Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Second World War escaper’s M.M. group of five awarded to Warrant Officer A. R. Cottle, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who, having already gained membership of the Goldfish Club, was wounded on the occasion his Beaufighter was downed by Me. 109s off Kalimnos in the Aegean in November 1943: unlike his pilot, he was fortunate to escape the wreckage and was picked up in his dinghy by an E-Boat off Kos - subsequently taken to an Italian convent hospital, he made a successful bid from freedom to Turkey in a caique

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (1265632 Sgt. A.R. Cottle. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, Defence and War Medals 1939-45, generally good very fine (5) £3400-3800

M.M. London Gazette 16 May 1944. The original recommendation states: 

‘On the 16 November 1943 Sergeant Cottle was the Navigator of a Beaufighter which was shot down by an Me. 109 near Kalimnos while attacking a Siebel ferry. When the aircraft hit the water, Cottle was still inside. He clambered out on the mainplane where he became entangled in the wireless aerial and was unable to free himself until after he had been dragged under the water by the sinking aircraft. He had great difficulty in reaching and climbing into the dinghy, which was now some 100 yards away, as his right arm was useless owing to a bullet wound.

He spent the rest of the day and the following one making a little headway with the paddles. Late on the following night Sergeant Cottle hailed a passing Schnellboot on patrol and was taken aboard and the next day landed at Kos and taken to an Italian Convent Hospital. He refused to answer any questions put to him by the German interrogating officer and managed to evade questions asked by a Red Cross worker who was a frequent visitor and did her best to cajole him into giving away information.

After a few days, he was well enough to explore the possibilities of escape; by selling his watch and lighter, etc., he was able to buy civilian clothes. This enabled him to slip out of the hospital just before the wounded were due to be evacuated by ship. After spending the first night in a trench, he was taken to a barn by some friendly Greeks and later to a safe hiding place in a cave. Each night he went down to the shore to try and contact a caique but not until the night of 5 December was he successful. He was taken to the Turkish coast and then transported to hospital.

This Sergeant has shown great determination in escaping from enemy territory although he was wounded, this is a very fine achievement and an example to others of courage and initiative. I thoroughly recommend that this airman should be awarded the M.M.’

Alfred Roy Cottle was born in Cardiff on 24 January 1916 and enlisted in the R.A.F.V.R. in September 1940. Having trained as a Navigator in Canada in 1942, he returned to the U.K. and was posted to the Middle East in the summer of 1943, where he joined No. 47 Squadron, a Beaufighter unit.

Thus ensued a spate of ‘Rover’ sorties, his very first outing on 24 August 1943 resulting in his election to the membership of the Goldfish Club, a story best summarised by his Flying Log Book:

‘Rover: attacked schooner N.W. Rome - hit mast - two holes in starboard wing - bottom of fuselage ripped out - jumped by Fw. 190 - ditched off Cani Isle - took to dinghy - sighted by Spitfires - picked up by launch from U.S. destroyer - transferred to H.S.L. taken to Bizerta (1 hour in dinghy) (1 hour to coast). Learned later that schooner had sunk.’

Several further ‘Rovers’ having been undertaken in the interim, Cottle, as described in the above recommendation, was downed for a second time on 16 November 1943. He takes up the story:

‘After attacking target we were ourselves attacked by two Me. 109s and one Arado 196. These planes made one attack which was unsuccessful. One Me. 109 and the Arado then broke off, but the remaining Me. 109 pressed home attack after attack starting at 1000 yards and closing to 20 yards. We kept turning into the attack and also corkscrewing, but we were unsuccessful in shaking off the Me. During its second attack, I received g.s.w. mentioned in previous signal.

Bullets and cannon shells were continuously pouring into the plane. My cupola was completely shot away also fixed aerial and I noticed the extreme tip of the starboard wing had disappeared. These attacks lasted for at least five minutes, then without warning the plane hit the sea. As I was still facing the tail at the moment of impact, I swivelled around and saw F./O. Bond slumped over the controls - whether he had been shot or knocked unconscious I am unable to say. There was a fire burning furiously on the starboard side of the well behind the pilot and this prevented me from getting to F./O. Bond through the fuselage. So I clamboured [sic] on to the port wing and made my way to the pilot’s cockpit, but as soon as I got there the plane sank under me and I went down to some considerable depth entangled in the aerial wire. F./O. Bond went down with the plane. I should like to add that had the V.G.O. been mounted in this plane it is highly probable that we would have beaten off the attacker.’

Of his subsequent journey to Kos and eventual escape, he kept pencilled notes on the cover of his copy of The Pocket Padre. These reveal that he first emerged from his hospital bed in the Italian convent on 25 November and, having endured a second interrogation, made his bid for freedom on 1 December. He reached Bodrum on the Turkish coast by caique on the 5th, Smyrna on the 8th and Aleppo on the 19th and, after further treatment in hospital, A.H.Q. Levant in late January 1944.

Cottle - who attained the rank of Warrant Officer - was released from the R.A.F.V.R. in April 1946. He died in Kendal, Westmorland in February 1972.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation and related items, including the recipient’s R.A.F. Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, covering the period 13 May 1942 until Cottle’s repatriation on 12 February 1944; his Goldfish Club membership card, in the name of ‘F./Sgt. A. R. Cottle’ and dated 24 August 1943, together with his embroidered Goldfish Club uniform patch; A signed statement by Cottle describing being shot down on 16 November 1943, as cited above; a copy of The Pocket Padre with pencilled escape notes to back cover; a Movement Order dated 28/29 January 1944; his R.A.F. Service and Release Book; a silver rugby prize medal engraved ‘9 S.F.T.S. / R.A.F. Rugby XV 1940-41’, 25.5mm, a broken ‘dog tag’, two R.A.F. Observer’s brevets; a 47 Squadron reunion menu, 1947, with signatures, a newspaper cutting and a copy photograph.