Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War pilot’s group of six awarded to Flying Officer R. W. Barton, Royal Canadian Air Force, who flew operationally in Whitleys of No. 58 Squadron and Halifaxes of No. 405 Squadron in the period October 1941 to August 1942 - on one occasion, while taking evasive action from an enemy night fighter during a raid on Bremen, he stood on his seat to pull his aircraft out of a spin ‘while everything loose in the aircraft flew in all directions’

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, silver, M.I.D. oak leaf; Canadian Voluntary Service Medal 1939-45, with overseas clasp; Canadian Forces Decoration, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, with Second Award Bar (Sgt. R. W. Barton), generally good very fine (6) £300-350

Ruggles Wilson Barton was born in Low, Quebec, in April 1913, but was residing in Ottawa at the time of his enlistment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 1939.

Qualifying for his “Wings” in June 1941, he was embarked for England in the following month, where he was posted to No. 58 Squadron, a Whitley unit, in which capacity he flew operationally as a 2nd Pilot in the period October to December - thus sorties to Nurnberg, Kiel, Essen, and two trips to Hamburg. Appointed a 1st Pilot in January 1942, he went on to attack targets in France, in addition to Wilhelmshaven and Emden, and was advanced to Flight Sergeant.

Posted to No. 405 Squadron, a Halifax unit operating out of Pocklington, that May, he flew further sorties to such targets as Duisburg, Hamburg and Bremen, and it was in the course of a strike against the latter city in June that his aircraft was attacked by an enemy night fighter - squadron records state:

‘At 0142 hours while 15,000 feet, approached from starboard quarter astern below by E./A. which closed and fired two bursts of tracer passing beneath our aircraft. Took steep turn to starboard, and rear and upper turrets were rotated at the same time which caused the aircraft to turn on its back. Captain managed to right our aircraft at 10,000 feet.’

According to accompanying research, a news despatch was released in respect of the story, in which Barton is credited with having stood on his pilot’s seat in order to get the bomber back on the straight and narrow - ‘it was his 13th sortie and third with No. 405. Earlier he had made a forced landing with one wheel down and also been thrown clear of a bomber following another crash.’

Subsequently employed as an instructor, Barton was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in June 1944 and advanced to Flying Officer at the end of the same year, and he was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 4 June 1945, refers).

Re-embarked for Canada in early 1945, he was appointed an N.C.O. in the R.C.A.F. after the War, and was still serving as a Warrant Officer in the mid-1960s. He died in London, Ontario in October 1989; sold with copied service record and O.R.B. entries.