Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The emotive and rare Second War D.S.O., D.F.C., D.F.M. group of seven awarded to Flight Lieutenant R. J. Cook, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who as an Observer with 15 Squadron took part in numerous sorties against targets in France and Germany in 1941, for which he was awarded the D.F.M. Retraining as a pilot, he was assigned to 608 Squadron, piloting Mosquito’s in the elite Light Night Striking Force, being twice more recognised for his gallantry. Post-War, he continued to fly with British South American Airways and was Captain of the ill fated ‘Star Dust’ Avro Lancastrian airliner that disappeared without trace on a flight between Buenos Aires and Santiago on 2 August 1947, the wreckage of his aircraft only being discovered in 1998: the meaning of ‘Star Dust’s’ cryptic last Morse code message ‘STENDEC’ has been debated ever since and has been the subject of various documentaries and books

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, reverse of suspension bar undated, with integral top ribbon bar; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated 1945; Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (744985 Sjt. R. J. Cook. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, 1 clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted court style as worn, nearly extremely fine and a rare combination of awards (7) £12,000-£15,000

One of only 18 D.S.O., D.F.C., and D.F.M. combinations awarded to the Royal Air Force for the Second World War.

D.S.O London Gazette 18 September 1945.
The recommendations states: ‘Flight Lieutenant Cook has proved himself to be a most skilful and courageous operational pilot. He has recently completed a third tour of operational duty. His sorties have all been completed over enemy territory in Germany and occupied Europe, and heavy anti-aircraft defences have frequently been encountered. This officer took an effective part in the final prolonged bomber offensive against Berlin. Flight Lieutenant Cook has operated continuously from the early days of the war till the present time. His many successes have made him a valuable asset to his Squadron.’

D.F.C. London Gazette 20 March 1945.

D.F.M. London Gazette 10 February 1942.
The recommendation states: ‘This airman has participated in sorties against enemy targets, including dockyards, railways, oil refineries, airdromes and other targets in enemy country. He has participated in attacks on Berlin on four occasions. In December, 1941, Sergeant Cook was the observer of the leading aircraft of a formation of Stirlings which took part in a daylight raid on the enemy warships at Brest. His precise navigation enabled the formation to bomb their objective at exactly the stipulated time, in spite of fierce opposition. Sergeant Cook is a most efficient navigator bomb aimer who has consistently displayed courage and perseverance.’

Reginald James Cook was born in Derby in 1918 and after leaving school worked as a draughtsman. He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1936 and at the outbreak of the Second War was sent for training as a Navigator in Canada. By mid 1941, ranked Flight Sergeant, he was serving with 15 Squadron, flying as an Air Observer/Navigator. At this time, 15 Squadron was operating from Wyton with Short Stirling I’s against targets in France and Germany. These included raids on Berlin and enemy aerodromes, Cook being particularly credited for his actions in the leading aircraft, during a daylight raid on warships at Brest in December 1941. Another account tells of how he almost lost his life when taking off for one mission, his aircraft, with a full bomb load, crashed and exploded shortly after impact. Remarkably Cook survived unscathed and was awarded the D.F.M. in February 1942.

On his operational tour ending, Cook returned to Canada to train as a pilot. He was commissioned probationary Pilot Officer on 16 May 1942, and was promoted Flight Lieutenant on 16 May 1944, and by the autumn 1944 was serving with 608 Squadron.

608 Squadron and the Light Night Striking Force
From August 1944, 608 Squadron formed part of the elite Light Night Striking Force of No. 8 (Path Finder) Group, operating with Mosquitos out of Downham Market, Norfolk. 608 and the other Mosquito squadrons of the Light Night Striking Force performed a host of different duties for Bomber Command, though mostly flying diversionary and independent harassing raids. Due to the speed and range of the Mosquito, they were ideally suited for hit and run operations and would sometimes fly two sorties in a day. Another benefit was the effect they had on German civil and military morale, because Mosquitos were rarely shot down by either German fighters or anti aircraft fire. A German fighter pilot would write of them:

‘We had to meet the two quite different uses of the Mosquito. Firstly, there was the nightly raid to bomb Berlin and secondly their use as pathfinders at high altitude in the Ruhr. Night after night, thirty to forty Mosquitoes flew to Berlin and dropped bombs and the psychological stress on the Berliners was considerable. Flak and searchlights were moved to Berlin without having any considerable or lasting effect. The Mosquitoes flew at altitudes above 30,000 ft and after crossing the Elbe lost height to fly over Berlin at the highest possible speed to avoid the concentrated flak. The direction of the flights across Berlin was different with each operation.’

As mentioned above, the Squadron also specialised in fast, high-flying night raids on Germany, particularly Berlin. For his services Cook was awarded the D.F.C. in March 1945 and though the citation has as yet not been located, the award would almost certainly have been for this second operational tour. This was however not the end of his service as he volunteered for another tour with 608 Squadron. During this final tour, he would continue piloting Mosquito’s in the same role as before and also taking part in the final devastating bomber offensive against Berlin. For his sustained gallantry, he was further awarded the D.S.O. in September 1945.

G-AGHW ‘Star Dust’
Post-war, Cook was recruited by ex Air Vice Marshal Don Bennett, to be a pilot with British South American Airways (B.S.A.A.). Bennett who had led Cook’s old No. 8 Group during the War, had resigned his Commission in 1945 and taken the civil role as General Manager at B.S.A.A. As such and unsurprisingly, on taking the role Bennett actively sought to recruit pilots from his old Pathfinder Force. The company itself was formed in late 1945 to provide flight services from the UK to South America, using Avro 691 Lancastrian Mk.III civil transport aircraft. These aircraft as their name suggests were based on the Avro Lancaster bomber, 18 of which were built by A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd in England and in addition to their civil code, all were given names beginning with ‘Star’. With a flight crew of 4, the airliner could carry up to 13 passengers and 1 flight attendant.

Initially flying as a co-pilot, by the summer of 1947, Cook had clocked up over a dozen full round trips on all B.S.A.A. routes. Passing his First Class Navigators exam on 17 July 1947, he was then given his first command, now with the all important title of Captain. Less than a month later, at 1:46 p.m. on 2 August 1947, Cook, Captaining G-AGWH ‘Star Dust’, with 4 other crew and 6 passengers, took off on a scheduled flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. Star Dust never arrived. The last contact with the flight was at 17:41 when a radio operator at Santiago received a Morse code message from Star Dust, stating an ETA of 17:45 and ending with STENDEC. Santiago’s operator asked for clarification and STENDEC was repeated twice more. Search teams scoured the mountains but found no clues as to the whereabouts of Star Dust.

51 years later, in 1998, two Argentine mountaineers climbing Mount Tupungato, about 50 miles east of Santiago, found a Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine and other signs of wreckage. In 2000, an Argentine Army expedition found additional wreckage and human remains, by which they were able to confirm that the wreckage was of flight G-AGWH Star Dust. An investigation determined that due to bad weather conditions, Captain Cook probably encountered a jet stream at altitude, this carrying the airliner slightly off-path so that he thought he was clear of the Andes, when he had yet to cross them. Star Dust had then crashed head on into a near vertical glacier on the side of the Mount Tupungato, causing an avalanche that buried the aircraft. After DNA tests had been carried out on the human remains, it was determined that among the remains were those of Captain Cook, but it was another five years before his remains were returned to the family. He was buried in his home town of Melbourne, Derbyshire on 8 July 2005.

The meaning of the Morse code message ‘STENDEC’ has been debated ever since Star Dust’s disappearance and subsequent discovery; the puzzle has never been solved, and has led to a number of different theories. A BBC Horizon documentary ‘Vanished: The Plane That Disappeared’, tells the story of Star Dust’s fateful flight and subsequent discovery, as does a similar documentary by PBS and the book ‘Star Dust Falling’ by Jay Rayner.