Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A good Second War Pathfinder’s D.F.C. group of five awarded to Lancaster Flight Engineer, Warrant Officer H. R. Hart, Royal Air Force, who flew in at least 55 operational sorties during his service with 61, 156, and 405 Squadrons, including being employed as Master Bomber and Deputy Master Bomber crew on several occasions. After the war he flew Lincolns with 617 Squadron

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1945’; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, 1 clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45, mounted as originally worn, generally very fine or better (lot) (4) £2,000-£2,400

D.F.C. London Gazette 20 February 1945.
The original recommendation states: ‘Warrant Officer Hart is a highly efficient Flight Engineer who is now on his second tour of operations. He has participated in attacks on many heavily defended enemy targets, included amongst which are Berlin, Mannheim and Stuttgart. He has a thorough knowledge of his trade and inspires confidence by the cool and efficient manner in which he performs his duties even when strongly engaged by the enemy. Undoubtedly, the fine fighting spirit evinced by this Warrant Officer, combined with his superior technical knowledge, has done much to ensure that the fine operational record of his crew has been kept at a very high standard.’

Harold Ross Hart was born in Leicester in April 1924, and enlisted in the Royal Air Force in August 1942. After initial training as a Flight Engineer, he was posted to No. 1661 Conversion Unit, Winthorpe in July 1943. Hart was posted for operational flying with 61 Squadron (Lancasters) at Syerston in August 1943. He flew in 6 operational sorties with the Squadron, including: Nuremburg (his first ‘Op’), 27 August 1943, ‘Attacked 3 Times & Shot Up By Lanc. W/Op Injured. Ailerons U/S’ (Log Book refers); Munchen Gladbach; Berlin (3) and Mannheim. Hart was posted to the Path Finder Force N.T.U. at Upwood in February 1944, and then for operational service with 156 Squadron (Lancasters) as part of No. 8 Group, Path Finder Force at Upwood in March 1944. He flew in at least 35 operational sorties with the Squadron, crewed initially with Pilot Officer W. J. Taggart (an Australian) as his pilot and then with Squadron Leader K. J. Lawson (D.S.O. and Bar, D.F.C.) from 11 July 1944, including: Stuttgart; Frankfurt; Nuremburg, 30/31 March 1944, when 95 aircraft were lost as part of Bomber Command’s biggest loss of the war; Rouen; Cologne; Dusseldorf; St. Ghislain, 1 May 1944, when the crew were employed as Deputy Master Bomber; Mont Didier (2); Bougnenais; Hasselt, 11 May 1944, when the crew were employed as the Master Bomber; Aachen; Tergnier; Tours, 11 June 1944, as Master Bomber; St. Pol, 14 June 1944, as Master Bomber; Biennais; Revigne; Cagne; Rollez; Coulen Villers; Foret de Croc; Acquet; Stuttgart (2), including 25 July 1944 when he flew with the Squadron’s Commanding Officer Wing Commander T. L. Bingham-Hall as his pilot; Battle Area, 30 July 1944; Bois de Cassan; Pauillac; St. Quentin; Eindhoven; Kiel (3); Connantre; Russelheim; Stettin; Le Havre (2); Schalven; Frankfurt, 12 September 1944, ‘Hit by Flak’ (Log Book refers); Calais and Saarbrucken.

Hart transferred with his pilot, now Wing Commander Lawson, to 405 (Vancouver) Squadron, R.C.A.F. (Lancasters) at Gransden Lodge, Bedfordshire in October 1944. The Squadron was also a member of No. 8 Group, and Hart flew in 7 operational sorties with them, including: Stuttgart; Cologne (2); Warne Eickel, 9 November 1944, ‘Hit by Flak’ (Ibid); Julich; Freiburg, 27 November 1944, ‘Hole in Nose Two Bombing Runs’ (Ibid) and Karlsruhe. The latter raid marked the end of Hart’s second tour of operations. The following month Wing Commander Lawson and 4 other members of his crew were killed when they were shot down returning from a raid to Nuremburg.

Hart was posted to the Empire Air Navigation School, Shawbury in February 1945, and stayed at this posting until June the following year. Subsequent postings included to 50 Squadron (Lincolns) at Waddington, December 1946 - April 1947 and 617 Squadron (Lincolns) at Binbrook, April 1947 - September 1947 (including taking part in the ‘Good Will Tour’ of the United States of America). The remainder of Hart’s service was split between 50 and 97 Squadrons, before finishing at Shawbury and No. 7 R.F.S. Desford in August 1952. He was discharged as a Warrant Officer and after the war resided at 13 Wheatley Road, Stocking Farm Estate, Leicester.

Sold with the following original related items: Royal Air Force Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book (10 July 1943 - 23 September 1953); R.A.F. Service and Release Book; named Buckingham Palace enclosure for D.F.C.; Path Finder Force Badge Award Certificate, dated 8 December 1944, with named enclosure for Badge; annotated crew photograph and newspaper cuttings.