Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria including the collection to Naval Artificers formed by JH Deacon

Three: Sergeant R. Brown, Royal Air Force, an early Berlin raid casualty

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, in card box of issue, with condolence slip, addressed to the recipient’s next of kin, virtually as issued (3) £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Awards to the Men of Bomber Command 1939-45.

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Sergeant Robert Brown, who commenced his wartime career with Air Gunner and Wireless Operator courses in early 1941, attended No. 19 Operational Training Unit prior to joining No. 102 (Ceylon) Squadron, a Whitley unit, at Topcliffe that July. Originally appointed a Rear-Gunner, but afterwards transferring to the duties of a Wireless Operator, he flew his first sortie on the night of 3-4 August, against Frankfurt. The same city was re-visited twice that month, in addition to Cologne and Dortmund, and again on two occasions in early September, Brown recording in his Flying Log Book for the sortie flown on the night of the14th, ‘Hit through astro-dome.’ Duisburg and Wilhelmshaven were attacked in October but on the night of 7-8 November, in a sortie to Berlin, his Whitley was lost.

The operations against Berlin on this night marked the last big effort against the enemy’s capital until early 1943, such was the high percentage of losses. Most of these losses, however, were the result of atrocious weather conditions, with storms, thick cloud, icing and hail over the North Sea routes which the attacking force had to follow. Especially vunerable were the Whitleys, some of whom faced headwinds of 100 m.p.h. on their return, thereby reducing them to the fatally low ground speed of just 20 m.p.h. As a result, nine aircraft came down over the sea, while others attempted to make landings in occupied France. Sadly, Brown’s exact fate remains unknown.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Book, covering the period February to November 1941; and correspondence with an ex-102 Squadron Wireless Operator regarding the weather conditions on the night of the fateful Berlin raid (‘They still kept coming and it was terrible to listen to them and know that they could not possibly make it ...’).