Both tail and Mid-Upper Gunners held their fire, and shot it down in flames. Squadron Leader Starky then attempted to take stock. He found that both Wireless Operator and Navigator had jumped by parachute, that his Flight Engineer was wounded in the shoulder and the 2nd Pilot wounded in the arm and head. The Bomb Aimer, Flying Officer B. A. W. Beer, had attempted to jump from the front exit, but had been unable to jettison the escape hatch. When he was finally half way out of the aircraft, he heard the Captain say ‘Hold on! ‘as he had the aircraft back under control. The Rear-Gunner was now manning the mid-upper turret, while the Mid-Upper Gunner and Bomb Aimer attended the wounded. The Captain then attempted the most difficult task of bringing his badly damaged aircraft back to base without the assistance of a Wireless Operator or Navigator. He set an approachable course for base and carried on this for over 30 minutes. By this time the Bomb Aimer had gone back to do the navigation, but as the navigators log had gone he had no plot and gave the Captain an amended course for base. On their way across France they were repeatedly fired at by A.A. batteries and as his inter-com had now gone, the Captain was compelled to take evasive action only from the judgment of the gun flashes. On one occasion the Bomb Aimer had to go through to tell the Captain that shells were bursting dangerously near the tail. In this precarious state the damaged Lancaster made its way back through the enemy fighter belt. The Mid-Upper Gunner manned the wireless set and succeeded in getting acknowledgment to a laborious S.O.S. The Bomb Aimer tried unsuccessfully to work GEE. Eventually the Channel was reached and as they drew near the coast the Captain and Bomb Aimer flashed S.O.S. on their lights. As they crossed the shore an immediate green was received and Squadron Leader Starky effected a masterly landing of his now uncontrollable aircraft, bringing it in at an air speed of 140 m.p.h. The story of this flight is an epic, and the return of the aircraft to this country must be considered due firstly and primarily to the superb airmanship and captaincy of Squadron Leader Starky, and actually to the magnificent co-operation of the rest of the crew. Squadron Leader Starky has already been recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross for his really magnificent work during two tours of operations, and I consider that his latest achievement is worthy of the immediate award of the Distiguished Service Order.’ D.F.C. London Gazette 10 September 1943. The original recommendation states: ‘This officer is now on a second tour of operations. In 1941-42 he carried out a most successful tour on Wellingtons in the U.K. against targets in Germany and German occupied Europe - finishing in the Middle East with attacks against objectives in the Mediterranean. Flight Lieutenant Starky has now completed 42 sorties and has attacked many highly defended targets, including Essen, Benghazi and Pireaus, and has recently been actively engaged in the Battle of the Ruhr. On one occasion recently he collided with another aircraft over enemy territory and lost a large piece of his starboard wing, but succeeded by superb airmanship in bringing his badly damaged aircraft back to base. This officer has at all times shown resolution, courage and ability of the highest order in his attacks on enemy targets. His cheerful contempt for danger and his keenness for operational flying, have set a fine example to the other aircrew of this squadron.’ Mention in despatches London Gazette 11 June 1942. James Bayntun ‘Jim ‘Starky, who was born in Gisborne, New Zealand in November 1916, enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in July 1940 and commenced pilot training at No. 1 E.F.T.S., Taieri, near Dunedin that August. Following further training at Wigram, Christchurch, he was embarked for the U.K., where he attended No. 20 O.T.U. at Lossiemouth in Scotland and converted to Wellingtons prior to going operational as a 2nd Pilot in No. 149 Squadron at Mildenhall, Suffolk in June 1941. Quickly participating in nine operational sorties over the next few weeks, Dusseldorf, Bremen, Essen, Mannheim and Munster among the chosen targets, in addition to a brace of trips to Brest to attack the Prinz Eugen and Scharnhorst, he was ordered to the Middle East in September 1941, the same month in which he was appointed Flight Sergeant. Posted to No. 148 Squadron on his arrival - another Wellington unit, operating out of Kabrit - his aircraft was hit by flak on his very first sortie to Benghazi on 5 November. Appointed 1st Pilot in the same month, he had his work cut out for him on the night of the 25th while en route to another target, for local Arabs had exchanged a landing ground’s fuel supply for water - his engines cut out shortly after take-off and although by means of pressing his head against the canopy windscreen to peer into the darkness he managed to effect a full glide angle crash-landing, two members of crew were killed outright and others seriously injured - had he not managed to jettison the bomb load none would have survived. Having been knocked out and injured himself, Starky nonetheless set off into the desert to find help, walking 12 miles over rough terrain until staggering into Landing Ground 60 covered in blood - he then guided an ambulance to the crash site. In due course mentioned in despatches for his gallantry and l
An exceptional Great War ‘Western Front’ M.C. group of four awarded to Captain F. P. H. Synge, Irish Guards, killed in action on 29 July 1917 Military Cross, G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star (2. Lieut., I. Gds.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.); together with Memorial Plaque (Francis Patrick Hamilton Synge); and a contemporary official typed account of the action for which the M.C. was awarded, this rubber stamped ‘Irish Guards Record Office, Buckingham Gate, 29 Sept. 1917’, extremely fine (5) £2600-3000 M.C. London Gazette 3 June 1916. The following is taken from the official typed account included with the lot: ‘Before dawn on 21st October 1915, our bombing attack had been driven back to our own barricade by the Germans, and the officer in charge (2nd Lieutenant Tallents) at our barricade was wounded. Lieutenant (then 2nd Lieutenant) Synge was sent up to relieve him and he arrived in time to assist 2nd Lieutenant Tallents in organising a counter attack. When the attack went forward he followed it, in the face of heavy bomb and rifle fire and he showed exceptional gallantry, devotion to duty, and power of command in consolidating the ground gained by building up a new barricade and clearing the intervening trench of wounded and debris while the bombing match continued a few yards further on. This officer was slightly wounded in the head early in the action, but never relaxed his efforts until his task was accomplished.’ Captain Francis Patrick Hamilton Synge was born in February 1889, the son of A. H. Synge, of Weybridge and Glanmore Castle, County Wicklow. He was educated at Winchester College and obtained a commission into the Irish Guards in August 1915. During the Great War he was wounded on two occasions, receiving a bullet through the ear on 21 October 1915, and subsequently on 9 July 1916 being wounded in the hand, chest and arm. Captain Synge was killed in action in France/Flanders on 29 July 1917, whilst serving with the 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards. He was buried at Bleuet Farm Cemetery, Elverdinghe, Belgium. An obituary and fine portrait photograph appear in the published Roll of Honour for Winchester College. Sold with copied research.
A Great War ‘Western Front’ D.C.M. group of four awarded to Private W. Kilkenny, 1st Battalion, Scots Guards Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (10494 Pte., 1/S. Gds.); 1914-15 Star (10494 Pte., S. Gds.); British War and Victory Medals (10494 Pte., S. Gds.) very fine (4) £800-1000 D.C.M. London Gazette 6 September 1915. ‘For gallant conduct on 26 July 1915 near Cambrin. He was coming out of his dugout to relieve a man on sentry duty when a bomb fell at the entrance. Private Kilkenny immediately threw it over the parapet, where it at once exploded. His prompt action undoubtedly saved the life of the sentry and probably also those of the men inside the dugout.’ Sold with copy of m.i.c. which confirms that he first entered the French theatre of war in January 1915 and was entitled to a Silver War Badge.
A good Second World War Mediterranean operations D.S.M. group of six awarded to Leading Seaman C. D. Jacobs, Royal Navy, for a brilliant night action off Cape Spartivento in June 1943 Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (SSX. 25221 C. D. Jacobs, L. Smn.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, extremely fine (6) £800-1000 D.S.M. London Gazette 20 August 1943: ‘For courage, resolution and skill in successful attacks on an enemy convoy whilst serving in H.M.S. Jervis.’ The original recommendation states: ‘On the occasion when H.M.S. Jervis and H.H.M.S. Queen Olga destroyed an enemy convoy off the Italian coast, Leading Seaman Jacobs was captain of No. 1 mounting during the action. This rating controlled the gun’s crew with most commendable skill and efficiency in spite of the noise and confusion of a close range night engagement.’ Cecil Dennis Jacobs, a pre-war regular and a native of Woodbridge, Suffolk, was decorated for his services on the night of 1-2 June 1943, when the destroyer Jervis, under the command of Captain J. S. Crawford, D.S.O., and in the company of the Greek destroyer Queen Olga, sunk the Italian torpedo boat Castore in a brilliant action off Cape Spartivento - the enemy convoy was engaged from 2,000 yards with the assistance of flares dropped by Allied aircraft, and two merchantmen were also damaged in the ensuing action. An indication of just how busy Jacobs and his fellow gunners were kept may be derived from the fact that the Jervis expended 142 rounds of 4.7-inch, 138 rounds of 2-pounder H.E. and tracer, and 90 rounds from her 20mm. Oerlikon. Jacobs, who received his award at an investiture held in March 1945, was probably still aboard the Jervis on the occasion she was damaged by a German glider-bomb off Anzio - see The Kelly’s, British J, K & N Class Destoyers of World War II, by Christopher Langtree for further details; sold with a photocopy of a local wartime newspaper cutting, including a portrait photograph of the recipient.
British War Medal 1914-20 (2 Lieut. F. G. Plant); Victory Medal 1914-19 (T-205185 Pte. W. T. White, The Queen’s R.) good very fine (2) £60-80 2nd Lieutenant Frederic George Plant, 1st Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), was killed in action on 25 September 1915, aged 22 years. Having no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Loos Memorial. He was the son of Mr and Mrs William Plant of ‘Courtlands’, Hayes, Kent. Sold with a copied photograph and a copied newspaper extract reporting on the death of Lieutenant Plant. A letter from Major L. M. Crofts stated: ‘I am writing on behalf of the Commanding Officer to try and express our very great sorrow on the loss of your son .. He is officially reported wounded and missing, but I regret to say , from what I can learn, it is almost certain he was killed instantaneously. He was leading his men up a communication trench leading from the German first line trench, which we had captured, when a German bomb exploded, and hit him in the head, and the men near say he must have been killed at once, though no one saw him afterwards. ..’ William Thomas White was born in Lambeth, lived at Beckenham and enlisted at Bromley. Serving with the 8th Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), he died of wounds on 31 July 1917, aged 36 years. Having no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. He was the son of Thomas and Clara White of Balfour Road, Bromley Common, Kent, and husband of Ethel Elizabeth White of 16 Faversham Road, Beckenham.
The RAF Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Group of Five to Sergeant D.R.Bowers, with France and Germany Star, 1939-1945 Star, Defence and War medals. Also included is 1) The Flying Log Book in good condition noting as the final entry the incident that brought about the awarding of the CGM, the last neat entry reads 'Received Direct Hit from Heavy A/A Shell in Rear Bomb Bay. F/S French, F/S Hart, Sgt McWilliams Abandoned Aircraft as ordered - Posted Missing. Self Severely Wounded - Awarded C.G.M. D.F.M. Awarded to F/S Reynolds, F/S Mann. D.F.C. awarded to F/O Hampson'. A further single line in pilot Gilbert Hampson's hand reads 'A wizard show Dennis, always indebted to you. Gil'. 2) Flight Engineer's Notes for 'Lancaster' Aircraft. 3) RAFA membership book. 4) RAF Service Book. 5) File of ephemera including 3 rather ragged contemporary newspaper cuttings on the award, RAF group photo, two photos of the damage to the aircraft, copy photograph of Bowers in uniform, the pilot's report of the incident and photocopy recommendation for the award endorsed by Air Chief Marshal 'Bomber' Harris dated 7th April 1945, and various other items/letters including Buckingham Palace Investiture letter dated 27th February 1946. 6) Four cloth uniform badges and few others including LESMA metal badge. Sergeant Bowers served in No. 156 Squadron of the Path Finder Force (No.8 Group) as Flight Engineer. The incident happened on the afternoon of the 24th March 1945 whilst the aircraft was taking part in a bombing raid over Harpenerweg. The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (RAF) was awarded to NCO's, glider pilots, observers and Army personnel engaged in an air operation against the enemy. The award is superior to the Distinguished Flying Medal. Since its institution in 1943, a total of 104 CGM's (Flying) have been awarded. *For ref. see H.Taprell Dorling 'Ribbons and Medals' 1974, p.81
A folder containing illustrations to accompany notes on the interpretation of aeroplane photographs Series A, issued by the general staff, printed in the field by Army and Printing Stationary Services; the personal copy of Capt. G. Adams, containing many aerial photographs of trenches, bomb craters, etc., one vol.
202 Squadron, R.A.F., Aerial reconnaisance Album of 48 photographs of airplanes, bomb craters, Kaiser reviewing troops in Bruges, German troops, aerial reconnaisance, Zeebrugge mole and harbour, anti-aircraft batteries, Pervyse ruins, most captioned beneath in ink, a few with captions in the negatives, brown suede; Album of 38 photographs including aerial reconnaissance photographs, one annotated "lair of the 16" German naval gun", biplane, zeppelin in shelter, dead troops and horses, a tank, explosion, allied commanders, and 22 of Zeppelins 9, R26, R32, R33, R34 (9 x 12cm), half morocco; Album of 47 similiar photographs but including some of amateur dramatics, Album of airplanes, 80 HP Renault, Avro, BE22, Armstrong Whitworth 90 R.A.F., BE2c, BE2d, De H4, DeH9 and others, engines & personnel, 6 x 10cm; and a quantity of family papers relating to the Coulthard family of Ulverston Note: The photographs were taken by Lt. Robert Coulthard, R.A.F., who was shot down off the Mole at Zeebrugge. His parents were advised of his death, but a newspaper clipping reports that he was later reported prisoner. No. 2 Squadron RNAS was renumbered No. 202 Squadron on 1 April 1918 and flew reconnaissance, bombing and escort sorties.
A well engineered 3 1/2 in gauge model of a 4-6-0 Class S 15 Locomotive and tender by Maunsell 'Greene King’ No 841, in Southern green livery, built by the late Mr K D Hornsby to Martin Evans designs from Reeves castings, the copper boiler with injector feed, mechanical feed pump with by-pass and auxiliary hand operated pump in tender. The chassis with outside cylinders 1 3/16th inch bore x 1 3/4 inch stroke. Walschaerts gear with piston valves, axle pump and brakes. The well engineered cab with detail including gear and lever operated firebox door, sight glass, pressure gauge, reverse wheel control, regulator, drain cocks operated by hand lever in cab and wooden planked floor. The locomotive and its eight wheel tender finished in Southern green and black livery with rivetwork, steps, handrails, lamp irons and fluted motion. Length 49 1/2 in (126cm). No boiler history is available. This quality model was built by the late Mr K D Hornsby and was featured in the Model Engineer on the 5th of November 1982. Mr Hornsby made many contributions to this model engineering magazine during the 1970’s and 1980’s relating to other models he built. Mr Hornsby worked on Lancasters and Spitfires in the second world war and was involved with the Dambusters bouncing bomb. The model is being sold on behalf of his family and comes with a folder containing 'Model Engineer’ articles, photographs and family history supplied by his granddaughter
A Dinky No.950, Foden Fuel Tanker 'Burmah’, red and white; a Dinky No.112, Purdey’s Triumph TR7, yellow; a Dinky No.604, Land Rover Bomb Disposal Unit, olive green with orange wings, complete with surveillance robot kit on sprue; a Dinky No.123, Austin Princess 2200HL Saloon, bronze; a Dinky No.124, Rolls-Royce Phantom V, metallic blue; a Dinky No.430, Johnson 2 Ton Dumper, orange and yellow, and a Dinky No.289, A.E.C. Routemaster Bus, red, 'Esso Safety Grip Tyres’ adverts, with speedwheels, each mint or near mint and boxed, (7)
A VERY RARE SPRINGFIELD ARMORY .45 (ACP) 'MODEL 1911' SELF-LOADING SERVICE PISTOL, serial no. 119692 for 1915, 5in. barrel, slide marked with an eagle, 'SPRINGFIELD ARMORY / U.S.A.' and 'MODEL OF 1911. U.S. ARMY', the frame marked 'UNITED STATES PROPERTY' on the left side, chequered walnut grips, retaining some blued finish throughout, the slide and frame each marked with Springfield 'flaming bomb' inspectors mark.
Nine: Commander K. J. Riddell, Royal Navy, who won a ‘mention’ for his leadership of at least two boarding parties in the South Atlantic 1939-40 1914-15 Star (Mid., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (S. Lt., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf, together with a silver dollar of Chiang Kai-shek, the reverse with engraved inscription, ‘D.O.S., Drunken Old Sots Avec Knobs, Hong Kong 1926-27’, and the edge engraved, ‘Life Holder Lieutenant K. J. Riddell’, fitted with loop and bar suspension and four engraved clasps, ‘12.3.1927’, ‘12.4.27’, ‘Ambrose Ch. Party’ and ‘Roman Party’, mounted as worn, generally very fine or better (10) £350-400 Kenneth John Riddell was born in June 1899 and entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in May 1912. Appointed a Midshipman in the cruiser H.M.S. Lowestoft in August 1914, he was quickly in action at Heligoland Bight on the 28th of that month, following which he removed to the battleship Britannia that October, and thence to the cruiser Courageous in November 1916. Having then served as a Sub. Lieutenant in the destroyer Nith from December 1917 until July 1918, he transferred to submarines, but, having held appointments in assorted ‘E’, ‘K’ and ‘L’ class submarines, reverted to the Retired List in the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in January 1929. recalled shortly before the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, Riddell joined the cruiser Despatch on the South Atlantic Station, and was mentioned in despatches for his part in the boarding and capture of the Dusseldorf on 15 December 1939, and the boarding of the Troja on 29 February 1940 (London Gazette 24 April 1940). On the former occasion, and as described in his official report, with the exception of the Captain, Chief Officer and a wireless operator, the enemy abandoned ship in two boats, undoubtedly because they were aware that a time bomb had been set in the Dusseldorf’s engine-room. As it transpired, the resultant damage was minimal, and Riddell soon had control of the bridge and wireless office, so much so that he and his men were then able to re-embark those Germans who had taken to the boats, and order the embarkation of a prize crew from the Despatch. on the second occasion, a night action on 29 February 1940, the enemy ship, the Troja, was already burning fiercely. Nonetheless, having ‘encouraged’ the fleeing crew to make for the Despatch - ‘I fired a round over their heads to emphasise my orders’ - Riddell took two of his men and boarded the stricken vessel, to see whether the fire could be brought under control, ‘but the whole superstructure was now a mass of flames and the ship was commencing to list heavily and settling’. Of those captured Germans subsequently interrogated, the Second Officer said he had met Hitler, spoke at length of his faith in him and said that he had assisted to build a ‘strength through joy’ ship in the Troja. riddell appears to have served in the Despatch until March 1942, when he joined the staff of the Admiralty delegation in Washington D.C. Then in early 1944, he took up an appointment in Capetown, and finally reverted to the Retired List in the rank of Commander in July 1946. £350-£400
Three: Private F. Pearce, Royal Fusiliers, killed in action on 1 November 1916 1914-15 Star (1575 Pte., R. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (SPTS-1575 Pte., R. Fus.); Memorial Plaque (Frederick Pearce), in card envelope of issue, extremely fine (3) £160-200 Frederick Pearce was born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and living in Cirencester, enlisted at Hornchurch. Serving with the 23rd (Sportsman’s) Battalion Royal Fusiliers, he entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 16 November 1915. Serving with them he was killed in action on 1 November, aged 27 years. He was buried in the Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps. in a newspaper cutting bearing his photograph it was reported, ‘As recorded in our obituary column a fortnight ago, Mr and Mrs F. Pearce, of 54 Ashcroft Road, Cirencester, have been acquainted by the Captain of the death of their son, Lance-Corporal Frederick Pearce, Royal Fusiliers, who was killed in action on November 1st. He was struck by a bomb and died soon afterwards. Lance-Corporal Pearce was in London at the outbreak of war and at once volunteered for service, but owing to the inability of the military to cope with the rush of recruits his services were not accepted till June, 1915, when he joined the Sportsmen’s Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers. He had been in France for 13 months and had taken part in much of the heavy fighting since the commencement of the big offensive. Like his younger brother, Sergeant Ben Pearce, R.A.M.C., who was home on leave at the time of the sad occurance, Lance-Corporal Pearce was one of the original members of the 1st Cirencester Company Boys’ Brigade. [In referring to the award of the Military Medal to Sergeant B. Pearce recently, it was erroneously stated that he was the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Pearce. He is, of course the fifth son.]’. sold with a commemorative poster and a folder containing a newspaper cutting, a letter of condolence from one of his comrades, 21 November 1916; a handwritten military message; copied m.i.c. and research and photographs of his grave stone and of the cemetery. for a group to one of his brothers, see Lot 1481. £160-£200
Eight: Master Aircrewman E. F. Hughes, Royal Air Force 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Palestine 1945-48, Malaya (W.O. (1320703), R.A.F.); Korea 1950-53 (1320703 F./Sgt., R.A.F.); U.N. Korea; R.A.F. L.S. & G.C., E.II.R. (M. Sig. (1320703), R.A.F.), mounted as worn, together with a set of related miniature dress medals and his wife’s 1939-45 Defence & War Medals, in their card forwarding box, generally good very fine and rare (18) £400-500 Ernest Frank Hughes was born in Croydon in January 1923 and enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in June 1941. Having then witnessed active service in Burma, and been demobbed in June 1946, he joined the strength of Royal Air Force as an A.C. 2 (Signaller) in March 1947. Advanced to Flight Sergeant in the following year, he served in Palestine and Malaya, in addition to the Korea operations as a member of crew in Sunderlands of the Far East Flying Boat Wing (88, 205 and 209 Squadrons). Appointed a Master Aircrewman in January 1957, and awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in October 1959, hughes was finally discharged in January 1969; sold with a copy of his service record - which confirms all of the above listed Medals and clasps, including a late claim for his G.S.M. for ‘Palestine 1945-48’ & ‘Malaya’ in January 1960, together with a crew photograph and a Korean War veteran newsletter, with front page feature on the Far East Flying Boat Wing. The vendor states that Master Crewman E. F. Hughes was in the air when the first atom bomb went off on Christmas Island. mrs. Ethel Francis Hughes (nee Dixon), who married in June 1946, served in the W.A.A.F. in the 1939-45 War, but did not claim her Defence & War Medals until many years later. £400-£500
Sold by Order of the Family an outstanding Second World War bomb disposal George Cross group of eight awarded to Brigadier W. M. Eastman, Royal Army Ordnance Corps: with little relevant training, Eastman and a fellow officer rendered safe some 275 UXBs on Malta in 1940 - ‘Their courage was beyond all praise and it was a miracle that they both remained alive’ George Cross (Lieut. William Marsden Eastman, R.A.O.C., 24th December 1940); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, clasp, 8th Army; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals; Coronation 1953; Jubilee 1977, mounted court-style as worn, lacquered, very fine and bettter (8) £15000-20000 g.C. London Gazette 24 December 1940: ‘For most conspicuous gallantry in carrying out very hazardous work.’ The original recommendation - written in conjunction with that for fellow R.A.O.C. officer, Captain R. L. J. Jones - states: ‘On various dates Lieutenant Eastman, with Captain R. L. J. Jones, R.A.O.C., worked under dangerous and trying conditions and performed acts of considerable gallantry in dealing with large numbers of various unexploded bombs, some of which were in a highly dangerous state and of the German delay type. on one occasion, these officers showed particular gallantry in dealing with an 1100lb. German bomb. Two attempts were made to explode this bomb but it failed to detonate; at the third attempt when it was in a most dangerous state, they succeeded in detonating it. on a second occasion, these officers, assisted by a Master Rigger of H.M. Dockyard, succeeded in removing a 400lb. high explosive Italian unexploded bomb which had been under water for a week in a 20ft. deep well inside a house. This bomb, fused at both ends, was in a dangerous state. It had to be raised to the ground floor by means of a gin, tackle, sling and ropes. This operation was doubly dangerous, as: (a) There was a possibility of the sling slipping while the bomb was being hauled up and (b) The bomb was two and half ft. long, the mouth of the well three ft. one inch wide, and for safety the bomb had to be kept horizontal, if possible, and pulled up thus. Lieutenant Eastman assisted the Master Rigger, guided the bomb from the floor of the well, and Captain Jones went to the top to guide it through the opening. They succeeded in getting the bomb out although there was only a six inch clearance as it came through the mouth of the well.’ William Marsden ‘Bill’ Eastman was born in Brentford in October 1911 and was educated at Uppingham and Cambridge University, but had to leave the latter seat of learning on his father’s death, in order to take over the family dyeing and dry-cleaning business. And it was as a result of his knowledge of chemicals drawn from that business that he was recommended for a commission in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on volunteering shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. Having then attended the Inspecting Ordnance Officer’s course at Bramley, he was embarked for Malta in March 1940. Subsequent events are best summarised by Brigadier Sir John Smyth, V.C., in The Story of the George Cross: ‘At this period of the war in Malta, no expert Royal Engineer Bomb Disposal units had been formed and the job of attending to unexploded bombs and mines dropped on the Island had to be handled by the R.A.O.C. - in fact Jephson Jones and Eastman. They had no great special equipment, no trained staff and very little knowledge of the mechanism of German and Italian missiles. They just had to learn as they went along. they were told that they would have to deal with all unexploded bombs and mines which fell on the Island except those which dropped in the dockyard area and on airfields, which were dealt with by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. No one imagined - or at any rate no one in Malta had imagined - that Malta would become such a target for the venom, first of the Italian Air Force and then of the Germans. But between 10 June and mid-November 1940, when their job was taken over by a properly constituted and trained R.E. Bomb Disposal unit, Jephson Jones and Eastman dealt with some 275 unexploded bombs. Their courage was beyond all praise and it was a miracle that they both remained alive. they were awarded the George Cross on Christmas Eve 1940 and were given a choice of receiving the decoration immediately from the Governor or waiting until they were posted back to the Middle East or the United Kingdom. They both chose the latter and were invested together by the King at Buckingham Palace in December 1944.’ A number of anecdotes survive from Eastman’s hair-raising sojourn in Malta, one of them recounting the occasion he worked in his shirt-sleeves on a hot day as a UXB was dug out, but then donned his tunic and Sam Browne before returning to diffuse it - when asked why by an onlooker, he replied, ‘If I have to die, I might as well die decent’; while another describes the occasion he journeyed to a UXB site on a motorbike, with his girlfriend, Yvonne Vassallo, along for the ride - she unhesitatingly accepted his invitation to sit on the UXB and steady it as he went about his perilous work! eastman was posted to G.H.Q., Cairo as Chief Ordnance Officer in 1942, but not before carrying out further gallant deeds, a case in point being his ‘clearance’ - over three days - of the valuable cargo of ammunition, kerosene and aviation fuel aboard the merchantman Talabot, which ship was eventually sunk at her moorings in Marsaxlokk harbour; so, too, on a later occasion, his clearance of a cargo of ‘infamous Dutch Anti-tank Mines’ from the holds of no less than seven ships, all the while conscious of the fact a mere 18-inch drop would set-off their hyper-sensitive detonators. remaining in the Regular Army after the War, he was latterly a popular Commandant of the R.A.O.C. Training Centre at Blackdown, and finally retired as Brigadier in 1966. Settling in Malta in the same year, he died at Sliema in April 1980 and is buried in Ta’ Braxia Cemetery; see One Step Further, Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded With The George Cross, by Marion Hebblethwaite, for further details. sold with a quantity of original documentation, including four ‘Investiture Day’ photographs and a later portrait, in uniform, as a Brigadier, wearing his Honour & Awards; his Buckingham Palace investiture letter and admittance ticket, dated 12 December 1944; his membership certificate for the Royal Society of St. George, dated 14 May 1942; his M.O.D. retirement letter, dated 19 October 1966; some post-war V.C. & G.C. Association tickets, invitations and programmes, etc., and several newspaper cuttings. £15000-£20000
A rare Second World War D.S.C. group of seven awarded to Lieutenant (A.) R. A. Wiltshire, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, a Fleet Air Arm pilot who was decorated for his part in ‘Operation Dragoon’: he had earlier participated in ‘Operation Tungsten’, the famous attack on the Tirpitz in April 1944 distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1945’ and privately engraved, ‘Lieutenant (A.) Reginald Alfred Wiltshire, D.S.C., R.N.V.R.’, hallmarks for London 1947, in its Garrard & Co. fitted case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Pacific Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals, these last in their original card forwarding box, together with embroidered Fleet Air Arm ‘Wings’ (2) and a set of tunic ribands, generally extremely fine (7) £4000-5000 D.S.C. London Gazette 27 March 1945. The original recommendation states: ‘Sub. Lieutenant Wiltshire joined H.M.S. Pursuer on 26 November 1943. Since that date he has carried out 25 operational missions and 71 deck-landings. During ‘Operation Dragoon’, he led five fighter bomber missions of four or more aircraft and took part in 10 missions. He is always cheerful, quite imperturbable and sets a fine example. He leads in the air well. For courage, skill, leadership and a fine example.’ Reginald Alfred Wiltshire, who was born in Enfield, Middlesex in January 1923, completed his pilot training at the U.S. Naval Air Stations at Pensacola and Miami, and returned to the U.K. in the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Biter in June 1942. following a brief posting to No. 762 (F.A.A.) Squadron, and appointment to the rank of Acting Sub. Lieutenant, he removed to No. 896 (F.A.A.) Squadron in August 1942, in which unit he carried out deck-landings in Martlet IVs on the U.S.S. Charger, before removing to the aircraft carrier Victorious in February 1943, the whole in preparation for a six-month operational tour in the Pacific, where the Victorious was on loan to the U.S.N. returning home towards the end of the year, Wiltshire and his fellow 896 pilots transferred to the Pursuer in November, an appointment that would lead to frequent convoy patrol work in Wildcat Vs and their participation in the famous attack against the Tirpitz in Kaafjord 3 April 1944 - a.k.a. ‘Operation Tungsten’ - an attack in which the escorting Wildcats were credited with knocking out most of the enemy’s fire-control systems, and one that resulted in 440 casualties among the Tirpitz’s crew. in June 1944, Wiltshire transferred to 881 (F.A.A.) Squadron, a busy month for patrols and ‘flaps’ and one that included an encounter with a Ju. 88 - ‘Unable to catch it’. In July, the Pursuer having arrived in the Mediterranean, he carried out several dive-bombing attacks on Comino and Filfa Islands, while in August, as part of the carrier force acting in support of the landings in the South of France, he flew 10 operational sorties in Wildcat VIs, five of them as force leader. And, according to accompanying press cuttings, he was responsible for inflicting severe damage on enemy transport and troops. A fellow pilot described how in one attack they destroyed 14 military vehicles and damaged another 20, yet, as confirmed by Wiltshire’s flying log book, enemy flak was a constant threat: ‘19 August: Armed Recce. Strafed Orange aerodrome, near Avignon, damaged Fw. 190. Intense flak - Banks, Sherbourne and Sharp shot down. Went on to bomb oil tanks at Berre L’Etang and strafed rolling stock at Rognac. Destroyed Arado 196 on water.’ ‘21 August: Bombed M./T. on road near Uzes. Destroyed 7 personally whilst strafing. Damaged one Loco. Hit by flak 5 times. P.O. Brittain shot down.’ At the end of the month, Wiltshire was recommended for the D.S.C., while in September - the Pursuer having made her way to the Aegean - he flew further operational sorties in the face of heavy opposition. Thus a night shipping strike in which two enemy ships and a U-Boat were sunk, a dive-bombing attack on merchantmen in Rhodes harbour and, if needed, a reminder of the hazards of flak - ‘Intensive flak near Suda Bay. Hit in windscreen whilst strafing.’ Returning once more to the U.K. in mid-November 1944, 881’s pilots were attached to R.N.A.S. Grimsetter and the Trumpeter in the following month, in which capacity they flew occasional operational sorties off Norway. Then in February 1945, Wiltshire was posted to No. 3 Flying Instructors School, and he ended the War at No. 1 Naval Air Fighter School. He was released in January 1946. sold with a quantity of original documentation, including Admiralty letter of notification for the award of the recipient’s D.S.C., dated 28 March 1945, and related Buckingham Palace forwarding letter; his Flying Log Books (2), covering the periods September 1941 to December 1944, and January 1945 to January 1946, the former including several gun-camera images of targets attacked in the South of France in August 1944, and a copy of the King’s and Prime Minister’s congratulatory signals for participants in ‘Operation Tungsten’, as sent via the Admiralty on 4 April 1944; together with a photograph album covering the period 1937-45, quite a few images lacking but nonetheless a good wartime record and also including related newspaper cuttings; his application papers for a Visa to the U.S.A., American identity card, etc., including portrait photograhs, dated 21 July 1941, and his Graduation Certificate from the U.S. Naval Air Station at Miami, dated 14 May 1942. £4000-£5000
A Second World War D.F.C. and Bar group of five attributed to Flying Officer A. W. Moore, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar, the reverse of the Cross officially dated ‘1944’ and privately engraved, ‘Plt. Offr. A. W. Moore, No. 12 Sqdn., R.A.F.’, and the reverse of the Bar also officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals, these four privately engraved ‘Boots-style’, ‘Fg. Offr. A. W. Moore, R.A.F.’, mounted as worn, generally good very fine (5) £800-1000 d.F.C. London Gazette 2 May 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘Pilot Officer Moore was captain of a Lancaster aircraft ordered to attack Nurnburg on the night of 30-31 March 1944. On the outward journey he was attacked by enemy fighters four times. In the first attack he executed combat manoeuvres and both gunners opened fire. No damage was done to his aircraft and the fighter is claimed as damaged. In the second attack, which took place 30 minutes later, his aircraft was badly damaged however, and his Rear Gunner was wounded in the head. The fuselage was extensively holed and the rear turret rendered unserviceable. In spite of being 170 miles from the target and having neither Rear Gunner nor rear turret in operation, he decided to continue to the target. again when this aircraft was 15 miles from the target, an attack was made by a Ju. 88 from below. The Lancaster sustained further extensive damage including bomb bays badly damaged and incendiaries set on fire, port wing damaged, starboard wing tip shot off, oxygen system hit, elevators and rudder damaged, and intercommunications unserviceable. The Mid-Upper Gunner opened fire on the fighter, but while he was firing he observed another Ju. 88 closing to point blank range astern. He transferred his fire to the second enemy aircraft and fired all his remaining ammunition at very short range. The enemy aircraft fell away and was seen to explode a few seconds later. the Lancaster was now crippled, difficult to control, defenceless against possible attacks from astern and much of its incendiary load was on fire in the bomb bay. In spite of this the captain continued his bombing run and dropped his bombs in the target area. shortly after leaving the target area the damaged oxygen supply became exhausted and Pilot Officer Moore had to descend to 15,000 feet. With the Flight Engineer assisting to maintain control of his crippled and defenceless aircraft, he succeeded in bringing it back to England and landed successfully at the first airfield he came to. this officer’s courage and determination in continuing to the target and pressing home his attack in extremely difficult and perilous circumstances are worthy of the highest praise. He also set a fine example of good captaincy and airmanship which will be an inspiration to other crews. I strongly recommend the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to this officer.’ Bar to D.F.C. London Gazette 13 October 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in April 1944, Pilot Officer Moore has flown a further 22 operational sorties as pilot and captain of a Lancaster aircraft, including attacks on such strongly defended targets as Friedrichshaven, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Duisburg and Karlsruhe. he has made these attacks with magnificent courage and consistent skill regardless of the opposition, setting an inspiring example to the rest of the Squadron by his determination, exceptional ability and high courage. pilot Officer Moore’s cheerful fortitude and fine captaincy have not only welded his crew into a most efficient fighting unit, but have won the admiration of all and have contributed very largely to the recent successes achieved by this squadron. both in the air and on the ground, this officer’s strong sense of duty and enthusiasm to operate have embued not only his own crew but many other less experienced crews, with the utmost confidence and helped considerably to maintain morale at a high level. his inspiring example and exceptional fighting qualities fully merit the award of a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross.’ Alfred William Moore, who was born in Kintbury, Berkshire, and educated at Newbury Grammar School, joined the Royal Air Force in 1941. Trained as a pilot, he joined No. 12 Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Wickenby, Lincolnshire, in early 1944, and first flew operationally in a strike against Berlin on the night of 20-21 January. Having then returned to the ‘Big City’ in the following month, in addition to attacking Leipzig, he flew sorties against Stuttgart and Frankfurt (twice) in March, one of the latter trips resulting in extensive damage from heavy flak - ‘Tail unit fabric, port inner, starboard inner, starboard outer cowlings holed’. his final sortie in March was the famous raid against Nuremburg on the night of the 30th-31st, in which, as cited above, he won an immediate D.F.C., and his Mid-Upper Gunner, Sergeant V. Peters, the D.F.M. A subsequent ‘station narrative report’ on Moore’s Lancaster reveals that the wounded Rear Gunner was placed near the fuselage door with his parachute on, ‘a position from which he could be easily assisted to abandon the aircraft if it became necessary’, and that Moore warned the remainder of his crew to put on their own parachutes, before continuing to the target in his defenceless Lancaster: no less than 94 aircraft were shot down in this raid, and well over 500 aircrew killed, Bomber Command’s heaviest loss of the War. moore went on to complete no less than six sorties in April, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Essen among his targets, but in May No. 12 Squadron turned its attention to the pending Normandy landings, four successive attacks being mounted against French targets prior to raids on Duisburg, Dortmund and Aachen. Finally, in June, he completed his operational tour with eight further sorties to France, and a trip to Gelsenkirchen. He was awarded a Bar to his D.F.C. £800-£1000
A fine Second World War Bomber Command operations D.F.C., D.F.M. group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant R. E. Manvell, Royal Air Force, a Flight Engineer who completed a tour of duty in Lancasters of 97 Squadron before joining Pathfinders and participating in the Hamburg ‘firestorm’ and Peenemunde raids: he was killed in action in June 1944 distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1944’; Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (569921 Sgt. R. E. Manvell, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals, generally good very fine (6) £2500-3000 d.F.C. London Gazette 6 June 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘Flight Lieutenant Manvell is the Squadron Flight Engineer Leader and has a fine operational record. He has completed 51 operational sorties, 21 of which have been with the Path Finder Force, against the most heavily defended targets in Germany. Apart from his duties as Engineer Leader, which he has carried out with zeal and efficiency, he has shown outstanding keenness to fly on operations on every possible occasion. His enthusiasm to undertake operational work has been an inspiration and, in particular, an example to the Flight Engineers entrusted to his care. His ability for training and instructing Flight Engineers, and his high sense of devotion to duty and his work on this squadron make him very worthy of the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.’ D.F.M. London Gazette 14 May 1943. The original recommendation states: ‘This airman has participated very successfully in numerous operational sorties. His targets have included Essen and other strongly defended industrial centres in the Ruhr. He also took part in raids on Berlin and Italy and with good effect. In daylight, he has attacked Milan, Le Creusot and Danzig. His skill and courage have been an example to all.’ Robert Edward Manvell, a native of New Eltham in London, commenced his operational career as a Flight Engineer in No. 97 (Straits Settlement) Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, in June 1942, with three successive trips to Bremen, the first of them a ‘Thousand Bomber Raid’. Thus ensued a busy tour of operations, undoubtedly to targets of the heavily defended kind, including Berlin, Cologne, Duisberg (thrice), Dusseldorf (twice), Essen, Hamburg, Milan (thrice), Nuremburg and Saarbrucken, in addition to three daylight raids: Danzig on 11-12 July, a Bomber Command ‘first’ involving 44 Lancasters and a 1,500 mile round trip, Le Creusot on 17 October, No. 5 Group’s famous dusk attack on the Schneider locomotive and armaments works, and Milan on 24 October, another risky enterprise with 88 Lancasters. manvell was recommended for his D.F.M. in March 1943, having completed 30 sorties and 170 hours of operational flying, and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the following month. returning to the operational scene with No. 156 Squadron in June 1943 - a Path Finder Force unit operating in Lancasters out of Alconbury, Huntingdonshire, and later from Warboys - Manvell quickly carried out a brace of trips to Cologne. So, too, in July, four successive strikes against Hamburg, strikes that culminated in the famous ‘firestorms’. Having then flown sorties to Mannheim, Nuremburg and Milan - the latter on three occasions - he participated in the famous Peenemunde raid on 17 August 1943, in Lancaster EE-926, piloted by Flying Officer A. M. Lutz. his very next raid proved to be the costliest of the War so far, a strike against Berlin on the night of 23rd-24th, in which nearly 60 aircraft were lost. Trips to Nuremburg, Modane and Hanover followed, but he remained grounded in the months of October and November, quite probably to attend a Squadron Flight Engineer Leader’s course - certainly he was advanced to Flying Officer in the former month. A return trip to the ‘big city’ in December, and strikes against Frankfurt, Leipzig and Stuttgart in February-March raised his operational sorties to the 50-mark - and 307 hours of operational flying - and he was recommended for the D.F.C. sadly, however, on the night of 23-24 June 1944, in Lancaster JB230 GT-S, captained by Pilot Officer D. Langford, D.F.C., he was killed in action in a marker operation for a flying-bomb site at Coubronne. His aircraft crashed at Zuytpeene, four kilometres from Cassel, only one member of crew surviving to be taken P.O.W., the remainder being buried in the local churchyard. £2500-£3000
A fine Great War ‘Aveluy Wood’ D.C.M. awarded to Private A. H. Bird, Lancashire Fusiliers distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (31363 Pte., 18/Lan. Fus.) good very fine £700-900 D.C.M. London Gazette 30 October 1918. ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He attacked and captured an enemy machine-gun single-handed, killing the team. He then endeavoured to gain touch with the left and killed several of the enemy he met. He destroyed a trench mortar with a bomb, and all through the action he showed fine courage and determination, and was of the greatest assistance to his officers’. albert H. Bird entered the Army as Private 7956 in the R.A.V.C. but later transferred to the 18th (Bantum’s) Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, entering the France/Flanders theatre of war on 22 May 1915. Bird was awarded the D.C.M. for his distinguished service in the attack on Aveluy Wood, 1 June 1918. In the action the battalion suffered 2 officers and 18 other ranks killed, 7 officers and 144 other ranks wounded and 1 officer and 48 other ranks missing; and in the process gained three M.C’s. and two bars, one D.C.M. (Bird) and 10 M.M’s. sold with copied m.i.c., war diary extracts, regimental history extracts and other research. £700-£900
A particularly fine Second World War Mosquito navigator's D.F.M. group of four awarded to Pilot Officer L. J. Etheridge, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who completed 50 sorties over France, Holland and Germany in 1944-45, an action packed tour that included a brace of crash-landings back in England after damage sustained in action - once on one-engine with a hung-up 500lb. bomb: so, too, the spectacular daylight raids on the S.S.-occupied Chateau de Fou in August 1944 and S.S. barracks at Arnhem in the following month distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1603309 F./Sgt. L. J. Etheridge, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany star; War Medal 1939-45, extremely fine (4) £3000-3500 D.F.M. London Gazette 8 May 1945. The original recommendation states: ‘Flight Sergeant Etheridge has completed 50 sorties with his pilot, Flight Lieutenant Gasson, including three daylight operations. this N.C.O. has proved himself to be an excellent operational Navigator. He has never failed to bring his pilot to the target area, often despite poor weather conditions and without navigational aids. some of the sorties in which he was engaged involved very deep penetrations into enemy territory, where accurate navigation, without Gee facilities, was vital to the success of the missions. the results obtained by this Navigator and his pilot have been outstandingly good as the following examples will show. on the night of 6-7 August 1944, a moving light was attacked in France and due to the fact that the attack was pressed home to a low level the port engine was hit by a ricochet and caught fire at 1500 feet. The port propeller was feathered and the graviner switch operated. The return flight was made on one engine and Flight Sergeant Etheridge's accurate navigation brought them safely to England. It was found that height could not be maintained with the result that the English coast was crossed at 400 feet and a crash landing made at Ford. on the night of 4-5 October 1944, when carrying out a patrol over Holland and Germany, two trains were found in a railway station at Millingen, which were attacked with bombs and cannon. A large explosion followed the attack and later a fire started. During the same patrol a tug and six barges were found and successfully strafed. flight Sergeant Etheridge also took part in the successful daylight operations against the chateau south of Chatellerault on 2nd August, trains at Chalons on 25 August 1944 and on the barracks at Arnhem on 17 September 1944. flight Sergeant Etheridge possesses great determination and coolness in times of crisis. His fine offensive spirit, which is equal to that of his pilot, has gone to make an ideal Mosquito crew. In view of his fine operational record, I strongly recommend him for the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.’ Laurence James Etheridge commenced his operational career with No. 107 Squadron, a Mosquito unit of 2nd Tactical Air Force's 138 Wing, operating out of Lasham, in July 1944, when, with his New Zealander pilot, Flight Lieutenant L. Gasson, he completed an offensive patrol over Vire-Falaise-Trouville sector on the night of the 24th-25th. Indeed it was to prove the first of a spate of such patrols in support of the Allied landings, 107s Mosquito VIs targeting enemy troops, transport and communications, often with great success, according to the Squadron's Operational Record Book (O.R.B.), by means of bombing and cannon fire delivered from altitudes as low as 500-1000 feet. Success was also dependent on a bright moon, a case in point being Etheridge's third sortie - against targets in the upper reaches of the Seine, from Rouen on the night of 30-31 July - when 107's Mosquitoes strafed and bombed a variety of trains, bridges, roads and in fact, any moving lights, but not without interference from the usual flak concentrations which had a habit of 'creeping up on the unwary'. etheridge's next sortie was of the daylight variety, one of a series of famous strikes against the S.S. and Gestapo, in this case an attack on troops of the notorious 158th ‘Security’ Regiment - who had recently murdered members of the S.A.S. - in the Chateau de Fou, south of Chatellerault on 2 August, a spectacular raid captured on camera, and one in which his aircraft, Mosquito A-NT. 136, formed part of the third wave - never the best place to be with aroused defences: ‘In the woods to the immediate south of the Chateau, one large explosion was seen after a cannon attack, possibly from motor transport. Bombs landed all round the Chateau but no direct hit was claimed. Strikes were obtained on the roof in a cannon attack and a small fire was seen to start inside. Aircraft ‘D’ sustained the loss of one engine over the target and crash landed at Thorney Island - crew unhurt. The trip back was uneventful except for a little flak soon after leaving the target, which was successfully avoided by all except F./O. Staple in Aircraft ‘J’ ... It is doubtful if the Chateau was entirely destroyed but troops possibly hiding in the woods would have been eliminated’ (107’s Squadron Operational Record Book refers). two days later Etheridge was part of a Squadron effort to lend support to the Army in the Caen sector, when 'much activity was seen in the battle zone and flak was very considerable', while on the night of 6-7 August, as cited above, he and Gasson were compelled to return from France on one engine, the other having been set alight by a ricochet from their own low-level cannon-fire - not mentioned, however, is the fact they were carrying a hung-up 500lb. bomb as they made their crash landing at Ford in Sussex and that said bomb exploded just two minutes after they had scrambled clear of the wreckage. Notwithstanding such a close-call, both were back in action over France, chasing trains out of Paris, the very next night. So, too, on the 8th-9th, evidence indeed of 107's constant operational agenda, another three nights of successive operations taking place between the 12th-15th, in one of which further trains were shot up in the Falaise sector. and as if this "three-nighter" agenda were not punishing enough, Etheridge and Gasson were called upon to carry out two sorties on the night of 16th-17th, both of them strikes against barges on the Seine - such was the ferocity of the flak that neither could see the results of their attacks. Bad weather then having intervened, their next sortie was flown on the night of 23-24 August, on a line between Cap D'Antifer and Lens, another on the 24th-25th, and a daylight operation against railway targets at Chalons in the afternoon of the latter date - a spectacular mission in which a number of oil-trains were hit, exploding 'with a terrific mushroom of flame and black smoke', but a mission, too, in which most of the participating aircraft were also damaged by return fire: a vivid portrayal of 107’s Mosquito VIs on a low-level railway strike over France, by David Pentalnd, is available as a limited edition print from Cranston Fine Arts. the Squadron now having moved to Epinoy, France, September started with a deep penetration sortie into Holland and Germany on the night of the 5th-6th, severe jamming preventing the use of GEE and making Etheridge's navigation role all the more difficult, while on the 9th-10th eight of 107s aircraft destroyed a brace of ammunition trains between Metz and Morhange, taking it in turns to carry out devastating cannon and machine-gun attacks. A successful sortie to Holland followed on the night of the 11th-12th, a less successful one on the 13th-14th, while on the 17th Etheridge and Gasson, piloting Mosquito B-NT. 207 in 107's sky black formation, paved the way for the biggest airborne landings ever made with a daylight attack on the S.S. barracks at Arnhem. At 0700 hours that morning, a total of 32 crews from 107 and 603 Squadrons were assembled for a special briefing, during which models of
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