SCARCE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS AWARDED TO HIGHEST SCORING JEWISH ACE OF THE GREAT WAR FETCHES A HAMMER PRICE OF £20,000 at NOONANS MAYFAIR – Only ace to have come from birmingham -

A fine and scarce 1918 Great War Sopwith Camel fighter ace’s Distinguished Flying Cross and bar awarded to Captain Solomon Clifford Joseph of the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force - who was the highest scoring Jewish ace of the Great War sold for a hammer price of £20,000 in a sale of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria at Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.  Not only was Captain Joseph the highest scoring Jewish Ace of the Great War; he was the only Ace of the conflict to hail from Birmingham. It was bought by a private collector [lot 247].

Approximately 66 D.F.C. and Bars were awarded for the Great War. As Mark Quayle, Medal Specialist and Associate Director of Noonans commented: “Joseph was a “gung-ho” pilot, whose aggressive flying style and skill accounted for at least 13 aerial victories over the Western Front between May - October 1918. He was no stranger to taking risks, and was wounded in aerial combat, and nearly shot down on many occasions.”

He continued: “The group was well contested on the day and has gone to a good home - where it will be appreciated by a collector.”

The highest price in the sale was for the historic and unique Peninsula awards to Troop Sergeant-Major William Hanley, 14th Light Dragoons which sold for a hammer price £30,000 against estimate of £14,000-18,000. These hadn’t appeared at auction since the 1930s and after fierce bidding, it was bought by a private collector [lot 383].

Also in the sale was the David Laban Collection of Territorial Force War Medal Groups which comprised 89 lots which fetched a total hammer price of £57,910. Two notable lots were a Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Baines of the Leicestershire Regiment that sold for a hammer price of £5,500 against an estimate of £1,400-1,800 [lot 295], while a scarce Great War ‘Western Front’ A.R.R.C. group of four awarded to Sister Zoe B. Douet, Territorial Force Nursing Service, who served at No. 55 General Hospital, Wimereux, France sold for a hammer price of £3,400 against an estimate of £1,000-1,400 [lot 299]. Both were bought by private collectors.