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

A scarce post-war A.F.C. group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant F. W. Walker, Royal Air Force, a veteran of over 60 operational sorties, and a stint as a P.O.W., prior to acting as a despatcher in the S.A.S’s first ever parachute drop into the Malayan jungle in 1952

Air Force Cross, E.II.R., the reverse officially dated 1953, with its Royal Mint case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, E.II.R., 1 clasp, Malaya (M. Sig., (550392), R.A.F.); Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., E.II.R. (M. Sig., (550392), R.A.F.) very fine and better (6) £1400-1800

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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A.F.C. London Gazette 1 January 1953.

Frederick William Walker, who was born in August 1919, enlisted in the Royal Air Force as a boy entrant during the course of 1935, aged 16 years, and having qualified as a Wireless Operator he joined No. 12 (Bomber) Squadron at Andover, Hampshire in August 1937.

The outbreak of hostilities witnessed the departure of No. 12 Squadron to France, as part of No. 76 Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force, where it operated in Fairey Battles until withdrawn to the U.K. in mid-June 1940. During that period two squadron members were awarded the R.A.F’s first V.Cs of the War, namely Flying Officer D. E. Garland and Sergeant T. Gray, both of whom died in a gallant low-level strike against an enemy-held bridge at Veldwezelt, over the Albert Canal, on 12 May 1940. For hos own part, Walker completed at least half-a-dozen missions during this period.

Back in the U.K., No. 12 eventually settled down at Binbrook and flew occasional sorties against shipping in the German-held Channel ports. But in April 1941, having converted to Wellingtons, the Squadron commenced regular bombing missions, Walker completing his first such outing on the 17th of the month, against Rotterdam. Between then and mid-January 1942, he brought his tally of wartime operations to 17 by day and 47 by night, having participated in strikes against Cologne on no less than six occasions and against Hamburg on five. Other targets visited included Boulogne, Bremen (twice), Brest, Duisberg, Dusseldorf, Kiel, Lorient, Mannerheim, Nurnberg (twice), Osnabruck, Stettin, Vegesack and Wilhelshaven (twice).

Inevitably, perhaps, given such a punishing schedule, his Wellington finally fell victim to enemy night fighters over the Frisian Islands on 20 January 1942, two crew members being killed. Walker, and three others, managed to bale out and landed on Amaaland, where they were taken P.O.W. Onetime interned at Stalag Luft VI at Heydekrug, and Stalag Luft VIIA in Bavaria, he was eventually liberated by elements of the 6th Airborne Division near Lubeck in May 1945.



During the immediate post-war era, Walker enjoyed yet further active employment, initially in the Berlin Airlift, when he flew many daily flights between Wuntorf (or Fassberg) and Gataw, during the period June 1948 to September 1949, the whole with No. 30 Squadron. And secondly, in the early 1950s, as an R.A.F. despatcher with No. 48 Squadron, based in Singapore during the Malayan emergency. It was during the course of these latter operations that Walker participated in what is believed to have been the first ever S.A.S. parachute drop over the jungle, at Kuala Lumpur, on 9 February 1952. Gazetted for the A.F.C. a little under a year later, he received his award at the Queen’s first official Investiture.

Walker was advanced to Flight Lieutenant in January 1958 and continued to fly until the early 1960s, when he joined Aircraft Control. He finally retired in August 1974.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Books (3), covering the periods July 1947 to June 1952, July 1952 to July 1958 and August 1958 to November 1963 - his first book carried an official endorsement ‘Previous Log Book not returned from Air Ministry Archives’ with accompanying tally of hours and operations flown; his P.O.W. identity tag for Stalag Luft VIIA (No. 90097); two wartime Wellington crew photographs, one with five signatures on the reverse; and a congratulatory letter from Air Marshal A. C. Sanderson, C.B., C.B.E., D.F.C. on the award of the recipient’s A.F.C.