Orders, Decorations and Medals

A well-documented and emotive Battle of Britain group of three awarded to Sergeant J. Lansdell, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a Hurricane pilot who was killed in action with No. 607 Squadron on 17 September 1940 - when the crash site of his aircraft was excavated 46 years later, the recovered control column revealed his gun button still set to fire

1939-45 Star, clasp, Battle of Britain; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, in their original addressed card forwarding box to ‘W. A. Lansdell, Esq., 28 Harley Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk’, with Air Council condolence slip in the name of ‘Sergeant J. Lansdell’ and R.A.F.V.R. lapel badge, officially numbered ‘88776’, virtually as issued (4) £2500-3000

John Lansdell was born in Great Yarmouth in March 1917, the son of a headmaster, and was educated at Great Yarmouth Grammar School, prior to taking a First Class Honours Diploma in Aeronautics at Loughborough College and being elected an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Enlisting in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in late 1937, he was selected for pilot training and, in July 1940, joined No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron, a Hurricane unit based at Usworth. As verified by the Squadron’s Operational Record Book (O.R.B.), he flew a number of sorties in the period leading up to September, but it was in the latter month, on 607’s move to Tangmere, that air-to-air combat became an everyday reality.

At 3.05 p.m. on the 17th, Lansdell took off from Tangmere at 3.05 p.m., in a section of nine Hurricanes led by Flight Lieutenant William Blackadder - barely half an hour later he was dead, having been shot down by a 109 piloted by Hauptmann Neumann of I/JG27. The Squadron’s O.R.B. states:

‘Combat took place over Gravesend area about 1540 hours, Flight Lieutenant Bazin leading Blue and Green Sections. Owing to ‘A’ Flight being already on patrol, ‘B’ Flight only were able to operate over Biggin Hill-Gravesend in conjunction with 213 Squadron. While patrolling at 17,000 feet with 213 Squadron acting as rear guard, both 213 and 607 were attacked almost simultaneously from above and behind by Me. 109s.

Blue 2 (P./O. Welford) was seen to disappear after being hit by a shell and Blue 3 (Sergeant Lansdell) disappeared after Green 2 (P./O. Surma had seen him attacked by a Me. 109.) Green 1 and Green 2 fired short bursts at short range at a Me. 109, who escaped into cloud ... Pilot Officer Welford slightly wounded, Sergeant Lansdell killed.’

Lansdell appears to have baled out of his aircraft, Hurricane P-3933, which crashed into a hop garden at Beltring, Kent, an incident witnessed by a local John Grimes. Over 40 years later, as described in literature of the Shoreham Aviation Museum, his Hurricane’s crash site was investigated by Museum staff: ‘Forty-six years later in what is now a vast wheat field, members of the Museum, after hours of searching using the most modern metal detectors, failed to locate the crash site. Whilst deciding their next move, John Grimes arrived at the scene. After eyeing the lie of the land for a few minutes, he paced out into the field and pinpointed the exact location. As soon as the excavation began, wreckage became visible and as excitement mounted, so the heavens opened. At a depth of 16 feet, the cockpit section was unearthed. The armour plate from behind the pilot’s seat was removed to reveal the cockpit instruments and the control column (the gun button was still set to fire). Finally, and spectacularly, the Rolls Royce Merlin engine was carefully hauled from the clay. This must rank as one of the best examples recovered.’

Lansdell was 23 years of age and is buried in St. Margaret’s churchyard at Hempnall, Norfolk - on 17 September 2000, 60 years to the day of his death, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight paid tribute to his gallant sacrifice, a Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster flying over a his gravestone in St. Margaret’s (accompanying Norwich Evening News feature refers).

Also sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s certificate of registry of birth, dated 29 March 1917; a Light Aeroplane Design, large scale, ‘designed and drawn by J. Lansdell, Loughborough College, Summer 1939’; seven pre-war pencil sketches of assorted aircraft, one signed and dated, ‘J. Lansdell, 1938’ and five others initialled ‘J.L.’; eight original photographs, the earliest of them, poignantly, depicting Lansdell as a Boy Scout, five others of him in student groups, including Loughborough College S.R.C. 1937-38, another of his section of Flight Sergeants on graduation, and two of his grave site; and a Great Yarmouth Grammar School War Memorial communication, inviting next of kin to check suggested entries.