Awards to the Royal Air Force from the estate of the late Eric Campion

A rare Second World War pilot’s immediate D.F.C., post-war A.F.C. group of seven awarded to Wing Commander R. A. Slater, Royal Air Force, who was also the recipient of a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air in 1962

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1944; Air Force Cross, E.II.R., the reverse officially dated 1954; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals; Oak Leaf on Blue Riband for Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air, mounted as worn, good very fine and better (7) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Awards to the Royal Air Force from the estate of the late Eric Campion.

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D.F.C. London Gazette 7 November 1944. The recommendation states:

‘During a daylight attack on an oil refinery at Homberg on 27 August 1944, Flight Lieutenant Slater’s aircraft was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire during the bombing run. The port outer engine was rendered unserviceable and a fire started in the fuselage. Without consideration for his personal safety, this Officer pressed home his attack with the utmost determination, maintaining the aircraft on a steady course until the bombs could be released on the target. The engine was then feathered and the crew were able to extinguish the fire in the forepart of the aircraft. During the whole of this period the aircraft was subjected to intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire.

On another occasion in March, when the target was Berlin, his aircraft was attacked and damaged by two F.W. 190 night fighters, and by superb pilotage and cool courage, Flight Lieutenant Slater was able to extricate his aircraft from a most dangerous situation, and bring it safely back to base.

This Officer has a fine record of achievement, having attacked heavily defended targets such as Berlin, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, and others in areas where the opposition is powerful. Flight Lieutenant Slater has at all times shown outstanding enthusiasm and devotion to duty of the highest order and I therefore consider his fine spirit and operational record fully merit the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.’

A.F.C. London Gazette 10 June 1954.

Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air London Gazette 1 January 1962.

Robin Anderson “Joe” Slater commenced his operational career as a pilot with No. 640 Squadron, a Halifax unit based at Leconfield, in March 1944. Between then and mid-July, he completed a tour of 40 sorties, largely against French targets in support of the Normandy landings. On D Day itself, his aircraft was detailed to attack the enemy battery at Maisy, but otherwise he was largely assigned to railway and enemy rocket-site strikes. In the early stages of his tour, however, he was also allocated to a number of heavily defended German targets, Berlin, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf among them. Slater ended the War with No. 644 Squadron, transporting P.O.Ws and equipment to and from such countries as Belgium, Germany and Norway.

Remaining in the service after the War, Slater was advanced to Flight Lieutenant in January 1949 and served as a test pilot on jets for much of the 1950s, work that no doubt contributed to the award of his A.F.C. Further advanced to Wing Commander in January 1961, in which year he served as the Air Attache at Tel Aviv, Slater returned home to take up an appointment in the Chief of Air Staff’s Directorate of R.A.F. Flight Safety. He would appear to have retired in the 1970s and died in February 1991.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Books (3), covering the periods October 1942 to January 1950, February 1950 to December 1952 and January 1953 to December 1958; postagram from “Bomber” Harris for the D.F.C.; Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air certificate; and a ‘Commendatory Endorsement’ for landing a Halifax with a burst tyre at Farrant Rushton in April 1945.