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Lot

№ 229

.

19 June 2013

Hammer Price:
£150

Five: Flight Lieutenant M. O. F. England, Royal Air Force, late Royal Marines Divisional Engineers and Royal Naval Air Service, who saw operational service as an Observer in No. 1 Wing at Dunkirk

1914-15 Star (Deal 49-S Spr. M. O. F. England, R.M.); British War Medal 1914-20 (Obs. Lt. M. O. F. England, R.N.A.S.); Victory Medal 1914-19 (Obs. Lt. M. O. F. England, R.N.A.S.), renamed; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, generally good very fine (5) £200-250

Maurice Ord Fuller England was born in May 1892, the son of Dr. Fuller England of Winchester, Hampshire, and was educated at Charterhouse. Enlisting in the Royal Marines Divisional Engineers at Deal in September 1914, he witnessed active service as a Sapper in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force from March to August 1915, before being invalided home. Three months later, however, he gained appointment as a Probationary Sub. Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and was posted to the Royal Naval Air Service as a Probationary Flight Officer.

Subsequently qualifying as an Observer at Eastchurch in the summer of 1916, he went on to serve in No. 1 Wing at Dunkirk and as a member of No. 15 Flight, Dover Defence Squadron, gaining advancement to Lieutenant (Observer) in October 1917. Having then been transferred to the strength of the newly established Royal Air Force in April 1918, and served at Experimental Stations (Aero and Armament), he was grounded on account of ill-health in May 1919 and transferred to the Unemployed List. Recalled as a Flying Officer on the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939, England joined the Technical Branch (Armaments), was advanced to Flight Lieutenant in December 1940 and appears to have remained similarly employed for the remainder of the War; sold with copied R.M., R.N.V.R. and R.A.F. service records.