Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Great War campaign group of three awarded to Captain L. R. Wren, Royal Air Force, late 1/28 London Regiment, York and Lancaster Regiment and Royal Flying Corps, who flew operationally in No. 11 Squadron, claiming at least one enemy aircraft out of control

1914 Star (1507 Pte. L. R. Wren, 1/28 Lond. R.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt. L. R. Wren, R.A.F.), in their original card boxes of issue, extremely fine (3) £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Small Collection of Medals to the R.F.C., R.N.A.S., R.A.F. and F.A.A..

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Leslie Randall Wren, who first went out to France as a Private in the Artists’ Rifles in mid-October 1914, was commissioned in the 2nd Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment in April 1915, and was wounded in the thigh in the following month, being invalided home.

Transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in early 1916, and having undertaken pilot training at Thetford, he was posted to No. 35 Squadron and thence, in August of the same year, to No. 11 Squadron in France, in which capacity he quickly saw action - thus a combat on 26 September 1916, in which his F.E. 2b was shot up and damaged, but he and his Observer, Lance-Corporal Young, appear to have come through unscathed. Tour-expired, he returned to the Home Establishment in April 1917.

Later, however, in January 1918, he commenced a second tour of duty as a Flight Commander in No. 11 Squadron, and with 2nd Lieutenant E. Gilroy as his Observer, he claimed an enemy aircraft out of control over Rumilly in the Cambrai sector on 15 March - ‘I fired about 50 rounds at 80 yards range; the E.A. stalled, turned over and fell completely out of control.’ Returning to the Home Establishment in June 1918, he was demobilised in March 1919; sold with a file of research.