A good Great War D.F.C. group of four awarded to Captain C. L. Morley, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps, who flew in Sopwith Camels of No. 65 Squadron and Sopwith Pups of No. 204 Squadron in 1918, claiming three enemy aircraft and a kite balloon

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; British War and Victory Medals (Capt. C. L. Morley, R.A.F.); France, Croix de Guerre 1914-1918, with bronze star riband fitment, the third with minor official correction to surname, generally good very fine or better (4) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Coldstream Guards, R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. formed by the late Tom Baugh.

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D.F.C. London Gazette 2 November 1918:

‘On 10 August 1918, this officer saw that a party of our cavalry charging down a road were being fired at by two machine-guns. Diving down to within a few feet of the ground, he engaged one of the guns, silencing it. This is only one of many acts of gallantry performed by this officer, who displays entire disregard of personal danger.’

Claud Louis Morley, who was born in Beckenham, Kent in May 1899, was commissioned in the Royal Flying Corps in May 1917 and posted to No. 65 Squadron, a Sopwith Camel unit, out in France, in May 1918. Just three days later, on the 30th, he claimed his first victory in a combat north of Amiens:

‘I left the formation to dive on a two-seater which I saw east of Bois de Vaire. He dived away east and I followed him, getting right on his tail at point blank range firing a long burst. I pulled out to avoid hitting him and did a complete left hand turn. He went down in a left hand spiral from which he did not pull out, hitting the ground left wing tip first and completely crashing in a road. I was absolutely lost so turned and flew west eventually landing at a French aerodrome.’

During another patrol on 7 June, Morley attacked a German kite balloon near Mametz and saw the Observer take to his parachute, but owing to the fact he was then attacked by a pair of Albatross Scouts, he was unable to ascertain the actual fate of the balloon.

Among 65’s growing band of aces was Captain John Gilmour, who would claim 35 victories with the Squadron, including, famously, five enemy aircraft in one combat on 1 July, a frantic action in which Morley was present - thus his aircraft’s inclusion in Joseph Simpson’s commemorative painting of the same occasion.

Having flown many sorties in the interim, including the low-level attack referred to in his D.F.C. citation, Morley claimed his next victim, a Fokker Biplane, following a combat on 4 October:

‘I was on an offensive patrol when we observed a formation of Fokkers, one consisting of four E.A. and the other of seven E.A. We attacked the formation of four and the other formation joined in. I fired at one going across my front at 80 yards range. He went down in a steep spiral. I was unable to follow him as I was attacked by another E.A., but I feel sure he was out of control.’

And four days later, he compelled another German Observer to take to his parachute after attacking a kite balloon, though on this occasion the balloon was winched back down to the ground.

Later in the same month, Morley was posted to No. 204 Squadron as a Flight Commander, and shortly afterwards, on the 31st, claimed a confirmed enemy kite balloon as destroyed:

‘While leading a low bombing raid I saw a hostile balloon at 2,000 feet over Huyske. I attacked it from the east. I fired about 600 rounds into it and the Observer jumped out. I then dived right on to the balloon firing all the time, and only just pulled out of the dive in time to miss it. I observed a large tear in the balloon, also it was going down with the big end on top. Lieutenant Fenton saw the balloon afterwards completely ripped open, and the basket fall off. The balloon was absolutely destroyed but did not burst into flames as I was not using “Buckingham” ’

Finally, on 4 November, during an offensive patrol over Melle, Morley claimed another Fokker:

‘Captain Morley fired 100 rounds at 10 yards range from the tail position into the E.A. which did not manoeuvre but simply flew straight. The E.A. turned on its back, and fell down, flopping about like a leaf, absolutely out of control. E.A. almost certainly destroyed.’

Morley, who had been advanced to Captain, was awarded the D.F.C. and French Croix de Guerre, and was demobilised in March 1919; sold with two files of research.