Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Second World War D.F.M. group of five awarded to Flying Officer J. Keddie, a Bomb Aimer in Pathfinders who survived the loss of his Lancaster over Berlin in August 1943 - and several other close shaves in the course of at least 40 sorties

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (659018 Sgt. J. Keddie, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, good very fine or better (5) £1600-1800

D.F.M. London Gazette 13 July 1943. The original recommendation states:

‘This N.C.O. has now completed 26 successful sorties as Bomb Aimer. He has attacked many of the most heavily defended targets and has achieved particularly outstanding results on Berlin, St. Nazaire, Spezia, Pilsen and Dortmund. Sergeant Keddie’s disregard for danger and his skill have been proved by much photographic evidence and he has materially helped his crew to attain their outstanding results.’

James Keddie most probably commenced his operational career with No. 61 Squadron in the closing months of 1942 - his D.F.M. recommendation merely states ‘Previous number of sorties: 15’ - but by virtue of the fact he became a member of ex-61 pilot Squadron Leader K. H. Burns’ crew on joining No. 97 at Woodhall Spa in January 1943, the 61 association is strong. Be that as it may, his recommendation goes on to list a further 11 sorties flown in the period January to May 1943, among them the “shuttle” raid to Le Spezia on 13 April, in addition to the “Big City” and other heavily defended targets and, latterly, from April 1943, as part of No. 8 (Path Finder Force) Group, based at Bourn in Cambridgeshire. The same period witnessed his pilot being awarded a brace of D.F.Cs, incidents referred to in the relevant recommendations including A.A. damage being inflicted on their Lancaster during a raid against Pilsen on the night of 13-14 May 1943, while for his own part Keddie was recommended for his D.F.M. at the end of the same month.

In point of fact, though, he remained an active member of Burns’ crew for another 16 sorties, the first of them being an attack against Dusseldorf on the night of 11-12 June - ‘Several aircraft within 200 feet of our own.’ Bochum, Cologne and Mulheim followed in the same month, while in their first sortie in July - against Turin on the night of the 12th-13th - their Lancaster was holed by a 75mm. shell - ‘Passed through fuselage and span of tailplane without exploding’. The remainder of the month was dedicated to the famous Hamburg “firestorm” raids, Keddie and his crew attacking the city on three successive occasions - and again on the night of 2-3 August after attacking Remschied inbetween. Milan, Mannheim, Berlin and Nuremburg followed, but on their next sortie to the “Big City” on the night of 31 August, their Lancaster JA. 916L was shot down by a night fighter and crashed in the target area. Two members of crew were killed, but the rest baled out and were taken P.O.W. - Keddie was sent to Stalag Luft 3 at Sagan. His pilot, Kenneth Burns, however, was repatriated as a result of his serious wounds, and, having discovered he had been awarded the D.S.O, then returned to operations - with a false hand.

Keddie had earlier been commissioned as a Pilot Officer in June 1943 and was advanced to Flying Officer on his return to the U.K. in June 1945.