Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Squadron Leader I. L. Schwaiger, Royal Air Force

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Canal Zone (Plt Off I L Schwaiger RAF); Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (Fg. Off. I. L. Schwaiger. R.A.F.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued, mounted court-style as worn; together with the related miniature Korea pair, minor edge bruising to GSM, otherwise good very fine and better (3) £700-£900

Imre Leonard ‘Len’ Schwaiger was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire in 1930, the son of an Indian born Art Dealer, the family being of Hungarian Jewish descent. Educated at Cheltenham College, he attended R.A.F. College Cranwell from January 1949 as a member of 53 entry and ‘C’ Squadron, and was commissioned Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force on the 1 August 1951.

Schwaiger served as Meteor pilot with 208 Squadron (reconnaissance operations on Egyptian Army) in the Canal Zone in Egypt in 1952, and later with with 77 Fighter Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, in Korea from May 1953. He subsequently had various postings at both home and abroad, including Canberra’s in Germany with 59 and 9 Squadrons during the Cold War, and at R.A.F. Changi, Singapore, in 1967. He retired with the rank of Squadron Leader on the 24 June 1968.

After leaving the RAF Schwaiger became a commercial Airline Pilot with Dan Air flying the Comet and Boeing 737. He died on 1 October 2013, aged 83.

Note: Schwaiger made a recording of his career available digitally online at the Imperial War Museum Collections. The list of contents provides further insight into his career:
Background in Leamington Spa, 1930-49, including evacuation to the Cotswolds during the Second World War and ambition to be a Royal Air Force pilot.
Period of training with the Royal Air Force 1949-51: officer training course at RAF Cranwell; graduation; flying Meteor Mark 2 at Advanced Flying School, Middleton St George; air combat training at RAF Stradishall.
Period with 208 Squadron in Abu Sweir, Egypt and Persian Gulf, 1952-53: posting to Abu Sweir, flying Meteor mark Nine; reconnaissance operations on Egyptian Army; Egyptian harassment of British troops; exercise Habbaniyeh, Iraq; photograph reconnaissance operation on coast of Crete; anti-slaving operations in Persian Gulf; role watching over Saudi intentions towards Buraimi Oasis.
Operations with 77 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force in Korea, 1953: secondment to serve with RAAF; rocket firing conversion course at Iwakuni, Japan; arrival at Kimpo airfield, near Seoul; types of rockets used including ones filled with napalm; method of conducting ground attacks; reversion to vigilance patrols after signing of cease-fire; visit by Vice-President Richard Nixon; visit to 'freedom village' to meet released POWs.
Various postings with the Royal Air Force, 1953-68: period as ADC to Air Marshal Harry Satterby at AOC 205 Group; posting to night fighter work with 153 Squadron at West Malling, 1955; confidence in success of night fighter interception work should Russians attack; techniques used to intercept targets; role with Fighter Command when decision was made that air attacks were to be met by missiles rather than aircraft; posting to Geilenkirchen with 59 Squadron, flying Canberras, 1957; role of squadron including nuclear; flying B18 Canberra; posting to 9 Squadron at RAF Coningsby, 1957; work for Air Ministry, 1961-64 including overseeing technical development of TSR 2 aircraft
Air plans officer at RAF Changi, Singapore, 1967: use of network analysis; impact of defence reviews on work; prior recollection of visit to air strips during Indonesian Confrontation.

Sold together with various photographic images of the recipient and other research.