Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A remarkable pairing of awards to Mosquito pilot and navigator:

Four: Warrant Officer P. W. Goody, Royal Air Force, a Mosquito pilot in No. 23 Squadron who flew intruder missions over North-West Europe in 1945, gaining credit for damaging at least one enemy aircraft
1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, together with the recipient’s embroidered Wings and Warrant Officer’s sleeve insignia, good very fine

Three: Warrant Officer J. Jacobs, Royal Air Force, W./O. Goody’s navigator throughout his tour of operations
1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45, together with the recipient’s embroidered Navigator’s Brevet, very fine or better (10) £600-800

Goody and Jacobs teamed-up as pilot and navigator at No. 23 Squadron, a Mosquito unit operating out of Little Snoring, in early 1945.

Completing their first intruder sortie on 13 February, over the Zuider Zee, they also flew a brace of similar missions to Lista, Norway, in the same month, in addition to acting as escort to Liberator bombers on a raid against Wilhelmshaven. Seven more intruder sorties were carried out in March, during the course of which they attacked a train south of Flensburg, the runway and buildings at Lista, under intense heavy and light flak, and, during a night ranger operation on the 30th, three trains, two of which were damaged.

Then on their first sortie in April, on the night of the 4th-5th, Goody and Jacobs were detailed to attack the enemy airfield at Burg, home to a number of Me. 262 jets in addition to other aircraft, where they dropped a brace of 500lbs. with good effect, or certainly according to the famous 176-victory German ace, Johannes Steinhoff, who was stationed at Burg that night, and who wrote to Jacons after the War in the following terms:

‘I have had a chat with a comrade who was also present during the Mosquito attack on the night in question, and the following is all there is to say about it. So far as we can reconstruct the attack, the Me. 262s were only damaged, but quite a lot of them. Parked near the Control Tower were a number of He. 162s (Volksjager or people’s fighters) as well as a Do. 335 twin-engine push-pull aircraft. Several of the 162s were burnt out, and the 335 was severely damaged. A more detailed statement concerning the successes of our colleagues of the other side cannot be given. At first light moreover, there followed a low-level attack by a swarm of Thunderbolts, which also went after the 262s, so that in the end it was no longer possible to say who had hit what!’

Immediately following the bombing of Burg, they attacked another enemy airfield at Rwchlin-Larz, firing 160 rounds of 20mm. cannon shell at an enemy aircraft. Their combat report takes up the story:



‘Mosquito was patrolling west side of the airfield when an unidentified enemy aircraft, carrying one yellow light, was seen touching down on the east end of the runway. Mosquito turned sharply to starboard and, at 0001 hours, from 1500 feet down to 500 feet, attacked the enemy aircraft as it finished its run on the west end of the runway. Concentrated strikes were seen on the enemy aircraft, the yellow light disappeared and all airfield lights were doused. Nothing further was seen of the enemy aircraft which is claimed as damaged.’

A few days later, on an intruder patrol to Aalborg on the night of the 22nd-23rd, their aircraft was coned by three searchlights at 200 feet over the target and subjected to very heavy - but mercifully inaccurate - flak. Shortly afterwards, pilot and navigator ended their operational tour with bombing strikes against targets in Munich and Hohne.

Percy William Goody commenced his pilot training out in Canada in February 1943 and, having returned to the U.K. at the end of the same year, gained an ‘above average’ rating in Blenheims and Beaufighters while serving at assorted A.F.Us. Then in January 1945, having attended an Intruder Course at Charter Hall, he was posted to No. 23 Squadron at Little Snoring, where he quickly converted to the unit’s Mosquitos and teamed-up with John Jacobs as his Navigator.

Goody was still serving in No. 25 Squadron in June 1946, when he participated in the Victory Fly Past over London, and, on being released from service joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch), in which capacity he was still logging flying hours as late as the 1990s, while attending a C.C.F. camp at R.A.F. Lyneham.

Sold with the recipient’s original R.C.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Book, covering the period February 1943 to June 1991, and with wartime copy of his combat report from April 1945, with worn, taped spine, together with a P.O.W. camp post card from Flying Officer L. J. Lindridge, with censor’s stamp (’Well it certainly seems as though things are beginning to look brighter ... it won’t be so long before we are home and can get weaving on this painting the town red business!’).

John Jacobs commenced his training as a Navigator out in Canada in August 1943, qualified in March 1944, and returned to the U.K. two months later. Then in January 1945, having attended an Intruder Course at Charter Hall, he was posted to No. 23 Squadron at Little Snoring, where he quickly converted to the unit’s Mosquitos and teamed-up with Percy Goody as his pilot.

Following his tour of operations with Goody, he was posted to No. 25 Squadron, and also attended an O.T.U. prior to being released from service in October 1946. Though a matter of speculation, it is feasible that John Jacobs was a relation of Squadron Leader Henry “Jake” Jacobs, D.F.C. and Bar, A.F.C, a top-scoring nightfighter navigator (see D.N.W., 2 March 2005, Lot 996).

Sold with the recipient’s original R.C.A.F. Flying Log Book for Airman other than Pilots, covering the period October 1943 to September 1946, and with wartime copy of his combat report from April 1945, with worn, taped spine, together with his Pilot’s Notes for Mosquito Marks F 11 and NF XII, and copy typescript of Steinhoff’s letter to Jacobs, dated 5 March 1954.