Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Family group:

A post-war O.B.E. group of six awarded to Group Captain I. S. Balderstone, Royal Air Force

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals; General service 1918-62, 1 clasp, S.E. Asia 1945-46 (579021 Act. Cpl., R.A.F.), mounted as worn, gilt somewhat worn on the first, otherwise good very fine

Four: Leading Aircraftwoman S. Smith, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, afterwards Mrs. Balderstone

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals, extremely fine (10) £350-400

O.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1976.

Ian Speed Balderstone would appear to have commenced his flying training at No. 1 F.T.S. Little Rissington in April 1948, shortly after returning home from an appointment in No. 48 Squadron in Singapore, and following active service in Burma in 1945 and in the ensuing operations in S.E. Asia. His first squadron appointment was to No. 511 Squadron at Lyneham in 1950, following which he attended a Maritime Reconnaissance Course at St. Mawgan and joined No. 42 Squadron at St. Eval, flying Shackletons. Then having attended the R.A.F. Staff College in 1958, Balderstone joined No. 120 Squadron at Kinloss, another Shackleton unit, and was rated “above the average” and ‘an enthusiastic and determined maritime captain’ in 1960. In the following year he took up a desk appointment at Londonderry, but in 1963, after attending a refresher course at R.A.F. Manby, he returned to flying and joined No. 206 Squadron at St. Mawgan in the following year. From then until 1970, he flew more or less continuously in Shackletons, including a stint with No. 37 squadron in Aden 1964-65, and was finally “grounded” in 1971 when posted to the R.N. Staff College, but not before having converted to Nimrods. Balderstone retired in 1976, after a three year posting to N.E.A.F. Cyprus. He died in September 1988, aged 62 years.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation and several photographs, the former including the recipient’s O.B.E. warrant; original flying log books covering the periods February 1952 to June 1955, September 1955 to December 1961 and June 1963 to June 1971; and another R.A.F. log book in the name of “Hon. Pilot Officer T. O. Shanter” (in point of fact Balderstone’s dog), with a number of flights in Ansons, Oxfords and Shackletons for the period February to October 1954, and bearing paw-mark “signatures”; and a leather bound autograph book, with many amusing entries and the occasional cartoon drawing; together with four presentation tankards, in pewter or E.P.N.S. (from the officers of No. 120 Squadron, August 1960; officers of No. 37 Squadron, December 1965; the staff of R.A.F. Kinloss, 1971; and the A.O.C. Cyprus, June 1976).

Symonne Smith (afterwards Mrs. Balderstone) was born in October 1916 and enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in May 1941. Employed as a wireless operator in the rank of Leading Aircraftwoman in the war years, she was discharged in March 1947, on taking up an appointment in the W.V.S. in Singapore, where she met her husband-to-be.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including her certificate of discharge from the W.A.A.F; an autograph album, with many entries from the 1939-45 war period, and several drawings and cartoons; her National Identity Registration card, and much besides.