Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

An outstanding Second World War Path Finder’s D.F.C., D.F.M. pair awarded to Flight Lieutenant W. Swain, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a survivor of 65 operational sorties, including an epic return journey from Bremen in a badly mauled Whitley and the disastrous Nurmeburg raid of March 1944 - 23 of them as Marker

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1944, in its Royal Mint case of issue; Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (966864 Sgt. W. Swain, R.A.F.) the last with edge bruise, otherwise good very fine or better (2) £2400-2800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Awards to the Men of Bomber Command 1939-45.

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D.F.C. London Gazette 13 October 1944. The recommendation states:

‘This Officer, who has now finished his second tour of operations, has completed 65 operational sorties, 31 of them with the Path Finder Force, 23 of which have been as Marker. Throughout his operational career in this Squadron [No. 7], this Officer has been an inspiration to all, as his enthusiasm, coolness and oustanding ability have assisted in no small way to the successful completion of many operational flights in which he has participated. He has on a great number of occasions flown with less experienced crews, and his example is worthy of the very highest praise.’

D.F.M. London Gazette 14 August 1941. The recommendation states:

‘This airman’s ability as a Wireless Operator, his cheerful disposition and keenness on operations have been an inspiration to all Wireless Operators and other aircrews in the Squadron [No. 102]. He has taken part in 30 operational sorties, often in bad weather, and there is no doubt that his consistently good work as a Wireless Operator has meant a safe return for his aircraft and crew, when without his aid they might have been lost and unable to find their base. I strongly recommend that his good work should be recognised by the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.’

William Swain commenced his operational career as a Wireless Operator with No. 102 (Ceylon) Squadron, a Whitley unit operating out of Leeming, Yorkshire, in August 1940, completing his first sortie, a strike against the Daimler-Benz factory at Stuttgart, on the night of the 25th. Among fellow 102 aircrew at this time were the likes of Pilot Officer Leonard Cheshire, alongside whom Swain flew on a number of occasions, and Flying Officer H.M. “Dinghy” Young, afterwards killed in the famous Dambuster raid - Swain actually flew with him on a raid to Ruhland on the night of 10-11 November 1940.

For the duration of Swain’s first tour, which lasted until July 1941, No. 102 was mainly detailed against the major German cities, thus trips to Berlin (twice), Bremen (four times), Mannheim (thrice), Hamburg (twice) and Hanover (thrice). On occasion, however, some more specialist targets were allocated to the Squadron, among them the Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven on 8 January 1941, her crew reporting that bombs straddled the mighty battleship (‘Accurate and intense light flak ...’); the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest on 10 June; and a final shot at the Scharnhorst at La Pallice on 23 July - the following night she was badly damaged by Halifaxes of 35 and 76 Squadrons.

But of all of these first tour operations, the most memorable was undoubtedly a trip to Bremen on the night of 14-15 July, when his aircraft was badly mauled by an enemy night fighter, the Rear-Gunner being killed and the Captain compelled to make a risky landing back at Driffield after one of the great survival stories of the War. The latter, Pilot Officer G. G. Davies, whose awards were sold in these Rooms on 27 June 2002 (Lot 1254), was awarded an immediate D.S.O. - see relevant catalogue entry for the extremely detailed and impressive recommendation. In the words of Air Vice-Marshal Coningham, who approved the award, it was ‘one of the best shows of the War’ by a Captain of Aircraft in his Group - damage inflicted on the Whitley included over 40 holes (including the petrol and oil tanks), two tyres shot through, and the elevators clean shot away. Facts, no doubt, not lost on Swain, who was awarded his D.F.M. in the following month.

Taken off operations for a period of ‘rest’ as an Instructor, Swain found himself among those called upon to bolster numbers for the 1000 Bomber Raids to Cologne on the night of 30-31 May 1942 and Essen a few nights later on the 2 June. Two trips to Dusseldorf followed in July and September of the same year.

Volunteering for the Path Finder Force in late 1943, Swain was posted to No. 7 Squadron, a Lancaster unit that formed part of No. 8 Group, and flew his first sortie against Berlin on the night of 2-3 December. On his very next outing, to Leipzig one night later, his aircraft was holed by an enemy night fighter and the Mid-Upper Gunner wounded. Thereafter, until July 1944, he was continually engaged on equally hazardous P.F.F. duties, more often than not in the Marker’s aircraft, work that led to him being commissioned.

Initially detailed to heavily defended German targets, No. 107 moved on to the French scene as the Normandy landings loomed up on the horizon. Among outings in the former category were Berlin (thrice), Stuttgart (thrice), and Bomber Command’s disastrous sortie against Nuremburg on the last night of March 1944, the most costly raid of the War, when no less than 95 aircraft were downed with the loss of several hundred aircrew. Next detailed to the offensive against occupied France, Swain and his crew flew a series of sorties against Luftwaffe airfields, U-Boat pens, in addition to strikes against V. 1 sites. On D Day itself, his crew attacked an enemy gun battery at Longues. Finally grounded towards the end of July 1944, the long served Swain was successfully recommended for a well-merited D.F.C.

Sold with original Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for the recipient’s D.F.C.