The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

A good Second World War Air Gunner’s and Observer’s campaign group of five awarded to Flight Lieutenant J. C. O. Medworth, Royal Air Force, who flew operationally in the Battle of Britain and shared in the destruction of two enemy aircraft

1939-45 Star, clasp, Battle of Britain; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Air Efficiency Award, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Plt. Off. J. C. O. Medworth, R.A.F.V.R.), extremely fine (5) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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John Charles Oswald Medworth was born in Tooting, London in October 1918 and enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as an A.C. 2 in October 1938. Mobilised on the renewal of hostilities, and trained as an Air Gunner, he commenced his wartime career in No. 600 “City of London” Squadron, a Blenheim unit then based at Hornchurch, flying a number of convoy patrols in the New Year and going into action in an attack on Zeebrugge-Flushing on 10 May 1940.

Transferred to No. 25 Squadron, another Blenheim unit based at North Weald, in June 1940, Medworth flew three X-Raid sorties in the following month, including, on the 4th, with Flight Sergeant Lingard as his pilot, a successful interception of an He. 115 seaplane, ‘the first bag by No. 25 Squadron’ (his flying log book refers). Remaining similarly employed until the end of the Battle of Britain, Medworth completed further X-Raid and convoy sorties, including an encounter with three bandits on 10 September - ‘shot at one long range’ (his flying log book refers).

Having then completed several night sorties in the Squadron’s newly arrived Beaufighters, Medworth transferred to No. 29 Squadron in May 1941, in which capacity he continued to fly night sorties out of West Malling until transferring to instructional duties at an O.T.U. in September, his ‘A’ Flight C.O. at this time being Guy Gibson.

Advanced to Warrant Officer in March 1942 and re-mustered as a Navigator (Radar) that July, he returned to an operational footing in September, when he joined No. 85 Squadron under Wing Commander Raphael, D.S.O., D.F.C., and quickly increased his earlier tally of night sorties - initially in Havocs but from October in Mosquitos. In the New Year, Wing Commander John “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham assumed command of No. 85, and the unit’s night fighting agenda gathered momentum, Medworth and his pilot damaging an Fw. 190 in June and destroying an Me. 410 in August. The Men Who Flew the Mosquito, by Martin Bowman, takes up the story:

‘On 22-23 August, Geoff Howitt of 85 Squadron, now Squadron Leader, D.F.C., and Pilot Officer J. C. O. Medworth, took off from West Malling at 23.30 hours in their NFXII and went on patrol. Off Harwich they zeroed in on Feldwebel Walter Hartmann and Obergefreiter Michael Meurer’s Me. 410 A-1 of 15/K.G. 2. Howitt got a visual on the Messerschnitt’s bright yellow exhaust emissions and closed in for the kill. It was difficult to get a sight of the silhouette and at first Howitt thought his prey was a 210. Almost at once a stray searchlight illuminated the aircraft and he could quite easily see that it was a 410. With the German crosses easily visible, Howitt gave the Messerschmitt a short burst, and it immediately burst into flames with a brilliant flash. Showers of burning pieces flew past the Mosquito in all directions. The Me. 410 A-1 fell away, its entire starboard wing on fire, and crashed at Chemondiston. Meurer baled out and came down at Stratton Hall, while Hartmann’s body was later found in a field, his parachute unopened.’

Having by now been commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the R.A.F.V.R., Medworth was posted to No. 9 Group in October 1943, and thence to further operational duties at the Fighter Interception Unit at Ford, Sussex, where he served until March 1944. And he ended the War with an appointment as a Flight Lieutenant at H.Q., No. 84 Group, including service in the North-West Europe operations. His Air Efficiency Award having been approved in December 1945 (A.M.O. N. 1355 refers), shortly thereafter he was demobilised.

However, in August 1947, Medworth re-enlisted in the Royal Air Force as an A.C. 2, was commissioned as a Flying Officer in the Fighter Control Branch in December 1949, and finally retired as a Flight Lieutenant in August 1964.

Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, covering the period June 1939 to January 1964, and including the signatures of some notable 1939-45 War R.A.F. personalities, among them David Atcherley, Guy Gibson and John “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham, together with copied service record and other details.