Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Bomber Command pilot’s group of three awarded to Flight Lieutenant P. Clark, Royal Air Force, who completed a tour of operations in Hampdens of No. 106 Squadron in 1941, including no less than seven trips to Cologne

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, good very fine (3) £200-250

Patrick Clark commenced his pilot training in June 1939, was awarded his “Wings” in August 1940 and joined No. 106 Squadron, a Hampden unit operating out of Coningsby, Lincolnshire - and with one Flight based at Finningley, Yorkshire - in February 1941. Flying as 2nd Pilot for his first three sorties against Hamburg, Bremen and Brest in the following month, he “took the helm” thereafter, April witnessing him participating in a low-level strike against Brest on the 4th, followed by a brace of regular bombing missions to Kiel and another to Dusseldorf, and May return visits to Brest and Kiel and a strike against Cologne. A brief interlude followed at No. 6 B.A.T. Flight, Waddington, but by mid-June he was back on operations, piloting his Hampden on sorties to Bremen, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Souest and Vegesack, in addition to two more visits to heavily-defended Cologne. July saw him complete another seven operations, his targets comprising his fourth trip to Cologne, in addition to Aachen, Frankfurt, Kiel, Munchen Gladbach, St. Nazaire and Wilhelmshaven, while in August he flew to Cologne on three further occasions, to Mannheim on two and and to Duisburg for a second occasion. Recalled from his next sortie, a strike on Brest, he did however participate in raids on Berlin and Rostock in early September, thereby completing his tour of operations. Clark was thereafter employed as a flying instructor, his final appointment being at 1536 B.A.T. at Grantham in April 1945.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Books (3), covering the periods June 1939 to July 1942, August 1942 to September 1943 and September 1943 to April 1945, together with four wartime photographs.