A particularly fine ‘London Blitz’ George Medal awarded to Stretcher Bearer Sidney Kelsey, Air Raid Precautions Casualty Service, West Ham: having tunnelled to a casualty with his bare hands, he remained on the scene for at least 10 hours - ‘throughout the whole time he had to lie over three dead bodies in a hole largely excavated by himself and under overhanging debris in danger of collapse’ George Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Sidney Kelsey), nearly extremely fine £1200-1500 G.M. London Gazette 6 June 1941: ‘A high explosive bomb damaged a house. After working through the night the Rescue Parties ascertained the position of a trapped woman. Kelsey, lying on his back, worked with bare hands to excavate a tunnel to reach the casualty and he undertook her treatment and support while efforts to rescue her were continued. For ten hours he had to lie in a hole among fallen debris, under heavy overhanging wreckage which was in danger of collapse and at a point near an escape of gas. Kelsey showed great gallantry and endurance in effecting this rescue.’ Further details of Sidney Kelsey’s extraordinary courage in the early morning hours of 20 March 1941, at Hudson Road, West Ham, appeared in the Stratford Express following the announcement of the award of his George Medal: ‘Mr. Sidney Kelsey, before joining the A.R.P. Casualty Service in October last year, was a hairdresser. He is 35 and lives at 1 Milton Street, Plaistow. He is attached to the Prince Regent Lane Depot. he displayed great courage and took a great risk while a party was securing the rescue from under a wrecked house of a woman, who unfortunately died afterwards. it was in March that a bomb shattered several houses, killing some people. A Mrs. Reid, seriously injured, was trapped under one of the houses and, after her position had been ascertained, Mr. Kelsey undertook to give her first aid and food while efforts to rescue her were continued. For about 12 hours, except for short intervals when he was pulled out from under the debris for circulation to be restored to his limbs, he lay in an upside down position, comforting the injured woman and supplying her with milk through a piece of tubing which he had cut from his first aid equipment. Throughout the whole time he had to lie over three dead bodies in a hole largely excavated by himself and under heavy overhanging debris in danger of collapse. An escape of gas from a damaged pipe added to the risk. In his efforts to reach the woman, he tunnelled a way with his bare hands, and after reaching her kept up his long vigil, treating, feeding and comfortiing her until she was brought out.’ On the night in question, which became known as ‘The Wednesday’ by the inhabitants of East London, the Luftwaffe mounted a massive raid with around 480 aircraft, and of the resultant 630 fatalities, some 150 were from the West Ham area; see The Blitz Then and Now, Volume II, pp. 488-491, for further details and photographs. £1200-£1500
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South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (AB(M) P. M. Orr, D181887X H.M.S. Plymouth), mounted court style as worn, extremely fine £800-1000 H.M.S. Plymouth was a ‘Rothesay’ Class type 12 anti-submarine frigate of 2,800 tons, launched at Devonport in 1959 and commissioned in 1961. Heavily involved in the Falklands War, she sailed with tanker R.F.A. Tidepool and destroyer H.M.S. Antrim to South Georgia with Royal Marines and S.A.S. aboard. She then provided cover for the aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels and was one of the first Royal Navy ships to enter San Carlos Water. On 21 May 1982 she went to the assistance of the frigate H.M.S. Argonaut that had suffered bomb damage. On 8 June she was attacked by five Mirage aircraft. In the ensuing action she managed to destroy two and damage two others but was hit by four bombs and numerous shells; five men were injured in the attack. After emergency repairs she returned to the fleet and was able to provide gunfire support to the land forces. She returned home on 21 June. During the course of the Falklands War she had steamed 34,000 miles, fired 900+ 4.5 inch shells and destroyed five aircraft. H.M.S. Plymouth was decommissioned on 28 April 1988 and was preserved, being open to the public at Birkenhead since 1992. able Seaman Orr received a Commendation from the Commander of Task Force 317: ‘Able Seaman (M) Orr was the Aimer of the GWS 20 action Sea Cat aimer crew. From 21 May to 8 June 82, they displayed good teamwork and skill against frequent enemy attacks, operating from their exposed position aft. They successfully shot down several enemy aircraft and damaged others. Target presentation was minimal owing to the close proximity of land and very low level attacks. Able Seaman Orr contributed greatly to the air defence of H.M.S. Plymouth, and I commend him for his courageous performance throughout the period of operations’. sold with copied Certificate of Commendation and ship history. £800-£1000
William H Wallis, early 20th century- "HMS Victory, Portsmouth Harbour"; watercolour, signed and titled, 51x79cm. Note: On 12 January 1922 HMS Victory was moved into the oldest drydock in the world: No. 2 dock at Portsmouth for restoration. In 1928 King George V was able to unveil a tablet celebrating the completion of the work. In 1941 'Victory' sustained some damage from a bomb dropped by the Luftwaffe that impacted into her dry dock causing damage to the hull. German Radio Propaganda claimed that the ship had been destroyed by a bomb, the Admiralty had to issue an urgent denial. HMS Victory's active career ended on November 7 1812; it is said that when Thomas Hardy was First Sea Lord , he told his wife on returning home, that he had just signed an order for Victory to be broken up. She burst into tears and sent him straight back to his office to rescind the order. Though this story may be fantasy, the page of the duty log containing the orders for that day is missing, having been torn out. (may be subject to Droit de Suite)
David Bomberg 30in. x 22 1/2in. (76 x 57cm) on board "The Bomb Store". Provenance: From a series made in 1942 under commission from the War Artists Committee. "I was a bit fearful" his wife Lilian recalled after the War "when I learned David not only got lost among the bombs, but I knew how curiously he climbed, slithered and slid among and over the piles to get the angle and form of interest. See illustration
Bryan de Grineau (1883-1957), "Eton", signed, inscribed and dated 1948, pencil, unframed, 52 x 36cm.; 20.5 x 14in. * The scene shows the conversion of a bomb crater, made by a delayed action bomb in 1940, into a new boiler house, over which part of the Upper School was to be rebuilt. The illustration was published in the Illustrated London News on the 7/2/48.
A rare b&w photograph of the great stallion Nearco being led out of his specially built underground bomb shelter at the Beech House Stud during the Second World War, by the famous equestrian photographer Anscomb, signed, and inscribed 'Nearco,' Newmarket, the image otherwise known as THE ALL CLEAR, 1941, mounted framed & glazed, the image 15 by 20cm., 6 by 8in.; sold with photocopies of two sheets providing further information on this photograph (3) Nearco (1935-1957) was one of the greatest racehorses and important stallions of the twentieth century. He was bred by Federico Tesio in Italy and retired undefeated after 14 races, with his crowning glory being his facile win in the Grand Prix de Paris in 1938. Although he never raced in England he was bought by the British bookmaker Martin Benson for £60000 and sent to the Beech House Stud at Newmarket. His influence as a stallion is profound and his descendants include Nasrullah, Ballymoss, Darius, Lomond, Nearula, Nearctic, El Gran Senor, Nijinsky, Sir Ivor, Northern Dancer, Shadeed, Secretariat, Shergar, Arkle, Never Say Die, Nimbus, Mr Prospector, Royal Palace, Fort Marcy, Better Loosen Up and countless others. He was thought so valuable that his own underground bomb shelter was constructed at Beech House, built by German POW's. This rare photograph portrays Nearco being led out by his lad Ernest 'Bogey' Lee for fresh air and exercise.
Five: Captain A. P. Sutton, Merchant Navy, whose command, the railway steamship Archangel, was seriously damaged and beached as a result of three bomb hits off the East Coast of Scotland in May 1941: the enemy aircraft followed up with at least two machine-gun attacks, bringing the total casualties to 33 killed and 77 wounded - the latter including Sutton British War and Mercantile Marine Medals 1914-18 (Arthur P. Sutton); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, good very fine and better (5) £250-300 Arthur Pearson Sutton was born at Alderburgh, Suffolk in August 1897 and qualified as a 2nd Mate (Steamships) in London in December 1917, during the course of his services in the Mercantile Marine in the Great War. Having then added to his qualifications with a 1st Mates Certificate in Calcutta in September 1921, and a Masters Certificate in London in September 1924, he enjoyed several seagoing commands in the intervening period before joining the L.N.E.Rs railway steamship Archangel in March 1941. In common with so many other Merchant officers, however, his period of command proved short-lived, the bare facts of the Archangels fate being covered in the following secret report to the Ministry of War Transport: I am sorry to inform you that the Archangel was attacked by enemy aircraft about midnight on 16 May 1941, while conveying troops from Kirkwall to Aberdeen. She was struck heavily amidships, the engine and boiler rooms being put out of action and the upper decks so badly damaged that there was no communication between the fore and aft of the ship. The Master, Captain A. P. Sutton, was seriously injured, and out of a crew of 75, 17 are dead or missing and 15 injured ... Casualties among the troops were very heavy but the discipline throughout of both troops and crew was excellent. The destroyer escort sent a Surgeon to assist the ships Medical Officer. While they were attending the wounded there were two further attacks from the air, but these were beaten off by the Archangels own guns. At 4 oclock in the morning tugs arrived and both the wounded and uninjured troops, with part of the crew, were transferred to a destroyer. The Archangel was beached but unfortunately is a total wreck. Casualties among the Army were indeed high, 16 being killed and 66 wounded, the whole from the ranks of 182 and 196 H.A.A. Batteries, R.A. Clearly, too, Captain Sutton was too seriously wounded to submit his own report of the action, the task falling to Chief Officer A. W. Greenham: The enemy aircraft released three bombs simultaneously which struck the ship amidships between the funnels ... They wrecked the whole of the upper decks and blew out the private cabins; wrecked the engine and boiler rooms and there was hell let loose with escaping steam. I noted that the engine room skylights still remained in position but there was nothing left of the after funnel except a great chunk of iron ... the Second Officer came back and said he had found the Captain on the deck injured, and the O.C. Troops and I decided there was nothing to do but collect the wounded. Just at this time we heard the destroyer [H.M.S. Blankney; her Captains report included], which was ahead of us at the time of the attack, firing at an aircraft and our guns joined him. The starboard forward gun was very busy, and I think he got off two or three belts, but I am unable to say whether the after guns were used. The aircraft flew over us twice, using his machine-guns, and I saw tracer bullets flying directly at me. Although I did not actually see the aircraft I got the impression it was flying about 500 feet high, as I saw bursts of shells in the half-light about 1000 yards away at low altitude. I believe the destroyer shot down the aircraft. Some of the crew thought that tracer bullets from our guns struck the aircraft, but it was not seen approaching or overhead. The first thing we heard was the bombs and later there were machine-gun attacks ... Sutton eventually returned to seagoing duties in February 1943, when he joined the Prague, aboard which ship he served until transferring to his final wartime command, the rescue ship Bury, in September 1943. A vessel of 1910-vintage, the Bury was handicapped by her great age, and considerable leaks in her accommodation were the result, but she nonetheless gave sterling service from 1941-45, Suttons period of command encompassing at least a dozen operational voyages and the admission of many convoy patients to the ships hospital. So, too, her providing excellent H./F. and D./F. bearings of enemy submarines to her Naval escorts. But probably the highlight of her time under Suttons command was the occasion H.M.S. Vervain was torpedoed approaching the Clyde on 20 February 1945 - within 20 minutes the Burys rescue motor boat was picking up survivors, and though they were spread over a wide area, the task was completed within an hour. Sutton transferred from the Bury to the Macclesfield in August 1946, but for much of the late 1940s and 1950s he commanded the Vienna. Yet it was during the course of a short spell as Master of the British Railways ship Arnhem in 1952, that a little of his character was captured in a press interview: Captain A. P. Sutton has a back as straight as a cliff and a pair of clear, unflinching eyes, well-trained and accustomed to penetrating whether it be the dark shadows of the sea or, perhaps, the character of men. By instinct and experience he is a man of action, decisive, firm, and where the job is concerned, quite sure of himself. He carries an air of quiet confidence as comfortably as he wears his snug duffle-coat and peak cap. Captain Sutton came ashore for a final time in August 1962.
Sold by Order of the Direct Descendants of the late Wing Commander N. P. Simmons, D.S.O., D.F.M. The exceptional and well-documented Second World War D.S.O., D.F.M. group of ten awarded to Wing Commander N. P. Simmons, Royal Air Force, one of just 20 men to be awarded this combination of decorations in the last war - having won his D.F.M. for deeds that included literally filling his gun sight with the mighty Scharnhorst, and scoring four or five direct hits, he won an immediate D.S.O. for similar low-level daring in an attack against Panzers in France in June 1944, this time failing to mention the fact that he had been wounded until his badly damaged Halifax had returned to base: twice interviewed by the B.B.C., and twice mentioned in despatches, he added the Chinese Order of the Cloud and Banner to his accolades in 1947 Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., 1st issue, silver-gilt and enamels, the reverse of the suspension bar officially dated 1944; Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (580676 Sgt. N. P. Simmons, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, E.II.R. (Sqn. Ldr. N. P. Simmons, R.A.F.), in its card box of issue; Coronation 1953; China, Order of the Cloud and Banner, breast badge, silver-gilt and enamels, the reverse officially stamped and numbered 3243, with rosette on riband, mounted court-style as worn (excepting the General Service Medal), the first and last slightly chipped in places, generally good very fine and undoubtedly a unique combination of awards (10) £8000-10000 D.S.O. London Gazette 19 September 1944. The original recommendation states: On 30 June 1944, Squadron Leader Simmons was flying as Air Bomber and Captain of an aircraft detailed for a daylight attack on Panzer divisions at Villers-Bocage. The final order before take-off was that the destruction of this target must be brought about at all costs. Before reaching the target area, there was a small amount of cloud, which Squadron Leader Simmons appreciated might interfere with the accuracy of the bombing, but inspite of the risk of severe flak opposition from a tenaciously held position, and the chance of the bombs from aircraft above him, Squadron Leader Simmons descended from 16,000 feet to 4,000 feet to bomb below the cloud. As was expected opposition was considerable and just after the bombing run had been completed, the aircraft was hit by flak and the Navigator wounded. Squadron Leader Simmons took him aft to the rest position, and was dressing his wounds, when another burst of flak hit the aircraft wounding Squadron Leader Simmons and the Wireless Operator. Squadron Leader Simmons finished dressing the Navigators wounds and returned to the navigation compartment, the nose of which had been blown off, to try to carry on with the Navigators work. All instruments however were unserviceable and so Squadron Leader Simmons returned to the cockpit, and assisted the pilot to make a successful landing at Ford. At no time from the moment he was hit until the aircraft had landed did Squadron Leader Simmons give any indication that he was wounded. His devotion to duty in descending below cloud in spite of considerable risk, in order to bomb a vital target, and his subsequent gallantry in spite of considerable pain and discomfort, is a splendid example to all. Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal on 12 August 1940, Squadron Leader Simmons has completed 18 sorties with a total of 92 hours operational flying. He has attacked some of Germanys most heavily defended targets with complete success. As a Bomb Aimer he is outstanding, and although as a Flight Commander he has no crew, he makes a point of operating with the newest pilots in the Flight. On occasions, he has acted as Squadron Commander with outstanding ability and has proved himself not only a splendid administrator but an inspiring operational personality and leader, anxious at all times to operate and to press on against the enemy. Since joining the Royal Air Force, this officer has showed a fine fighting spirit and the keenness with which he sets out to attack the enemy is well known. I most strongly recommend him for the immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order. D.F.M. London Gazette 13 September 1940. The original recommendation states: This Air Observer has been actively engaged on operations since, and including, the first leaflet raid on the night of 3 September 1939. His crew were specially mentioned in Command Routine Orders as a result of a particularly good reconnaissance and leaflet dropping flight they carried out later in September 1939, and again after the first raid on the Scharnhorst in a Kiel dock. Sergeant Simmons, at Boscombe Down, was Navigator and Air Observer on 13 convoy escort sorties, totalling 79 hours, 20 minutes. Since his return from that area, he has been Navigator, Air Observer and Bomb Aimer on 24 bombing raids over enemy territory, totalling 161 hours, 40 minutes. This N.C.O. has always set a magnificent example to his fellow Observers in the Squadron, by his fine work, his inimitable enthusiasm and his thorough determination to see any task completed with all possible accuracy. During the first raid on the Scharnhorst in a Kiel dry dock, Sergeant Simmons held his bombing until the ship literally "filled his bomb sight" and then let ship and dock have it for all he was worth. Five direct hits were easily distinguishable from photographs taken some few hours after this raid. The latest effort of Sergeant Simmons is merely typical of the man and the work he invariably does. Early career Nicholas Palmer Simmons was born at Bratton Clovelly, Devon in October 1916 and was educated at Callington County School, Cornwall, where he was captain of the cricket and soccer XIs. In 1935 he enlisted in the Life Guards, with whom he qualified as a gunner and signaller, in addition to representing the regiment at cricket and rugby, but in 1937, he purchased his discharge in favour of joining the mounted branch of Exeter City Police (a decision possibly hastened by the hair-raising occasion on which his horse bolted down Pall Mall). Back in the West Country, he gained further accolades in rugby for both the police and Exeter City, and but for the advent of hostilities, he may well have been selected to represent his country. It was also during this period that he became interested in aviation through the Civil Air Guard, and in early 1939, after again growing disillusioned with his chosen career, he elected to join the Royal Air Force as a direct entry Air Observer (a decision also influenced by the fact he had recently paid the fine of a beggar he had arrested, in order to save him from jail). No. 58 Squadron: September 1939 to July 1940 In September 1939, having completed his training at Desford and Yatesbury, Simmons, now a Sergeant, was posted to No. 58 Squadron, a Whitley unit operating out of Linton-on-Ouse, and flew his first mission as a Navigator and Bomb Aimer to the Ruhr on the 3rd - this was also the first occasion on which R.A.F. aircraft penetrated into Germany. Later that month, on the 28th, he returned to the Ruhr, his flying log book noting that his pilot had to make a forced landing at Barton Stacey on their return - Mentioned in Bomber Command Orders. Thereafter, commencing on 10 October (his birthday), and ending on 16 January 1940, he completed 13 Anti-Submarine Patrol and Convoy Escort sorties out of Boscombe Down, following which he attended the School of Navigation at St. Athan on an Advanced Observers Course in Astro-Navigation. Duly qualified, he returned to No. 58 Squadron (now back at Linton-on-Ouse), and flew a search mission over the North Sea on 12 April 1940 before being assigned to more regular bombing strikes, and by late July he had completed in excess o
An excessively rare Great War airship pilots D.S.C. group of four awarded to Flight Commander W. F. Horner, Royal Naval Air Service, who, having served in the Airship Expeditionary Force in the Aegean 1915-16, was killed on an operational flight in the SSP.4 over the North Sea in December 1917 Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1917; 1914-15 Star (S. Lt., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Flt. Cr., R.N.A.S.), together with original illuminated Memorial Scroll in the name of Flight Commander William Frith Horner, D.S.C., R.N., with date Dec. 21 1917 added later, and a fine quality studio portrait photograph, the whole contained in a contemporary folding, part-glazed fitted leather display case, extremely fine (Lot) £4000-5000 D.S.C. London Gazette 1 May 1918: To officers of the Royal Naval Air Service for zeal and devotion to duty in the period 1 July to 31 December 1917. The original recommendation states: Flight Commander Horner has displayed great zeal and energy as Commanding Officer of Caldale Airship Station. He has carried out many submarine and convoy patrols in the North Sea under trying conditions. William Frith Horner, a native of Warlingham, Surrey, who was born in December 1894, was appointed a Midshipman in May 1912 and was serving in the battleship H.M.S. Vanguard on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Shortly afterwards, however, he transferred to the Royal Naval Air Service, being appointed a Flight Sub. Lieutenant in March 1915 and trained as an airship pilot at Kingsworth, Polegate and Dover. Once qualified, he joined the Airship Expeditionary Force in the Aegean at the end of 1915, initially with a posting to Mudros, on the Island of Lemnos, but such was the attention paid to the sheds used for the forces Sea Scout Airships by Turkish bombers that the base became known as the "Pepper-pot". In due course, therefore, the force was transferred to a new base at Kassandra, where, as confirmed by the following report, Horner assumed command sometime in 1916: He is a most excellent Sea Scout Airship pilot, and has been constantly patrolling Kephalo and Mudros. He is now in command of Kassandra. He attempted a night spotting flight over Gallipoli. A most excellent officer with a good command of men. He is recommended for promotion (Report of the Wing Captain, Eastern Mediterranean, refers). Horner was accordingly advanced to Flight Commander soon after his return to the U.K. and commenced his next operational posting at Kirkwall Airship Station in April 1917. Transferring to Caldale Airship Station in the Orkneys, as Commanding Officer, that July, he flew many anti-submarine and convoy patrols in the period leading up to his death on 21 December 1917, mainly in Sea Scout Pusher SSP.4, which airship had been placed on the strength of the Caldale establishment on 12 June 1917, and carried a crew of three, comprising pilot, W./T. Operator and Engineer. Official records further reveal that the SSP. 4 had amassed 165 airborne hours prior to her disappearance in December 1917, many of them with Horner at the helm, a record saved for posterity in Caldales "Airship Daily Reports" (now held in the National Archives at Kew). Thus her very first flight under Horner on 5 July 1917: On SSP.4s first patrol today, magneto drive seized up owing to choking of oil pipes. Leading Mechanic Anthony took down magneto and drive, and started engine off Remy by cranking propellor. Airship was drifting for 40 minutes. She was ready for flight two hours after landing. Notwithstanding such mechanical defects, Horner took SSP.4 on a submarine patrol of 220 miles less than a week later, and followed up with another patrol of similar distance on the 21st. Then on 12 August he flew a 170 mile mine-searching and convoy escort patrol, while on the 17th - following a few local flights for dummy bomb dropping and Lewis gun pratice - he flew 110 miles in the course of another convoy escort patrol. And so his work continued right up until his demise on 21 December 1917, when the SSP.4 failed to return from patrol - wreckage was subsequently discovered on Westray Island, and Horner, who was 22 years of age, was posted missing, believed drowned. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Sadly, too, the aforementioned Leading Mechanic E. F. Anthony, himself an "Airship D.S.M." Sold with four original wartime photographs, one of them showing a Sea Scout Pusher about to embark on patrol, the reverse captioned, Orkneys, 1917, Fritz in centre.
A fine Great War Sanctuary Wood M.C. group of four awarded to Second Lieutenant E. W. F. Hammond, Honourable Artillery Company Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; 1914 Star (676 L. Cpl., H.A.C.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (2. Lieut.); memorial plaque (Ernest William Frost Hammond) nearly extremely fine or better (5) £2000-2500 M.C. London Gazette 29 October 1915 For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a bomb fight at Sanctuary Wood on 30 September 1915. Although severely wounded in the right side during the afternoon and unable to use his right arm, he remained at the front using his left arm till after nightfall, when his wound compelled him to retire. M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1916. Ernest William Frost Hammond was killed in action at Bullecourt on 3 May 1917, whilst serving with the Honourable Artillery Company. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France. Sold with 14 pages copied from recipients National Archives correspondence file and further copied research detail.
A good Great War Western Front M.C. group of four awarded to Lieutenant J. W. H. Ross, 185th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse contemporarily inscribed Lieut. John W. H. Ross, 185 Tunnelling Coy., R.E., 1918; 1914-15 Star (48930 Sjt., R.E.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut.) mounted as worn; together with corresponding miniatures, these contained in McLaren & Son, Glasgow fitted case, generally very fine (8) £800-1000 M.C. London Gazette 10 December 1919 For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in removing and rendering harmless mines and traps in Dourges on 14 October 1918. At this place his investigations were carried out under particularly trying conditions, in that the enemy had exploded numerous gas shells in cellars and dug-outs, thereby making the work of searching doubly dangerous. Sold with a copy of an article from The Great War, I Was There, Part 46, entitled Had To Find The Boche Booby-Traps, R.Es. Story of a Nightmare Job of The Retreat, by Captain H. W. Graham, M.C., 185th Tunneling Company, Royal Engineers. Lieutenant Ross is mentioned a number of times in this article and the following information is extracted from it: We moved into more comfortable quarters in the centre of the town on the 13th, after satisfying ourselves that they were free of traps and gas. Ross and I operated the area agreeably. On the 13th and 14th I investigated the large hospital, which was undermined like a rabbit warren and used as a refuge to shelter the wounded, when our airmen were over bombing, and which, of course, was only a precaution against a misdirected bomb. These warrens or tunnels were provided with beds, etc,. and they contained a great quantity of paper bandages Ð presumably because cotton was so scarce. I expected the building to be mined, and it was no easy task to investigate. Moreover the tunnels were saturated with mustard gas in consequence of having some gas shells in them. The gas affected our eyes badly and the task had to be done in relays, but Ross offered to help, and we were very grateful. The Medical Officers house was also examined, and although we found no absolute evidence of traps, there was gas and we were suspicious.We placed it out of bounds by a merciful Providence, and the whole building was blown up some four weeks later by a delay-action mine when it was unoccupied. At one time I thought seriously of making it my headquarters, but the smell of gas settled the question! Anyhow, we cleared out the gunners who had taken possession of the hospital. In the course of our work we consequently absorbed more gas than was good for us, so much so that we were beginning to feel the effects. To add to it, the enemy bombarded the town next night with H.E. and gas. On the 14th the Brigadier took me to a large waste dump alongside a coal mine, of which there were many in the neighbourhood. He showed me the various outposts and gave me instructions to clear the village of Noyelles-Godault of traps so that he could put a battalion in that night. Ross helped me in the job with half a dozen men, but when we got within 200 yards the enemy opened fire, and whilst we waited for the bombardment to subside we saw the steeple of the village church, struck at its base, heave over and topple down in ruins. In the evening we were again shelled severely with gas. We were all suffering very much by this time with gas Ð our eyes were inflamed and we couldnt bear a light in the same room. Just after 9 p.m. I was obliged to take Ross and some men to the dressing-station in the middle of the bombardment, and they were shortly after evacuated to the Base and England, never to return to French soil again, although they finally recovered... Up to the end of the 17th my party had removed some 600 traps of various kinds, demolition charges and delay-action mines. Seven men of my party of 12 were evacuated as "gassed," and five of Rosss men, including himself. In the meantime I recommended three of my men and two of Rosss for honours
A fine Second World War D.F.C. and Bar group of eight awarded to Wing Commander R. L. Bowes, Royal Air Force, late Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who led No. 44 Squadron in the famous Peenemunde raid in August 1943, when his Lancaster was hit by flak and badly damaged, and afterwards in a strike against Berlin in which his aircraft had an engine put out of action by another hit Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar, the reverse of the Cross officially dated 1943 and the reverse of the Bar 1944; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S.E. Asia 1945-46 (Act. Wg. Cdr., R.A.F.); Air Efficiency Award, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar, 1st issue (Act. Sqn. Ldr., R.A.F.V.R.), mounted as worn, together with a set of related miniature dress medals, good very fine and better (16) £2500-3000 D.F.C. London Gazette 19 October 1943. The original recommendation states: In the attack on the Experimental Station at Peenemunde on 17-18 August 1943, the Lancaster aircraft in which Wing Commander Bowes was captain was hit in the nose by an accurate burst of light flak during the run up to the target. This engagement resulted in the Bomb Aimer being seriously wounded and blinded in one eye, and the bomb sight being completely smashed. In spite of this difficult situation, however, Wing Commander Bowes went on to make a most determined and accurate attack on the target. When clear of the target area, on the homeward journey, he organised successful first aid treatment for the Bomb Aimer who was suffering considerable pain from perspex splinters in the face. In the short time in which he has commanded No. 44 Squadron, Wing Commander Bowes has, through a quiet but strong personality and by his own determined operational example, inspired his aircrews with a vigourous offensive spirit and raised appreciably the efficiency and esprit de corps of the whole squadron. He has now completed 18 successful sorties, all, with one exception, against strongly defended German targets. In addition, during his O.T.U. training, he did eight anti-submarine patrols in the Bay of Biscay, during one of which he attacked a half-submerged U-boat and was credited with having probably damaged it. I strongly recommend Wing Commander Bowes for an immediate Distinguished Flying Cross. Bar to D.F.C. London Gazette 3 March 1944. The original recommendation states: Wing Commander Bowes has recently relinquished command of No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron on posting to staff duties. During his operational tour he completed successfully 23 sorties against enemy targets, including most of the well-known and notoriously well-defended German targets - Berlin (three times), Stuttgart, Mannheim, Peenemunde and the Ruhr. His quiet courage, splendid efficient determination to reach and hit his targets, and an invariable eagerness to operate have always been obvious, as the following two episodes well illustrate: During an attack on Peenemunde on 17-18 August 1943, Wing Commander Bowes aircraft was hit by an accurate burst of light flak during the run up to the target. The Bomb Aimer was seriously wounded, and the bomb sight completely smashed, but in spite of these difficulties a most determined and accurate attack was carried out. Again, in the Berlin attack on 18-19 November 1943, his aircraft was hit by flak shortly before bombing and one engine put completely out of action. A second and successful run up was, however, made, after which Wing Commander Bowes flew his damaged aircraft back to this country, eventually landing it without further damage in adverse weather conditions at an aerodrome on the south coiast of England. His own splendid operational example was undoubtedly responsible in large measure for the many successes of the aircrews he commanded, while on the ground he never spared himself to train and equip these personnel so that they would be fitted to inflict the maximum damage upon the enemy at the least possible cost. I strongly recommend Wing Commander Bowes for an immediate award of a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross. Robert Lawrence Bowes was born in April 1908 and held a private pilots licence prior to being commissioned on the Reserve of Air Force Officers in early 1933. Advanced to Flying Officer in September of the following year, he transferred to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in January 1938 and was advanced to Flight Lieutenant on the outbreak of hostilities. Bowes served as a flying instructor in the U.K. and Southern Rhodesia until 1942, was awarded the Air Efficiency Award in the following year (AMO No. 131 of 1943 refers), and originally commenced his operational career as a Flight Commander in No. 207 Squadron, a Lancaster unit based at Langar, Nottinghamshire, in the rank of Acting Squadron Leader. But it was for his subsequent services in No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire, that he won his first decoration, and more specifically for his part in the famous Peenemunde raid of August 1943. On that memorable occasion, in the rank of Acting Wing Commander, he led 44s force of 13 aircraft, himself piloting Lancaster DV. 155, which, as outlined above, suffered severe flak damage - in fact 44 Squadron suffered heavily that night, three of its Lancasters failing to return with the loss of 20 lives (just one member of aircrew survived to be taken P.O.W.). Awarded an immediate D.F.C., three of Bowes crew were duly gazetted for D.F.Ms in the New Year. Having completed his operational tour with No. 44 in February 1944, and added a Bar to his D.F.C. and been mentioned in despatches, the former no doubt prompted by his subsequent Berlin trips (London Gazette 14 January 1944 refers), Bowes joined H.Q. R.A.F. Scampton, where he served until attending a Staff College course that summer. A succession of staff appointments followed, until in March 1945 he joined No. 214 (Malay States) Squadron, a Fortess unit based at Oulton, Norfolk, and flying on radio counter-measure operations, in which role he would have been employed until the units disbandment that July. In September, he was ordered to South East Asia Command, in which theatre of operations he commanded No. 159 Squadron at Digri and Salbani until early 1946, a period that witnessed the units Liberators dropping supplies to ex-P.O.Ws and to the starving inhabitants of Southern Burma - and Bowes notching up a further 180 hours flying time. Having then been granted a permanent R.A.F. commission as a Squadron Leader, he next served as S.A.S.O. at No. 228 Group, followed by appointments at the Turkish Air Staff College in Istanbul 1948-50, the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia 1950-51, and H.Q., U.S.A.F., 92nd Wing at Fairchild, Washington 1951-53, and was latterly a Wing Commander attached to S.H.A.P.E. He had, meanwhile, been awarded a Bar to his Air Efficiency Award (AMO No. 866 of 1951 refers). Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipients (Civil Authority) Journey Log Book, covering the period June 1931 to April 1933; his R.A.F.V.R. Flying Log Book, covering the period July 1938 to March 1941; his R.A.F. Flying Log Book, covering the period August 1946 to May 1954; and three official Air Ministry photographs, two of them depicting low-level attacks on U-Boats, and most probably pertinent to the recipients earlier anti-submarine patrols in No. 44 Squadron.
A good Second World War D.F.C. group of seven awarded to Squadron Leader M. G. Reid, Royal Canadian Air Force, who completed 38 sorties in Halifaxes of 76 and 78 Squadrons, on several occasions as a Leading Navigator in daylight raids Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated 1945; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal 1939-45, silver; Canadian Voluntary Service Medal 1939-45; War Medal 1939-45, silver; Canadian Forces Decoration, E.II.R., with Second Award Bar (S./L. M. G. Reid), generally good very fine (7) £1600-1800 D.F.C. London Gazette 6 November 1945. The original recommendation states: Pilot Officer Reid has now completed his first tour of operations, comprising 38 sorties and 194 operational hours. He has participated in attacks on heavily defended German targets, including Gelsenkirchen (twice), Sterkrade (twice), Dusseldorf, Duisburg and Magdeburg. This Canadian officer has at all times proved himself to be a consistently superior navigator whose outstanding skill has enabled his captain to bring back many good photographs of the target area and has played a great part in the safe return of his aircraft and crew. His enthusiasm for operations has been abounding, while his extreme coolness under adverse weather conditions has done much to foster a high standard of morale in his crew. On several occasions he has led the Squadron and the Group in daylight attacks on German targets. These attacks were carried out with the greatest skill and determination and have been highly successful. He has greatly assisted in the training of new crews and has always set a fine example to his fellow navigators in the Squadron. I strongly recommend that Pilot Officer Reids outstanding skill, courage and strong devotion to duty be recognised by the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Mervyn Garfield Reid, who was born in Winnipeg in 1922, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in June 1942 and qualified as a Navigator at the Edmonton Air Observer School in August 1943. Embarked for the U.K., he next attended No. 29 Operational Training Unit, following which he was posted to No. 76 Squadron, a Halifax unit operating out of Holme-on-Spalding, Yorkshire in July 1944. Flying his first operational outing on the 18th of that month, a strike against the flying-bomb site at Acquet, Normandy, he went on to complete another 20 operations with No. 76, several of them of a similar nature - or other targets in support of the Allied landings - and the remainder against German targets such as Russelheim, Sterkrade and Gelsenkirchen - several, too, of the daylight variety. Transferring to No. 78 Squadron, another Halifax unit, operating out of Breighton, Yorkshire, in October 1944, Reid flew another 18 sorties, the vast majority of them against heavily defended Garman targets, including Bottrop. Cologne, Dortmund, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Magdeburg, Munster and Stuttgart - and return trips to Gelsenkirchen and Sterkrade. Added to which, as stated above, on several occasions he led the Squadron and the Group in daylight attacks on [these] German target. Posted to No. 10 Squadron at the end of his operational tour in March 1945, he was awarded the D.F.C., which decoration was sent to him from Government House in November 1949. Meanwhile, in January of the latter year, Reid rejoined the Royal Canadian Air Force with an appointment as a Navigator in No. 408 Squadron at Rockcliffe, a Lancaster photographic unit, and remained similarly employed until December 1951, when he joined No. 2 Air Navigation School as a Screen Navigator. Then in June 1955, having attended R.A.F. Merryfield to gain experience in Canberras, he was attached to No. 540 Squadron at R.A.F. Wyton. In fact, Reid remained employed at Wyton, latterly as a member of the Radar Reconnaissance Flight, until July 1959, when he returned to Canada. Here he served on the staff of the Canadian Navigation School until his retirement in April 1961, when he was re-graded as a Navigator A1. Sold with the recipients original Flying Logs Books, bound as one volume, covering the period March 1943 to April 1961.
A very rare E.II.R. Malaya operations D.F.C. group of six awarded to Squadron Leader B. H. Walker, Royal Air Force, who completed numerous bombing sorties in No. 148 Squadrons Lincolns 1954-55 Distinguished Flying Cross, E.II.R., reverse officially dated 1955; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, E.II.R. (Flt. Lt. B. H. Walker, R.A.F.), good very fine and better (6) £3000-3500 D.F.C. London Gazette 11 October 1955: In recognition of gallant and distinguished service in Malaya. Brian Hibbs Walker, who was born in December 1921, was commissioned as a Pilot Officer, from Corporal, in February 1943 and is believed to have flown operationally in Lancasters before the Wars end. A Flight Lieutenant by the time he joined No. 148 Squadron in early 1954, he was ordered to Tengah, Singapore in April of the same year, the units Lincolns having been selected for operations over Malaya. Some hasty training in bombing and strafing missions ensued - as would attendance at a jungle training course care of the Somerset Light Infantry - and on 6 May Walker flew his first sortie, a strike against a target in Kampong Punngai. Five days later he was back in action over Kajang, followed by a pinpoint strike in the Ipoh area on the 19th, and a brace of visits to the Kulim region on the 26th and 30th. June witnessed him flying another five sorties, against targets in Kulim, Flagwag Bahau, Flagwag Gurun, Kuala Selangor and Kadah peak, the last named involving a six-hour flight, while in July he participated in "Operation Termite", a large scale initiative in collaboration with our ground forces in the Ipoh area, and one entailing the use of 1000lb. bombs prior to parachute drops to clear up any remaining opposition. "Termite" over, No. 148 returned to the U.K., where it participated in "Operation Sea Mist", a large scale exercise to test the defences of Denmark and Norway, Walker being advanced to Squadron Leader in October. Then in the following month, he returned to Tengah, this time as C.O. of the Squadrons operational detachment and, between December 1954 and March 1955, flew a succession of sorties in support of "Latimer", "Nassau" and other initiatives - thus a four-hour daylight trip against Ipoh, and three-hour night and day sorties against Triang in December 1954. But it was in January 1955 that he was at his busiest, dropping 14 x 500lb. bombs on Termerloh on the 1st, and the same load on targets in Triang and Kampong Puggai on the 2nd, and again on the latter place on the 4th. Then he delivered a bomb load of 12,000lb. to Taiping on the 6th, another 10,000lb. to Kuala Langat on the 11th and 12th, followed by a 14,000lb. load to the same target for good measure on the following night; and finally, in the latter part of the month, 7,000lb. loads were dropped on targets at Mount Ophir on the 19th, Gemas on the 25th and Port Dickson on the 27th. As a result of rain damage to 148s runway, operations were reduced in the February-March period, but Walker did deliver four further bomb loads in the former month. The Squadron was ordered home in April 1955 and he was gazetted for a well-deserved D.F.C. that October. He was placed on the Retired List in October 1973.
A rare Second World War O.B.E. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel H. E. Chater, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, who, having passed a bomb disposal course in London in early 1941, was attached to the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, participated in the Walcheren landings in November 1944 and was awarded the Order of Orange Nassau: then in 1955 he added a "Canada M.S.M." to his accolades - one of just 29 E.II.R. issues ever granted The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Members 2nd type breast badge; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal 1939-45, silver; Canadian Voluntary Service Medal 1939-45, with overseas clasp; War Medal 1939-45, silver; Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., robed bust, Canada (2nd Cl. Mr. Gr. (W.O. Cl. 1, R.C.H.A.); Army Meritorious Service, E.II.R., Canada reverse (P8236 Mr. Gr. (W.O. 1), R.C.A.); The Netherlands, Order of Orange-Nassau, Officers breast badge, silver-gilt and enamels, with swords, rosette on riband, mounted as worn, together with an R.C.H.A. badge, the sixth with officially corrected rank and the last with chipped enamel work and one slightly damaged arm point, otherwise generally good very fine (8) £1000-1200 O.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1946. Hartley Ernest Chater was born in Toronto in February 1903 and enlisted underage in the Permanent Forces of Canada in June 1919, aged 16 years, his attestation papers noting apparently aged 19. Posted to the Canadian Horse Artillery, he gained steady promotion over the coming years, rising to Battery Sergeant-Major in 1932 and to Quarter-Master Sergeant in the following year, when he was employed on the staff of the Royal Military Academy. Having then been awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in June 1937, he attended a special Master Gunners course in the U.K., and was appointed Master Gunner 1st Class in the following year. The advent of hostilities found him employed as a Regimental Sergeant-Major and he was embarked for England in January 1940, where he was commissioned in the 1st Medium Regiment, R.C.A. that September. Having then passed a bomb disposal course at Regents Park in the New Year, he was advanced to Captain and attached to the 1st Canadian Division Ammunition Column. Again promoted in 1942, to Major, he was in fact a Lieutenant-Colonel (Ordnance Officer 2nd Class) by the time of the North West Europe operations 1944-45, which theatre of operations he visited on several occasions, but never for a sufficient length of time to qualify for the 1939-45 Star. Be that as it may, he was present in the Walcheren operations in November 1944, when he was attached as an Ordnance Officer to 112 L.A.A. Battery, R.C.A. - a rocket unit - and afterwards on secondment to the Hague. He was awarded the O.B.E. and the Order of Orange-Nassau, the latter by Royal Warrant dated 11 November 1946. Finally released back at Montreal in September 1947, Chater returned to the U.K. and settled in Dartford, Kent, where he died in April 1983. In the interim, however, by letter of notification from the Department of National Defence at Ottawa dated 21 July 1955, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal - one of just 29 E.II.R. "Canada M.S.Ms" and the only such example yet noted on the market by Ian McInnes. Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipients O.B.E. warrant, in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, R.C.O.C., the borders trimmed, and related forwarding letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs at Ottawa; his warrant of appointment to the Order of Oranage-Nassau, dated 11 November 1946; and his M.S.M. letter of notification from the Department of National Defence at Ottawa, dated 21 July 1955; together with large file of research compiled from Canadian archives and family sources.
Reproduction Queen Anne style display cabinet, the upper section having moulded arch shaped cornice with a carved pediment, fitted four shelves and enclosed by pair of arch shaped doors, the bomb‚ front base fitted three long graduated drawers and standing on ball and claw supports, 143cm wide - see illustration
19th Century French ormolu mounted mahogany Vernis Martin bomb‚ front vitrine fitted three shelves enclosed by a three-quarter glazed door having a painted panel below depicting a romantic couple in a landscape flanked each side by two further painted panels, standing on six splayed supports, 135cm wide - see colour illustration
*Patterson (Frank, 1871-1952). A group of three original pen and ink drawings, c. 1930s, one a cover design for Cycling magazine, dated 1931, and showing two cyclists cycling into the night rain, the second titled Cape Time, undated, showing two tandem cyclists putting on their capes in lightning and rain, the third titled It's Worth Fighting For!, 1939, showing a cyclist talking to a shepherd among fields and rolling countryside with a threatening figure of death holding a dagger and bomb in the sky above, all signed, pubs. pencil marks to margins, and inkstamps to versos, approx. 44 x 32 cm and similar (3)
Harris (Frank). The Bomb, published by the Author, New York, 1920, b & w plts., several leaves with closed tears, mostly to lower blank margin, upper hinge split, lacking rear free endpaper, orig. cloth gilt, spine darkened and rubbed, 8vo. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper: 'To dearest Paddy from "Pat" the author Frank Harris who loves her dearly June 1920'. Frank Harris was one of the most infamous characters of the late 19th and early 20th century. He made his name as a journalist and author, and was a key figure of the literary and political scene. He was a friend to both Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, and amongst many others he also knew H.G. Wells, Max Beerbohm, Winston Churchill, Aleister Crowley, George Moore and Arnold Bennett. He was notably outspoken and candid, which did not suit the tenor of the times, but it was the publication of his autobiography in 1922 'My Life and Loves' which finally destroyed his reputation. This work immediately scandalised the society of his day with its unshrinking depiction of sexual matters. 'The Bomb', Harris's first novel, is set among the anarchist victims of the events surrounding Chicago's Haymarket Square bombing of 1886. It evoked a chorus of praise amongst reviewers, for example, 'The Times': "'The Bomb' is highly charged with an explosive blend of Socialistic and Anarchistic matter, wrapped in a gruesome coating of 'exciting' fiction... Mr. Harris has a real power of realistic narrative... The tense directness of his style, never deviating into verbiage, undoubtedly keeps the reader at grips with the story and the characters." First published in 1908, this edition was a small print run published by the author. (1)
Modern Image Sign BRUTON SIGNAL BOX. Measures 46" x 7¼" and is ex box. Evidently only used for a short period so pretty unique. Together with London & North Eastern Railway full title Poster Board Heading. Somewhat ragged and at one time bent in half (to aid transportation!) Evidently was removed from a London bomb site and transported to the West Country where it has languished until recently. It is long, so we will not post!
Murdoch, Iris. The Philosopher's Pupil, first edition, Chatto & Windus, London 1983. Boards, dustjacket, octavo; Murdoch, Iris. The Good Apprentice, first edition, Chatto & Windus, London 1985. Boards, dustjacket, octavo; Greene, Graham. A Sort of Life, first edition, Bodley Head, London 1971. Green cloth, dustjacket (price-clipped), octavo; Greene, Graham. Doctor Fischer of Geneva, or The Bomb Party, first edition, Bodley Head, London 1980. Boards, dustjacket (price-clipped), octavo; Greene, Graham. The Tenth Man, first edition, Bodley Head, London 1985. Boards, dustjacket, octavo; and a further twenty-eight assorted works, (33).
* Doyly-John (C. R., 1906-1993). Street scene, Eze village, South of France, oil on canvas, signed, approx. 355 x 255mm (14 x 10ins), framed, with Frost and Reed label to verso Doyly-John served in the Army during the Second World War, and was wounded by a bomb blast in 1945, after which he took up painting. His work is characterised by the use of bold colour and the accomplished use of the palette knife. (1)
* Savoia S.81 Pipistrello (Bat). A rare period (c. 1935), static scale model of this bomber/transport tri-motor aircraft, much used during the Abyssinian campaign, constructed of wood with aluminium framed windows, door, cockpit, glazing surround, bomb-airners panel and turrets, with three dummy radical engines, three-blade aluminium propellers with spinners, the main undercarriage with wheel spats and tailwheel, the tail fin with Italian national markings, finished in the all-over cream of No. 63 Sqaudriglia (No. 29 Group, No. 9 Stornio), 31 in (79 cm) wingspan -1
* Brown (Charles E., attrib.). A fine air-to-air close-up of a Westland Whirlwind with good pilot portrait (unknown), Sea Otter JM861 in a steep right-hand bank, Hawker P1127 XP972 with civil Hunter Mk.7. G-Apux, Gloster Gladiators of No. 87 Squadron and others, together with two images of Meteor Mk8 VZ460, possibly flown by Jan Zurakowski for rocket and bomb trials, 33 in x 18 in (84 cm x 46 cm), framed and glazed, damp stained (a lot)
* Pilots Log. The manuscript flying log book of Lieutenant J.S. Bowker, 8th Bn, Manchester Regt, with the 113 Squadron (January 1918), serving in the Middle East, 15th September 1917 to 21st January 1919, including flights to Kalkili, Arsuf, Tabsor, Berukin, Sarona, Damascus, remarks incuding tactical, bomb raid, photographs, with mail, etc., a few leaves det., orig. printed wrappers, some soiling, 8vo, together with his commission to the rank of 2nd lieutenant (23rd Spetember 1915) and a certificate with facsimile signature of Churchill indicating that Bowker was mentioned in a Despatch from Allenby dated 5th March 1919 -3
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