A fine Second World War D.F.M. group of five awarded to Warrant Officer W. G. Hill, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, the survivor of two operational tours totalling 51 sorties

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (955132 Sgt. W. G. Hill, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals, the first with worn but perfectly legible naming, good very fine and better (5) £1000-1200

D.F.M. London Gazette 11 June 1943. The recommendation states:

‘Sergeant Hill is a Flight Engineer who has repeatedly displayed commendable courage and devotion to duty. While engaged in minelaying operations in April 1943, his aircraft was attacked and severely damaged by a J.U. 88. During the spin which ensued, the port aileron broke off and 13,000 feet in height was lost. It was due to the valuable assistance given to the Captain by this airman that control of the aircraft was regained. The assistance of both the Bomb Aimer and the Flight Engineer was required to maintain it in level flight and throughout the return journey Sergeant Hill was occupied in holding the control column to assist in preventing the aircraft going into a diving turn. Despite this, he succeeded in keeping watch on his instruments and making intricate fuel consumption calculations. The successful return of this aircraft was undoubtedly attributable in no small degree to his prompt action and perserverance.’

William George Hill was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham in January 1918 and worked as a labourer prior to enlisting in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in March 1940. Qualifying as a Flight Engineer in November 1942, he was posted to No. 12 Squadron, a Lancaster unit based at Wickenby, in March 1943, and flew his first operational sortie on the night of 12th-13th, against Essen. Two more sorties were flown that month, against Duisberg and Berlin, and in April Hill and his crew completed another seven sorties, their targets including two visits to the docks at La Spezia, and a low-level run against Pilsen on the night of the 16th-17th, when their Lancaster was hit by flak and returned home on three engines. But by far the most memorable trip of that month was a “Gardening” sortie to Danzig on the night of the 28th-29th. Hill’s skipper, Flight Sergeant C.O.A. Lawrence, takes up the story:

‘On the return trip from Gydnia we crossed Denmark just as dawn was breaking and just off the western coast we were attacked by a J.U. 88. My Rear-Gunner, Sergeant C. Drake, spotted it and as he gave me instructions to “Dive port”, the fighter released a burst of cannon fire. The Rear-Gunner was blinded by either perspex or shrapnel and the Mid-Upper Gunner, Sergeant A. Harper, struck in the right knee cap by a shell, and landed on the floor of the aircraft. The Rear-Gunner had managed a burst of fire at the J.U. 88 before being hit and we are unsure whether he shot it down, damaged it, or warned it off. Sufficient to say that it did not renew the attack. With the Gunners out of action, I ordered the Wireless Operator into the astro-dome, but with the aircraft somewhat out of control he could not make it. With the assistance of the Flight Engineer, Sergeant W. G. Hill, and the Bomb Aimer, Sergeant B. Cruse, we eventually managed to pull the aircraft out of the dive and on to an even keel (very difficult). I nosed down into some cloud cover so we did not see the J.U. 88 again. The port aileron then broke off and the control column was jerked out of my hands, requiring the efforts of three of us to regain control. We were by then down to 2,000 feet, and in addition to the lost aileron had a badly damaged elevator. I decided to fly the 350 miles back to base with out badly injured Gunners. We made an emergency landing at Coltishall on grass (no runways at that time). The control column was virtually useless on approach and a successful landing was carried out by use of the engines for control. The Gunners were taken to Norwich Hospital and later to Ely. The Rear-Gunner was shipped back to Canada and eventually regained partial sight. The Mid-Upper Gunner unfortunately had to have his right leg amputated.’

A fortnight later, with replacement Gunners aboard a new aircraft, Flight Sergeant Lawrence, shortly to be gazetted for an immediate D.F.M., and Sergeant Hill, returned to the fray with a raid on Duisberg. And the remainder of May saw them making further sorties to Bochum, Dortmund, Dusseldorf and Essen. In the trip to Dusseldorf, on the night of the 26th-27th, Hill went to the assistance of the new Rear-Gunner whose oxygen tube had become detached. But his own bottled supply ran out while he was attempting to render assistance and he passed out. The mission was aborted.

June saw just one sortie being flown by Hill and his crew, a raid on Cologne on the night of the 16th-17th, when the Lawrence had to take violent evasive action to escape an M.E. 110. It was also the same month in which news of Hill’s D.F.M. came through. In the first week of July Cologne was visited twice in quick succession, in addition to three trips to Hamburg towards the end of the month as part of the prolonged action that resulted in terrible ‘firestorms’ that caused over 40,000 casualties. Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Turin were also visited that month.

In August, Hill joined the crew of Squadron Leader Heyworth, two trips to Milan and another to Leverhausen making up that month’s operational agenda. Then in early September, following raids on Berlin, Mannheim and Munich, he completed his first tour.

Between October 1943 and November 1944, Hill served as an instructor in Halifaxes, but in the latter month he returned to the operational scene with No. 550 Squadron, a Lancaster unit based at Killingholme. Thus ensued a fairly relentless second tour against predominantly German targets, including the 1000 Bomber Raids on Essen and Dortmund in early March 1945, and an earlier trip to Cologne in which Hill recorded having been ‘Hit by flak in seat.’ His 51st and final wartime sortie was against Kiel on the night of 9-10 April, when the battleship Admiral Scheer was sunk. He was demobbed in April 1946.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Book, covering the period December 1942 to June 1945; R.A.F. Service and Release Book; and a selection of recent newspaper cuttings covering the reunion of the recipient with his wartime pilot after 50 years.