Orders, Decorations and Medals

A scarce A.F.C. and Waziristan D.F.M. group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant P. C. Anscombe, Royal Air Force
Air Force Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1946’; Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (563430 Cpl., R.A.F.); India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1937-39 (563430 Cpl., R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals, together with a rare ‘G.Q. Parachute Company’ lapel badge in 9 carat gold, the reverse inscribed ‘G.Q. Parachute Saved My Life - F/O. P. C. Anscombe, 10th Jan. 1943’ and numbered ‘No.152’, in its numbered card box of issue; Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book for the period February 1937 to February 1939; two Pilot’s Flying Log Books for the period May 1939 until January 1947; a large quantity of photographs including more than 50 original target photographs of bombing raids on the North West Frontier, and an official map of Afghanistan and N.W.Frontier Province, nearly extremely fine (6)

D.F.M. London Gazette 25 October 1940 (Waziristan 1939).
A.F.C. London Gazette 13 June 1946.

Philip Charles Anscombe was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, on 24 October 1913. He attended the Air Observer’s Course in February and March 1937 and was posted to No.12 (B) Squadron, at Andover, flying Hinds, in one of which he made his first flight on 1 July 1937. In April 1938 he was posted to No.39 (B) Squadron at Risalpur, India, flying Harts. His first flight here was on the 5th April, and on the 18th April the Squadron moved to Miran Shah for operations against the tribes on the North West Frontier. His logbook for the period shows a large number of raids against such targets as Pondia Khel, Abdur Rahman, Shirani, and Jambe Khel. On 25th May the Squadron returned to Risalpur and on 9 June Anscombe took part in the King’s Birthday Parade Flypast. In January 1939 the Squadron returned to Miran Shah and, in the latter part of that month and the first half of February, Anscombe took part in many intensive bombing raids against tribal positions, often flying four missions on the same day. His last flight was on 27 february when the Squadron returned to Risalpur. Many photographs taken on these actual raids by Anscombe accompany the group.

Anscombe was posted to the U.K. on 8 March 1939, for training as an airman pilot. By this time he had logged a total flying time of 388 hours, of which 245 hours had been spent with No.39 Squadron. He completed his pilot training with No.15 E & R FTS at Redhill and No. 10 FTS at Tern Hill, being graded as ‘above average’ as a pilot after finishing his course with the Advanced Training Squadron. In December 1939 he was posted to No.90 (B) Squadron where he started to fly Blenheims, remaining there until the following April when he was posted to No.17 OTU at Upwood, flying both Ansons and Blenheims. Here he was graded as ‘above average’ as a pilot before being posted to the School of Air Navigation, at Cranage, for an instructor’s course. In May 1941 he was posted to No.14 SFTS as a navigation instructor and, in December 1941, to No.14 (P)AFU at Ossington. On 17 October 1942, at No.14 (P)AFU, he was graded ‘above average’ as both pilot and pilot/navigator, and the following month he joined No.20 OTU at Lossiemouth flying Wellingtons. It was here, on 10 January 1943, that he was involved in a serious flying accident, the precise details of which are not known, except that he saved his life with the aid of his ‘G.Q.’ parachute and thus joined the elite ‘GQ Club.’ His service record shows that he sustained compressed fractures of the 12th dorsal and 1st lumbar vertebrae, as a result of which he was unable to fly again until January 1944, when he was posted to Station Flight, RAF Halton. Here he flew Oxfords, Tiger Moths, and Dominies until July 1944, when he was posted to Communications Flight, HQ 22 Group, flying Oxfords, Ansons, Proctors and Vega Gulls until 14 January 1947, which is the last recorded entry in his logbook. He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 8 June 1947, retaining the rank of Flight Lieutenant.