Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Second War 1945 Pathfinder Force Master Bomber’s ‘immediate’ D.S.O., 1944 ‘immediate’ D.F.C. group of seven awarded to Lancaster pilot Squadron Leader G. A. ‘Alex’ Thorne, Royal Air Force, who was additionally recommended for the Second Award Bar to his D.F.C. Thorne flew in at least 54 operational sorties, all but two of which were flown with 635 Squadron - predominantly as a marker crew, but also acting as Deputy Master Bomber on 3 occasions, and ending the war as Master Bomber for 5 operational sorties.

After the war Thorne wrote Lancaster At War 4: Pathfinder Squadron in which he chronicled his crew’s service. He was also the founder and club secretary for the Pathfinder Club in Mayfair

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially dated ‘1945’, lacking top riband bar; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1944’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Coronation 1953, mounted as originally worn, generally very fine or better (7) £3,000-£4,000

D.S.O. London Gazette 15 June 1945:
‘In April, 1945, this officer piloted an aircraft in an attack against Nuremburg. In the run-up to the target, Flight Lieutenant Thorne’s aircraft was subjected to heavy and concentrated fire from the ground defences. The bomber was hit. The port aileron was affected and the aircraft became difficult to control. In spite of this, Flight Lieutenant Thorne made several runs over the target to ensure an accurate attack. He afterwards flew damaged aircraft to base where he effected a safe landing. This officer, who has completed very many sorties since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and never failed to complete his allotted task, displayed the highest standard of devotion to duty throughout.’

The original recommendation (the text of which is incomplete in places) states: ‘On the 11th April, 1945, this officer was detailed to act in the capacity of Master Bomber on the important target at Nuremburg. The attack was carried out in daylight. While running up to the target to mark and assess, this officer’s aircraft received the undivided attention of the heavy flak defences and sustained damage. Disregarding this, he continued on his bombing run and successfully marked. The damage sustained... aircraft affected the aileron control, the port aileron being.... the “up” position. Although his aircraft was very difficult.... this officer, throughout the attack, made a further series of.... the target, many of them at a low altitude, and gave aiming instructions to the Main Force. Having completed his task he then flew his... back and made a successful landing without further damage. This officer has, as Master Bomber, shown outstanding ability... correct and instantaneous decisions in the most arduous circumstances... together with his tenacity, has set the highest example to the... No matter what duty this officer has been assigned to during his career, he has never failed, and his efforts are deserving of... praise.’

D.F.C. London Gazette 5 December 1944.
The original recommendation states: ‘This officer was captain of an aircraft detailed to attack a heavily defended German target in daylight on 6th October, 1944. On approaching the enemy coast, trouble developed in the port inner engine, with the result that further height could no be gained, and the aircraft was subjected to heavy and accurate fire from the German ground defences. Although the aircraft was hit many times, this officer, by expert captaincy and complete disregard of the opposition, pressed home his attack with the utmost determination and dropped his bombs accurately and on time. When leaving the target, the aircraft was again hit in the port side, damaging the fuel tanks and causing petrol leaks, which resulted in fire; eventually the fire was put out, but the aircraft being considerably lower than others engaged in the operation, was again subjected to heavy and light anti-aircraft fire.
By expert pilotage and cool judgement, F/O. Thorne avoided further damage to his aircraft, but on reaching enemy coast, the aircraft was again hit by heavy flak, resulting in the failure of the port outer engine, and the starboard rudder was also shot away. By skilful handling, under most difficult circumstances, the pilot brought his aircraft back to this country on the two remaining engines and decided to carry out a landing on an emergency airfield. As he was turning towards this airfield, the starboard inner engine failed, leaving only the starboard outer engine serviceable. Height was lost rapidly and F/O. Thorne, realising that he could not reach the airfield safely, made a crash landing in the first available field, without injury to his crew. Throughout this action, this Officer displayed exceptional qualities of leadership and coolness, and his determination and captaincy is deserving of the highest praise.’

The original Recommendation for a D.F.C. Second Award Bar, dated 20 February 1945, states: ‘Since the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Cross for an outstanding act of gallantry in October, 1944, this officer has completed a further 16 sorties against the enemy, and is now engaged on his second tour of operational duty. As Captain and Pilot he has pressed home his attacks against such heavily defended German targets as Dusseldorf, Stettin and Munich with the utmost determination and vigour, and on several occasions has made a number of runs over his objectives in the face of great odds. Flight Lieutenant Thorne has showed coolness and courage of a high order, and has been a shining example to other members of his Squadron.’

George Alexander Thorne ‘was born at Liverpool on July 25, 1912, and worked in insurance before enlisting in 1940. As a sergeant pilot he was a flying instructor on single-engined aircraft for 18 months. In 1943 he was posted to Cranwell on a comprehensive course which took in navigation, engineering, meteorology and flying twin-engined aircraft. From that intensive experience he graduated to Whitley bombers at Forres, an operational training unit in Scotland.

Thorne found himself having to pick a crew from some 100 navigators, wireless operators and bomb-aimers among a group which similarly had been told to find themselves pilots. In his book (the fourth in an Ian Allan series on the Lancaster at War, published last April) he wrote: “It seemed a haphazard way to achieve a vitally important objective, a hit-or-miss gamble with long odds against six strangers coming together in the hope that they would prove compatible in all the qualities - technical and personal - necessary in the make-up of a bomber crew.”

As his second navigator he picked Boris Bressloff, a Berkeley Square hairdresser. Posted to a Halifax bomber conversion unit at Rufforth in Yorkshire, the crew became proficient in handling a four-engined bomber.

Thorne was commissioned in April 1944 as a pilot officer and encountered the legendary Group Capt. Hamish Mahadie, the former Halton apprentice who was talent-scouting for the Pathfinder Force. Shortly afterwards he was accepted and learned to fly the Lancaster. His next posting was to No. 635, a Pathfinder squadron based at Downham Market, Norfolk, with which he won the DFC and DSO. Although injured on one raid, he soon resumed operations with the squadron...’ (Daily Telegraph Obituary, dated November 1990 refers).

The above mentioned publication, Lancaster At War 4: Pathfinder Squadron, was penned by the recipient under the name of Alex Thorne. It offers considerable detail on his own crew’s war experiences, from the forming of them through to taking part in 4 specific operational sorties with 635 Squadron between 1943-45.

Thorne flew in at least 54 operational sorties, 2 of which were in Halifax aircraft whilst posted with No. 1663 Conversion Unit, Rufforth, the remainder being with 635 Squadron (Pathfinder Force, commanded by Wing Commander ‘Tubby’ Baker). The latter, during which his crew primarily flew as a marker crew, as well as flying as Deputy Master Bomber on 3 occasions and as Master Bomber on 5 occasions, included: Le Haut Boisson; Hamburg; Lens; Falaise; Russelheim; Stettin; Emden; Kamen; Gelsenkirchen (5), including 6 October 1944, ‘Shot-Up, Crash Landed Near Woodbridge With One Engine and No Rudder. Sgt. Crabtree Killed’ (Log Book refers); Wilhelmshaven; Kiel (3); Boulogne; Calais; Bergen; Saarbrucken; Essen; Cologne (2); Walcheren Islands; Dusseldorf (2); Bochum; Duisberg; Ludwigshaven; St. Vith; Hannover; Frankfurt; Munich; Merseburg; Magdeburg; Chemnitz (2); Wesel; Dortmund; Worms; Ruhr-Kamen; Dessau; Kassel; Witten-Ruhr; Bremen; Dorsten; Osnabruck; Hamburg; Leipzig; Nuremburg, 11 April 1945, ‘Master Bomber - Hit Over Target, Escorted Back to Belgium By Mustang of T.A.F. (U.S.A.A.F.)’ (Log Book refers) and Heligoland.

Lancaster At War 4: Pathfinder Squadron gives an extensive account of the raid on Gelsenkirchen, 6 October 1944, for which Thorne was awarded the D.F.C. It also gives additional detail about the return landing of Thorne’s Lancaster D-Dog:
‘At 18.00hrs the Suffolk coast could be seen ahead. Jim [Crabtree, wireless operator] had cancelled the Mayday, Harry [Parker, flight engineer] was confident that the fuel would get them to Woodbridge and Jim Raymont [rear gunner] and Jock [Scott, mid upper gunner] had moved from their turrets to crash positions in the fuselage. The three push-out panels in the fuselage roof had been loosened to be ready in case of a crash landing, Boris [Bressloff, 2nd Navigator] said his ‘Gee’ box told him they were on course, and Thorne wondered what it would be like to land at Woodbridge with its runway 3,000yd long and 250yd wide...

D-Dog’s height had been reduced gradually to 1,000ft as the coast was reached. Thorne was prepared for a two-engine landing hoping that it would not be too rough with only one rudder and half its engines. He also had in mind the undercarriage - had it been damaged? He would never know. At what he believed was a height of around 500ft, with a runway lined up nicely ahead, the starboard inner engine cut out. With only one engine still working D-Dog swerved to port in a despairing dive. He quickly pulled back the throttle, D-Dog righted itself, forced its way through a line of saplings, bumped on a line of rising ground beyond and miraculously came to rest in a field on the other side of the rise. A few seconds of silence was broken by a minor explosion on the port wing, Harry pulled out the escape panel from the cockpit roof, climbed out on to the starboard wing and turned to help out Reg [Keary, bomb aimer]. Thorne looked down the fuselage although he could not see anyone, so he followed the other two. As they jumped from the wing on to the ground there was a sound of exploding ammunition from the rear of the fuselage and the crackling of fire around the port wing. They could see Gray [Graham Rose, navigator], Boris, Jim Raymont and Jock. It took a few seconds for them to realise that Jim Crabtree was missing. A frantic search failed to find him and D-Dog was now burning furiously. It was not until later that evening that a RAF rescue team from Woodbridge found his body beneath the charred remains of the aircraft...

The next thing Thorne remembers is waking up in a wood to which the crew had taken him on the boundary of the field where they had crashed. With them was a lady who had hurried over from her nearby farmhouse, undeterred by the explosions still erupting from the burning D-Dog. She asked them if they would like some tea, a kindly thought much appreciated by the crew who were devastated by the loss of Jim Crabtree. She hurried back to her home and soon returned with what must have been her best tea-set on a silver tray with a white lace cover.

Shortly afterwards an ambulance arrived with a RAF rescue crew who took them to Woodbridge where the MO quickly found contusions on various parts of Thorne, Harry Parker and Joe Keary. They were taken by ambulance to Ipswich Hospital ‘for observation’ while the other six were taken to the squadron where they learned that 10 aircraft had been lost on the Gelsenkirchen operation. Harry and Joe were passed OK after three days and returned to Downham Market. Thorne was kept for further treatment to a head injury but after a couple of days he also returned to the squadron, to find that the others had all gone on seven days leave.’

Other notable ‘hairy’ occasions for the crew included their first operation as Master Bomber - to Dorsten, 22 March 1945:
‘Then came their first as Master Bomber in a daylight raid on the industrial complex at Dorsten in the northern part of ‘Happy Valley’. They returned with, according to the ground crew, 40 flak holes in D-Dog. Whilst orbiting the target after dropping their 8,000lb load of TIs and bombs a piece of flak must have hit the tail plane, locking the fore and aft controls so that D-Dog went into a shallow dive. After what seemed an eternity of pushing and pulling on the control column - although it may not have been for more than a minute - Thorne heaved a sigh of relief when the column miraculously became movable and normal control was resumed. Only Harry, sitting next to Thorne, knew what had been going on and nothing was said to the others in the crew until they were back in the briefing room.’ (ibid).

Another operation as Master Bomber, and one for which Thorne was awarded the D.S.O., was the daylight raid on the marshalling yards of Nuremburg, 11 April 1945:
‘Prominent on the port side was the famous stadium, venue of the pre-war Olympics at which Hitler refused to meet the American winner of the sprint final. Over the last 70-80 miles D-Dog, and undoubtedly the other aircraft also, had been harried with frequent bumps from the exploding flak but no aircraft had been seen to go down. Then luck deserted D-Dog. Joe had just commenced his bombing run instructions to Thorne when there was a bang as the aircraft staggered from a particularly near miss, the control column started shaking and he had to force the wheel hard to starboard to rectify a violent roll to port. The target was coming up fast in Joe’s bombsights, but with a quick interjection of “Bloody ‘ell!” he continued his commentary...

As he [Thorne] turned into a position to see the target it eased his mind to see that the red markers were all in a tight bunch and in the right place. He called Main Force and told them to bomb the red TIs. D-Dog’s height had reduced to 12,000ft which enabled an orbit of the target to be carried out beneath the still oncoming Halifaxes... Exactly 9 mins after the first markers were dropped and Thorne was on his third orbit, the last Halifax turned for home. Thorne called the Deputy Master Bomber: “Hope you are OK. It seems to have gone well. Have a good trip back.” The reply came: “Yes indeed. See you on return. Cheers.”

A quick look along the wings during the orbits had revealed the port aileron jammed in the ‘up’ position so it became a matter of maintaining a reduction in engine revs on that side and the speed kept down to around 140mph.... so they pressed on for home with D-Dog flying along like an injured duck. With the reduction in speed the other aircraft were soon out of sight and it was a lonely feeling..... Even before they had reached the Belgian border, Jim came on the intercom: “I don’t want to worry you but two fighter aircraft are coming up fast behind us. That’s all we need, thought Thorne, but he was immediately reassured when Jim proclaimed: “It’s OK. I can see now they are Mustangs.” In no time at all the two had formated one on each side of D-Dog. Harry jumped up and down with glee as he drew Thorne’s attention to the one of the starboard side. Thorne looked across: there indeed was a Mustang, the coloured pilot of which was waving a friendly hand and sticking out from his lips and clenched between his teeth was a large cigar...

The official reports following the operation noted that heavy damage had been inflicted on the sidings, goods and stores depots, leaving some 70% unserviceable. Wagon repair shops had been partially wrecked and all lines to the east were cut’ (ibid).

Thorne advanced to Squadron Leader, and was released after the war. He ‘engaged in aviation journalism and public relations, contributing to the London Evening News and editing Air Mail, the journal of the Royal Air Forces Association. He served as both secretary and president of the Pathfinder Association and devoted himself to helping former members find suitable jobs.’ (Daily Telegraph Obituary refers).

Thorne founded and acted as club secretary for the Pathfinder Club. The latter being situated in the vaulted cellar of 115 Mount Street, Mayfair, London. Thorne carried on in this capacity until 1956, and in later life he resided at 35 Queen’s Drive, Thames Ditton, Surrey. Squadron Leader Thorne died in November 1990.

Sold with the recipient’s Riband Bar, with M.I.D. emblem; Royal Air Force Pilots Flying Log Book (24 July 1943 - 17 September 1945) annotated as No. 2, with 900 flying hours as an instructor carried forward; Postagram of congratulation from Air Chief Marshal A. T. ‘Bomber’ Harris to recipient on the occasion of the award of his D.S.O., dated 1 May 1945; cutting of recipient’s Obituary from the Daily Telegraph, 29 November 1990; and a modern photograph of recipient and his crew, 8 March 1944.