A rare Second World War evader’s D.F.M. group of five awarded to Sergeant M. B. Strange, Royal Air Force - having baled out of his burning Halifax over France in April 1943, he made his way to the Pyrenees as a guest of the French Resistance, returning home via Gibraltar three months later

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1071615 Sgt. M. B. Strange, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, minor contact wear, very fine and better (5) £2400-2800

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

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D.F.M. London Gazette 6 July 1943. The original recommendation states:

‘Sergeant Strange was the Flight Engineer of the crew of a Halifax of No. 76 Squadron which was detailed to bomb Frankfurt on the 10 April 1943.

On the outward journey the aircraft was attacked and set on fire by an enemy night fighter. The captain gave the order to bale out. Sergeant Strange landed in a field just outside Hirson and about 200 yards from the burning aircraft. He was uninjured and after taking off his parachute and Mae West, he buried them in a ditch and then started to walk S.W. using his compass. He evaded capture and eventually arrived back in this country.

For the courage and determination shown by this N.C.O. in making his escape I recommend him for the immediate award of the D.F.M.’

Malcolm Black Strange, who was born in Glasgow in June 1920, entered the Royal Air Force in November 1940 and, on completing his training as a Flight Engineer, was posted to No. 76 Squadron, a Halifax unit operating out of Linton-on-Ouse. Having then completed 24 operational sorties, he and his crew were shot down over Hirson in France on the night of 10-11 April 1943, on which occasion Group Captain J. R. Whitley, A.F.C., was along for the ride - four of the crew were killed and four successfully evaded the enemy, Strange and Whitley being among the latter. In his subsequent M.I. 9 debrief, Strange takes up the story after his successful descent by parachute:

‘After walking for some time eventually lay down in a ditch, where I must have fallen asleep. I woke about 0600 hours, opened my escape box and purse, and put the contents in my pockets. I tried to remove my badges but as I had no knife I could not manage this. I did not think of using my hacksaw for this purpose.

Eventually I came to a signpost pointing to Hirson, and I decided to walk back into the village and ask for help. I cannot speak French. On my way I inspected a scarecrow, hoping that I might use some of the civilian clothing from it, but they were too decayed.

Just as I was coming into Hirson I met an old man. He stared at my flying boots and gave me to understand by signs that he knew I was an English aviator. He then pointed to a house in the village. I went to the back door of this house and was taken in. The people here gave me some food, lent me a razor, and allowed me to shave. They also procured for me a civilian shirt and tie, a pair of shoes, a coat, and a pair of green “plus-fours”. They then took away my uniform. In the meantime one of my helpers sent to a neighbouring village to get further aid for me. At 2030 hours I was taken to the cellar of another house, and met a man who inspected my identity disc, and asked me the names of my crew and the number of my aircraft. He also took away my maps and a bar of my chocolate, giving me a bar of French chocolate in place of it. Shortly afterwards I was taken by car to a house in another village, where I met Sergeant Davies. From this point our subsequent journey was arranged for us.’

Fortunate to have fallen upon members of the French Resistance, Strange and Davies were taken south, via Paris, to the Pyrenees, and thence to Spain and Gibraltar, but not before a happy reunion in a safe house with their fellow evader, Group Captain Whitley. Escape - or Die, by Paul Brickhill, takes up the story:

‘Fontaine was a local Resistance leader ... one night he walked in with a couple of self-conscious youths behind him and Whitley recognised Davies and Strange. They were in rough civilian clothes with berets and he started to laugh because Strange was wearing a ludicrous pair of tight black pants. Strange said sheepishly that he had borrowed them from the local priest. They laughed at Whitley minus his moustache and uniform and almost forgot he was a Group Captain. The three of them talked volubly for hours while Fontaine and the Mahoudeaux family looked on benevolently and laughed when they did, though they had not the slightest idea what the jokes were. Afterwards Davies and Strange went back to their own houses.’

Sad though it is to relate, Whitley returned to France after the War to ascertain the fate of those gallant members of the Resistance who had assisted him and Strange - Fontaine had been caught by the Germans and shot in March 1944, while the eldest son of the Mahoudeaux family had been sent to Buchenwald (the chapter devoted to Whitley’s evasion in Escape - or Die refers).

Flown out of Gibraltar to Hendon on 7 June 1943, Strange and Davies were awarded D.F.Ms, Whitley the D.S.O. and their Rear Gunner, Pilot Officer J. A. A. M. David, who also made it home, the D.F.C.; sold with a file of research.