A Collection of Awards to the Royal Air Force between the Wars (1919-1939) formed by Group Captain JE Barker

A scarce ‘Somaliland 1920’ M.I.D. group of three awarded to Flying Officer, later Flight Lieutenant, E. H. ‘Titch’ Attwood, ‘Z’ Unit, Royal Air Force, who flew on the first raid of the operations against the ‘Mad Mullah’, 21 January 1920, and was forced down to land returning from a raid on the same position the following day. Avoiding capture, Attwood and his Observer ‘managed to march in the heat and over very rough mountainous country to the coast. This they reached after three days in an exhausted condition and by almost a miracle the only British ship in those waters H.M.S. Clio happened to be passing on passage from Berbera to a small port along the coast, Las Khoral. Luckily they had hung onto their Very pistol with which they managed to attract the attention of the Cleo. Poor Titch Attwood, a splendid little pilot, was killed some years later trying to land an Imperial Airways flying boat in a dust storm on the lake at Habbanyah in Iraq.’


British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oak Leaves [sic] (2. Lieut. E. H. Attwood. R.A.F.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1920 (F/O. E. H. Attwood. R.A.F.) contact marks, nearly very fine or better (3) £1200-1600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the Royal Air Force between the Wars (1919-1939) formed by Group Captain JE Barker.

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M.I.D. London Gazette 12 July 1920 (Somaliland), the joint recommendation (with four other airmen) states:

‘For constant and excellent work in reconnoitring, bombing and shooting up of the Mullahs forts, forces and stock, under very trying Active Service conditions, which included finding their way for long distances over uncharted country.’

Ernest Henry ‘Titch’ Attwood was born at 197 Mary Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, in March 1899. He entered the Royal Flying Corps in 1917, and served in the French theatre of war during 1918. Attwood transferred to the Royal Air Force as a Second Lieutenant on probation in April 1918, and served as a pilot with 206 Squadron (DH9’s). He served with the latter on the Western Front, and as part of the Army of Occupation in the Rhineland until May 1919.

Attwood moved with the Squadron to Helwan, Egypt, in June 1919, and advanced to Flying Officer in December of the same year. He was part of a detachment of officers, N.C.O’s and men from the Squadron detailed for duty with ‘Z’ Unit. The latter (also known as ‘Z’ Force) was to be an independent R.A.F. unit initially operating out of Berbera, under the command of Group Captain R. Gordon. It comprised of 36 officers, and 189 other ranks, inclusive of a hospital medical staff of 4 officers and 25 other ranks. ‘Z’ Unit was equipped with eleven DH9A’s and one DH9 fitted up as an air ambulance.

Gordon’s force was to combat the ‘Mad Mullah’ and his Dervishes in Somaliland, and on 21 January 1920 Attwood piloted one of six aircraft that took off from the main advanced airfield Eil Dur Elan for a bombing raid (the first of the campaign) on Medishe. Intelligence had been received that the Mullah had assembled with his Privy Council, and approximately one thousand men, at the village of Medishe. One of the aircraft made it through to successfully attack the target, the remainder (including Attwood’s DH9A) could not locate the village amongst the unmapped country and were forced to bomb alternative targets in the shape of Dervish forts.

Attwood, as recorded in Flying Officer (later Air Vice-Marshal) J. A. Gray’s Memoirs of an Airman, returned for another raid on the same target the following day:

‘The following day we went back in strength and did considerable damage to his camp... we were told that if one of us was unfortunate enough to be forced down to land and captured they would torture him to death. This was probably true for although the Somali is a great fighter he neither expects or gives any quarter. Because of this all air crews were issued with a bottle of poison one of which, I am glad to say, never had to be used. We had, however, one aircraft which force landed in the mountains coming back from Medishi [sic]. The crew, F/Os Attwood and Potter managed to march in the heat and over very rough mountainous country to the coast. This they reached after three days in an exhausted condition and by almost a miracle the only British ship in those waters H.M.S. Clio happened to be passing on passage from Berbera to a small port along the coast, Las Khoral. Luckily they had hung onto their Very pistol with which they managed to attract the attention of the Cleo. Poor Titch Attwood, a splendid little pilot, was killed some years later trying to land an Imperial Airways flying boat in a dust storm on the lake at Habbanyah in Iraq.’

Attwood continued to fly reconnaissance and message dropping flights throughout January, and into the following month, until the conclusion of the campaign. Gray was awarded the D.F.C. for the campaign, whilst Attwood was one of 12 officers Mentioned in Despatches. Attwood returned to his parent squadron, which had been renumbered 47 Squadron in his absence. He was posted to 100 Squadron, Clondallin, as part of No. 11 (Irish) Wing, in March 1921. Subsequent postings included as an Instructor with No. 5 F.T.S., Chester, before being posted as a pilot to 45 Squadron (Vernons) at Hinaidi, Iraq, in November 1923. Whilst serving with 45 Squadron Attwood also held responsibility for the Squadron’s Signals. He advanced to Flight Lieutenant in January 1926, and transferred to the Reserve of Air Force Officers in December of the same year.

Having transferred to the Reserve, Attwood was employed as a civil pilot with Imperial Airways Ltd. By 1936 he had risen to Chief Pilot of the South Africa Division, and as recorded in Memoirs of an Airman Attwood was killed trying to land an Imperial Airways flying boat in a dust storm on the lake at Habbanyah, Iraq.

Sold with a file of copied research, including photographic images of ‘Z’ Unit and the recipient in uniform taken from the C. H. Flinn and F. A. Gray collections held by the Imperial War Museum.