A fine Second World War Air Bomber’s D.F.C. group of five awarded to Squadron Leader D. Eggleston, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve: in a strike against St. Cyr in July 1944, he kept his Lancaster firmly on its bombing run, although it was hit at least three times by flak

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1944’, in its Royal Mint case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals, these last in original addressed card forwarding box with Air Council certificate, together with Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for the D.F.C. in the name of ‘Squadron Leader David Eggleston, D.F.C.’, generally extremely fine (5) £1000-1200

D.F.C. London Gazette 14 November 1944. The original recommendation states:

‘Flying Officer Eggleston has now completed 32 bombing sorties totalling 181 hours operational flying. Despite the fiercest enemy opposition this officer has consistently shown unrelenting determination in pressing home his attacks and in achieving the most accurate bombing. His many excellent photographs are decisive proof of his skill and his tenacity of purpose has inspired new bomb aimers with an increased incentive to hit the enemy hard and with the highest degree of accuracy. Both in the air and on the ground he has given of his best and he has been of the greatest value to his squadron. For his outstanding and unflagging devotion to duty and for his zeal, energy and courage which he has at all times shown on operations, he is recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.’

David Eggleston, who trained out in Canada and was commissioned on qualifying as an Air Bomber, commenced his operational tour with No. 50 Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire in April 1944, when he completed the first of two successive sorties against St. Medard-en-Jalles on the night of 28th, the second of which ended with his aircraft returning to base with its bomb load “hung-up”.

In May he flew on ten sorties, mainly against marshalling yards in France in the build-up to the Normandy landings, but also to Brunswick, Duisberg and Eindhoven, although the latter, an intended hit on the Phillips radio factory, was aborted, owing to a recall signal. Of the French trips, the strike against Mailly-Le-Camp on the 3rd was costly, at least three of No. 50 Squadron’s Lancasters failing to return. But in the strike against the enemy seaplane base at Lanvroc, Brest on the 6th, conditions were better, Eggleston being able to report ‘bombed between hanger and slipway’.

June witnessed Eggleston making another nine sorties, all of them to France, including a strike against the enemy coastal battery at St. Pierre Du Mont on the night of the 5th, and another on Argentan on D-Day itself. He also flew a daylight mission to Beauvoir. In July, with the exception of a strike against Stuttgart on the 28th, No. 50 maintained operations in support of the Allied advance, and Eggleston participated in four further daylight raids before flying his final sortie, against Rilly-La-Montagne, on the 31st. On one of these daylight outings, a raid on St. Cyr, Eggleston’s Lancaster took considerable punishment from accurate enemy flak, but he maintained his bombing run: ‘Starboard outer engine hit and caught fire. Mainplane fuselage and tailplane holed by flak. Hit by flak before going in to bomb and hit again at least three times whilst on bombing run. Feathered starboard engine after completing bombing run ... sortie completed’ (No. 50’s O.R.B. refers).

Also sold with the recipient’s original leather-bound photograph album from his training days in Canada, with approximately 150 images; and an R.A.F. sweetheart’s brooch and tie-pin.