A Selection of Medals from the Collection of the Late Noel Morris

A superbly documented Great War D.S.C. group of four awarded to Flight Commander G. H. Beard, Royal Naval Air Service, who flew operationally in No. 1 and No. 5 Wings from May 1915 until his death in action in September 1916: the accompanying archive of some 75 wartime photographs constitutes an important and hitherto unpublished record of active service in France with the R.N.A.S.

Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., the reverse privately engraved ‘Awarded to Flight Commander George Hy. Beard, D.S.C., R.N.A.S., Who Fell in Action Sept. 7th 1916, Buried at Sea’, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; 1914-15 Star (Flt. S. Lt., D.S.C., R.N.A.S.); British War and Victory Medals (Flt. Cr., R.N.A.S.), the last two in original card forwarding box, together with related Memorial Plaque (George Henry Beard), this last somewhat polished but otherwise extremely fine (5) £5000-6000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Selection of Medals from the Collection of the Late Noel Morris.

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D.S.C. London Gazette 12 June 1916:

‘In recognition of services as a pilot at Dunkirk since May 1915. He has carried out frequent reconnaissances of the coast and has continually been employed in aircraft and submarine patrols. He has twice attacked German submarines.’

George Henry Beard, who was born at West Ham in November 1886, financed his own pilot training at Beatty School, Hendon and obtained his Royal Aero Club certificate (No. 1095) on a Wright biplane in February 1915. Thus qualified, and on his second application, he was appointed a Probationary Flight Sub. Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service in the same month, and sent to the Central Flying School at Upavon to complete his training. In the following May, having been confirmed in his rank, he was posted to No. 1 Wing, R.N.A.S. at St. Pol airfield, Dunkirk, reporting there at about the same time as another recently qualified pilot, Rex Warneford (Royal Aero Club certificate No. 1098), who, of course, was destined to win the Victoria Cross when he became the first Allied pilot to bring down a Zeppelin, over Ghent, in the following June.

In December 1915, Beard was visited by his brother, Richard, then a Mate in the Mercantile Marine, and it would appear from accompanying photographs that he took him up for ride in one of No. 1 Wing’s aircraft and offered him an opportunity for some revolver practice; see the previous Lot for Richard’s own awards.

Advanced to Flight Lieutenant in January 1916, and to Flight Commander two months later, Beard was next posted to No. 5 Wing, R.N.A.S., with whom he was awarded his D.S.C. Sadly, however, he was killed in action on 7 September 1916, after leading a raid against the German airfield at St. Denis, Wistram, Belgium - his body was recovered two weeks later and buried at sea.

Sold with the following original documents and photographs:

(i) Air Department, Admiralty communications regarding receipt of formal notice of the recipient’s (private) pilot graduation at Hendon, dated 25 February 1915, and notice to proceed to Calais ‘by civilian train and boat’, dated 10 May 1915.

(ii) A pass for ‘The London Aerodrome, Hendon’ for the period 1 January to 31 March 1915, in the name of ‘G. Beard.’

(iii) Royal Aero Club forwarding letter for aviator’s certificate, dated 3 March 1915.

(iv) Admiralty certificates of appointment to be Probationary Flight Sub. Lieutenant, R.N.A.S., dated 27 February 1915; Additional Temporary Flight Sub. Lieutenant, R.N.A.S., dated 7 May 1915; Flight Lieutenant, R.N.A.S., dated 1 January 1916; and Acting Flight Commander, R.N.A.S., dated 31 March 1916.

(v) Admiralty commission warrant for the rank of Flight Sub. Lieutenant, R.N.A.S., dated 15 May 1915.

(vi) “Ship’s flimsies” for the Aeroplane Station, Dover [but with handwritten notation ‘Dunkirk’], dated 7 March 1916 (‘A good, hard-working and reliable Officer and a very good pilot’), and No. 1 Wing, R.N.A.S., dated 20 May 1916 (‘A highly skilled pilot and a very good Officer’).

(vii) Copies of No. 1 Wing’s newsletter The Wing Tip for October 1915 (2), and Christmas 1915, the former heavily annotated and one of them with inserted sheets of explanation in the recipient’s hand, the whole undoubtedly providing useful commentary on personnel and unit activity, sometimes in an amusing vein, such as references to the Padre, who has his leg pulled for his frequent visits to La Panne hospital, ‘where there are 150 English nurses!’, but on other occasions of a scathing nature, the unit’s interpreter, le Compte de Sincay, being described by Beard as a ‘lazy bounder’.

(viii) A remarkable photographic archive, comprising approximately 75 images from the recipient’s time on active service 1915-16, the vast majority captioned with identified Wing personnel, etc., sometimes in his own hand but many at a later date by family, and the images covering numerous aircraft types (and flying accidents), in addition to many of the Officers of, and visitors to, No. 1 Wing.

(ix) A series of wartime telegraphs (6) and Naval signals (4), dating from February 1915 to June 1916, several of a congratulatory nature on the recipient being awarded the D.S.C., including one from Squadron Commander Haskins (‘My sincere and hearty congratulations on your well earned ormolu ribbon. Better late than never!’).

(x) A fine series of photographic postcards, most of them sent by the recipient in October 1914 to assorted family and depicting early aircraft types at Hendon, or such personalities as the American aviator George W. Beatty (‘Observe the lovely crease in his duds, the spotless collar and cuffs, and the immaculate hands that mean he hadn’t done any work that day, and hadn’t any intention either, only don’t tell him I said so ...’; [and, in another postcard] ‘Beatty is rather a nice fellow. He has an Irish-American wife who keeps him on the run ...’); Philip Marty (‘Saw this felow loop the loop for the first time in his life ...’), and Squadron Commander J. C. Porte, with obverse autograph (‘The famous trans-Atlantic British flying merchant, now in command of the London aerodrome ...’), together with some interesting observations on his early flying experiences (‘Very slow work here ... we’ve had some lovely smashes this week, one while I was up Wednesday morning. 2 on Monday, another this morning. These lads you know. Reckless young duffers ...’); [but shortly afterwards] ‘Beatty tells me the Admiralty have requested him to finish me off as early as possible as they desire to move me from Hendon immediate ...’

(xi) A plain postcard sent from France in May 1915 to his sister, the text with handwritten verse, ‘It’s a long way to 7,000/It’s a long way from home/It’s a long way to 7,000/with a 50 horsepower Gnome/It’s a long way to 7,000/with the Boches all below/but with bullets whistling all around you/It’s the safest place I know.’

(xii) Letters home to family members and friends (4), the earliest dated 24 October 1915 at the Hotel Burlington, Dover (‘Do you ever feel sad and lonely? It’s a terrible sensation. I hear that another two of my friends have been lost at Dunkirk ...’); 26 January 1916 at No. 1 Wing, R.N.A.S. (‘If I don’t get done-in in a couple of night stunts which I have on the board, I shall be home in a fortnight’s time ...’); 17 February 1916 at No. 1 Wing, R.N.A.S. (‘Am more or less the superintendent of the building of two new aerodromes and fur is flying!’); and 12 June 1916 at No. 5 Wing, R.N.A.S. to the headmaster of his old college (‘I cannot but feel that this signal honour [the D.S.C.] is due largely to the operation of those principles which you instilled into me at Kensington College ...’).

(xiii) Assorted wartime newspaper and magazine cuttings, including remnants of Daily Mail front page, dated 12 September 1916, with portrait photograph of the recipient and news of him being posted missing.

(xiv) Calling card inscribed, ‘Flight Commander G. H. Beard, D.S.C., Royal Navy, H.M.S. President.’

(xv) Family ‘In Memoriam’ card, with interior printed dedication, ‘In loving remembrance of Flight Commander G. H. Beard, D.S.C., R.N.A.S., son of Mr. Richard Beard, Dunmow, Essex, and nephew of Mr. E. Beard, Litchard, Bridgend, killed in action in the raid at St. Denis, Westram, September 10th, 1916, body recovered and buried at sea, September 23rd, aged 29 years.’