An early Second World War D.F.M. awarded to Sergeant E. F. Fry, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, for gallant services as a pilot in Wellingtons of No. 214 Squadron: he subsequently died on active service in February 1941, while serving in No. 142 Squadron

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (741738 Sgt. E. F. Fry, R.A.F.), in its named card box of issue, extremely fine
£1700-1900

D.F.M. London Gazette 11 February 1941. The original recommendation states:

‘This airman has shown exceptional keenness and devotion to duty in all his operational flights. On the night of 19 November 1940 he carried out, as Captain of Aircraft, a successful attack on the shipbuilding yards at Kiel. He has proved a painstaking and thorough pilot, and his dogged determination and perseverance has been most marked.’

Edward Frank “Teddy” Fry enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in September 1938 and, called up on the outbreak of hostilities, was trained as a pilot. Having then attended No. 12 O.T.U., he joined the strength of No. 214 Squadron, a Wellington unit operating out of R.A.F. Stradishall, in the summer of 1940. Thus ensued a full tour of 31 operational sorties, including early strikes on Berlin, services that won him the D.F.M.

The award having been announced in The London Gazette on 11 February 1941, he wrote to his mother with details of the forthcoming investiture but, a little over a fortnight later, he was killed in a Wellington of No. 12 O.T.U. which crashed at Watlington, Oxfordshire - apparently he steered the crippled bomber away from the village. By then a member of No. 142 Squadron, he may have been visiting friends from his old O.T.U.

The son of William and Eva Fry, he was 26 years old, and was buried in Sittingbourne Cemetery, Kent; sold with an original Air Ministry letter addressed to his sister, dated 4 July 1941, quoting the citation for the award of his D.F.M.

A quantity of manuscripts appertaining to his career are held by the Imperial War Museum (Ref. Documents 15055), a summary of which appears on the Museum’s website:

‘7 ms letters to his mother and sister, written during his training with No. 12 Operational Training Unit (early 1940) and (from September 1940) on operations as a Pilot with No. 214 Squadron R.A.F. Bomber Command until his death in action on 28 February 1941. The letters, though brief, do contain several interesting comments regarding his confidence in the abilities of Bomber Command, his intention to reach the squadron record for number of operations flown (he was on 31 at the time of writing) his raids on Berlin and, in his final letter, the arrangements for the forthcoming presentation of his D.F.M. (his mother and sister collected the award on his behalf after his death). The collection also includes papers relating to his call up from the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (R.A.F.V.R.) (September 1938 and September 1939), a photograph of the aircraft in which he first flew solo, with a list of all the other aircraft flown during his training, 3 printed messages from the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Bomber Command dated July and August 1940, a notice from the Kent Messenger (8 March 1941) about his death in action, press cuttings relating to Bomber Command operations and an article from Picture Post magazine featuring photographs of his squadron (14 September 1940).’