Lot Archive

Lot

№ 590

.

5 March 1996

Hammer Price:
£2,300

A fine post war O.B.E., D.F.C. group of eight awarded to Wing Commander G. P. Elliott, Royal Air Force
The Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) 2nd type; Distinguished Flying Cross, E.II.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1959’; 1939-45 Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals; General Service 1918-62, 4 clasps, Palestine 1945-48, Cyprus, Near East, Arabian Peninsula (Flt. Lt., R.A.F.); General Service 1962, 2 clasps, Borneo, Malay Peninsula (Wg. Cdr., R.A.F.) additional clasps loose on ribbon as issued, the group mounted as worn and sold with six original Pilot’s Flying Log Books, some contact marks but generally very fine and rare (8)

O.B.E. London Gazette 1 January, 1967.
D.F.C.
London Gazette 22 December, 1959: ‘In recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty in air operations in Aden and Oman.
During the Second World War Elliott flew Hurricans, Spitfires and Mustangs, seeing much service in the U.S.A. and Canada. In early 1945 he was posted as a Flight Lieutenant to No. 213 Squadron in Italy, and while on an operational sweep over Austria his Mustang was shot down by ground fire. His log book entry for 13 February is annotated with the following statement:
“Shot down by ground fire during straffing in Austria. Baled out at 800 feet and landed in snow. Evaded enemy for 3 months and escaped back to Italy (walked 435 miles). Hard bloody work!!”
During his wide and varied post war career, he flew Meteors, Vampires, Sabres, Hunters, Venoms and Canberras, and for his services as Wing Commander, Commanding No. 8 Squadron, in Aden and Oman he was awarded the D.F.C. Based at R.A.F. Khormaksar, in Aden, from August 1957 to April 1959, he took part in a great number of strikes in Venom aircraft, his rocket-firing capabilities being assessed as “exceptional”. He was commanding the Flying Wing at R.A.F. Tengah, Singapore, from April 1964 to December 1966, for which he received the O.B.E. Between April and October 1968, he flew just over 90 hours in Spitfires for the makers of the popular Battle of Britain film, and his log book also notes that he flew a Messerschmitt 109. Wing Commander George Percy Elliott was placed on the retired list in December 1969, and died on 18 June, 1972.