Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A post-war A.F.M. group of five awarded to Group Captain D. J. Rhodes, Royal Air Force

Air Force Medal, G.VI.R., 2nd issue (1894330 Sgt. D. J. Rhodes, R.A.F.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Cyprus (Flt. Lt. D. J. Rhodes, R.A.F.); Coronation 1953, mounted as worn, together with a set of related miniature dress medals and his tunic ribands, generally good very fine (10) £1600-1800

A.F.M. London Gazette 5 June 1952.

David John Rhodes joined the Royal Air Force in 1943, undertook pilot training in South Africa and was discharged as a Flight Lieutenant in 1947. Not content with civilian life, he rejoined the R.A.F. a few months later and served as a Sergeant Pilot 2, thence Pilot 1, in No. 243 Squadron at Horsham St. Faith. It was in this latter capacity, for good work on flight refuelling trials, that he was awarded the A.F.M. in June 1952.

Commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant in the same year - Rhodes was always classified as an ‘exceptional’ pilot - he next served at R.A.F. Raynham, Norfolk, where he was employed in testing newly delivered fighters before their onward journey into general service. He then undertook two tours of duty as A.D.C. to Lord Mountbatten in the M.O.D. prior to being advanced to Squadron Leader in July 1960 and taking up an appointment as an instructor in Bahrein and Saudi Arabia. He subsequently served in Germany, where he was advanced to Wing Commander. He was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer at Headquarters Air Forces Gulf, 1969-70, and his final posting was Group Captain and C.O. of R.A.F. Bawdsey, Suffolk 1970-74.

In 1974 he was seconded as Director of Operations for the Singapore Air Force, and it was in this capacity that he was killed when his aircraft crashed off Singapore in August 1976.