Three: Flying Officer C. J. R. Grubb, Royal Air Force, who flew operationally in Beaufighters of No. 89 Squadron over Burma in 1945

1939-45 Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45, good very fine (3) £200-250

Grubb commenced training as a Navigator at No. 5 Air Observation School in April 1943 and was posted to No. 89 Squadron, a Beaufighter unit based in India - but with forward units in Burma - in November 1944. Teaming-up with Flying Officer G. Johnson, he went operational in the New Year with three nightime low-level “Rhubarbs” and an offensive reconnaissance, the latter operation on 27 January entailing the strafing of enemy gun positions in the Singu area. This, too, the same month in which his aircraft nearly came to grief on a regular patrol on the 4th:

‘Flying Officers Johnson and Grubb were flying from Tulihal to Baighachi, with Flight Sergeant Allan as passenger. After 30 minutes, the port engine of X. 7895 (T) failed. Having fethered the propellor, they diverted to Agartala, but were unable to make R./T. contact, so they fired several red Verey signals before making a single-engined approach. Even so, a transport aircraft was below and ahead of them on finals and they touched down 50 yards behind it - Gordon Johnson applied the handbrake to stop and the starboard tyre burst and the port undercarriage collapsed.’

Having emerged unscathed from X. 7895 (T), pilot and navigator returned to regular operational sorties throughout February-April 1945, in addition to a “Scramble” on 20 March, when Grubb’s aircraft failed to catch three “Bandits” over Meiktila but experienced memorably heavy and accurate A.A. fire. And as verified by an endorsement in his Flying Log Book, he had completed over 75 hours of operational flying by the time of V.J. Day. He returned to the U.K. for demobilisation in the rank of Flying Officer in November 1945.

Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Observer’s & Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book (Form 1767), covering the period April 1943 to November 1945, together with a History of No. 89 Squadron, in which he is mentioned on numerous occasions, and an image of Beaufighter X. 7898 (G), which was flown by Johnson and Grubb in February 1945.