The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

A rare and impressive Great War pilot’s Western Front M.C., North Russia D.F.C. group of seven awarded to Major F. S. Moller, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps, an American who was twice wounded in combats over France

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Major F. S. Moller, R.A.F.); Russia, Order of St. Anne, 2nd Class neck badge, with swords, by Albert Keibel, St. Petersburg, 43 x 43 mm., gold and enamel, with manufacturer’s mark on reverse, and ‘56’ zolotnik and kokoshnik mark for 1896-1908 on eyelet; Roumania, Order of the Star, Knight’s breast badge, with swords, silver and enamel; Roumania, Order of the Crown, Officer’s breast badge, with swords, silver-gilt and enamel, obverse centre-piece of the St. Anne somewhat off-centre and one inter-arm fitment loose, and reverse centre-piece of the last lacking, otherwise generally good very fine (7) £6000-8000

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

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M.C. London Gazette 14 November 1916:

‘For conspicuous gallantry in action. During a raid he dived to 1500 feet and dropped his bombs on an ammunition train. He then chased three other trains and attacked them with great courage and skill.’

D.F.C. London Gazette 5 April 1919:

‘A Wing Commander of outstanding merit who, by his fine leadership, personal disregard of danger, and splendid example has, since he took over command of his Wing (composed of one British and two Russian Squadrons) worked marvels in raising its morale and efficiency. His personal influence was very marked on a recent occasion when, owing to heavy casualties, the morale of the pilots had suffered; he took charge, and by his example and leadership restored confidence, and successfully reduced the enemy’s artillery fire.’

Francis Steele Moller, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in November 1891, was commissioned in the Royal Fusiliers in September 1915, but shortly thereafter transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, with whom he qualified as a pilot in January 1916 (Aviator’s Certificate No. 2259). Posted to No. 4 Squadron out in France that May, he returned to the U.K. a few weeks later and was re-mustered on the strength of No. 25 Squadron back out in France in July, taking part in his first operational patrol on the 22nd, with Corporal W. F. Paul as his Observer - among his fellow pilots was a future Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Arthur Tedder. And thus ensued a busy tour of bombing and reconnaissance missions up until 23 November 1916, when Moller was shot in the back during a combat over Brebieres, when piloting F.E. 2b 7683 with Sergeant C. Butler as his Observer - the same day that Hawker, V.C. was downed by von Richthofen. Moller, however, somehow managed to get back to St. Eloi, even though his aircraft’s radiator was hit and the engine seized (R.F.C. Communiques 1915-16 refers).




But it was for his earlier part in a notable railway strike on Somain on 22 September that Moller was awarded the M.C., an action described in detail in Thrilling Deeds of British Airmen, by Eric Wood:

‘2nd Lieutenant F. S. Moller is another hero of the air whose Military Cross was awarded for bombing a train. Together with several other airmen he took part in a raid with the object of harassing enemy communications and effecting as much damage as possible to the dumps containing accumulated stores of ammunition. Each man knew what he was expected to do, and when, in due course, the raiders arrived over the scene of their proposed activities, Lieutenant Moller set to work. Far below he could see a train on the move, heading towards the British lines, and he knew that there was a fair chance of it being well laden.

Through his binoculars, Lieutenant Moller, as he dived to the attack, made out certain things which convinced him that the train was carrying ammunition, and continuing his descent until he was only about 300 yards up, he began to loose his bombs. The angry “Archies” barked out their protests at the daring aviator, who, however, took little notice of them, and the ammunition train soon felt the destructive power of British explosives. Lieutenant Moller had noted in pursuit three other similarly laden trains, the drivers of which were obviously attempting to put as much space as possible between their freights and the airman. No doubt there was not a man on those trains who did not know that if a bomb from the raider with the tricoloured targets should fall upon the swaying line of cars there would be an explosion from which few, if any, of them would escape. But a railway train is at a disadvantage as regards speed when compared with an aeroplane, and Lieutenant Moller had no trouble in catching up with his foes; shells burst around him as he flew, and shrapnel clattered upon the body of his machine. Undeterred, he came up with the rearmost train, swooped, sighted, and his bombs fell with a resounding crash. Spending no further time on the crippled train, the airman caught up with the first one and then the other train, treating them with similar severity.

It was a very satisfied British airman who now returned to his base, and not even the incessant fire of the anti-aircraft guns which battered his machine spoiled his enjoyment.’

Moller, who was also mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 14 November 1916 refers), returned to the U.K. in February 1917, but was once more ordered to France, with an appointment in No. 55 Squadron, that April. On 4 May, however, he was wounded again, when hit in the left arm by shrapnel while piloting D.H. 4 A-7422 on a photographic reconnaissance over Valenciennes - but he managed to nurse his crippled aircraft back to base, a subsequent damage report stating, ‘Bottom part of main longeron and reinforcement beam shot through, also main spar of bottom port plane. Three ply sides of fuselage damaged by shrapnel.’

In September 1917, on recovering from his wound, Moller was posted to Roumania, adding the Orders of the Star and Crown to his accolades (London Gazette 23 August 1919 refers), and, in October 1918, after a short period on the Home Establishment, was embarked for service in the Russian Expeditionary Force as a Temporary Major - and Wing Commander - in the Elope Squadron, which unit saw action in the Archangel expedition, including the River Dvina operations. And a glimpse of Moller’s successful leadership at work in this campaign is to be found in An Air Fighter’s Scrap Book, by Wing Commander I. R. A. “Taffy” Jones, D.S.O., M.C., D.F.C., M.M.:

‘Within 24 hours of leaving the Gulf of Kola they were in sight of the now notorious Modyuski Island which guards the entrance to the mouth of the Dvina River on which Archangel stands. It had been reported that there were several guns on the island and as the armada drew nearer to its shores, the hearts of the personnel palpitated in expectation of the screech of the first shell. Its arrival was at first mistaken for the bumping of the ship’s side against another piece of ice, but when one of the funnels of the Attentive had been badly perforated, it was realised that the war had begun. It was to an airman, Major Francis Moller, M.C., D.F.C., of the Narvana, an aircraft carrier which accompanied the expedition, that the credit of vanquishing the enemy and causing him to withdraw from the strategic island, was mainly due. This was effected by means of a simple process of taking off at leisure from the motherly Narvana, flying over the enemy artillery, and dropping a few 20-pound Cooper bombs in close proximity to the brave gunners! This auxiliary method of attack was too unconventional and took the enemy by surprise, with the result that the war for the time being ended with dramatic suddenness, and the armada steamed slowly forward triumphant and unmolested to take possession of the chief Russian port in the north.’

In addition to I. R. A. Jones’s An Air Fighter’s Scrap Book, a good deal of information regarding the Archangel aerial operations is to be found in Frank Shrive’s The Diary of a P.B.O. (Poor Bloody Observer), which includes several mentions of Moller and a photograph taken in the Officer’s Mess on the barge Bereznik in February 1919. Awarded the Russian Order of St. Anne, 2nd class, with swords (confirmed in Brough’s White Russian Awards), and advanced to substantive Major in May 1919, he was placed on the Unemployed List in July 1919.

Moller, who was credited with assisting Wing Commander I. R. A. “Taffy” Jones, D.S.O., M.C., D.F.C., M.M., in the compilation of his book, King of Air Fighters, the story of “Mick” Mannock, V.C., died in January 1948.