Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Path Finder Force D.F.M. group of four awarded to Flight Sergeant G. B. R. Gerry, No. 83 Squadron, Royal Air Force, who was killed in an air crash along with General Sikorsky and his Polish Staff

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (552537 F/Sgt., R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal, the first rhodium plated, otherwise good very fine (4) £800-900

D.F.M. London Gazette 6 November 1942. The following details are taken from the original recommendation: ‘This N.C.O. has now completed 47 operational sorties as Wireless Operator. Throughout his long operational career his keenness to engage the enemy has been outstanding and the remarkable standard of his morale is beyond praise. Nearly all his sorties have been to very heavily defended targets in Germany and despite the fact that he has frequently returned home in badly damaged aircraft, the relish with which he always anticipates his next operation is an inspiration and a great tonic to his colleagues in the squadron.

On one recent occasion the aircraft in which he was flying was heavily engaged by searchlights and anti-aircraft gunfire before the bombs were dropped and was damaged in many places. In particular one engine was put out of action, one petrol tank was holed and the control rod to one aileron was severed. Despite the fact that the aircraft was well nigh uncontrollable, F/Sgt. Gerry remained completely unruffled and it was in no small measure due to his coolness and efficiency on his set that the aircraft was able to return safely to base.’ An attached sheet gives a list of Gerry’s sorties which began in September 1940.

Flight Sergeant Gerry subsequently transferred to No. 511 Squadron and was a crew member in the ill-fated aircraft carrying General Sikorsky and other high ranking officers, which crashed into the sea on 4 July 1943, when taking off from Gibraltar to England. The Liberator II bomber had a crew of 5 and was carrying 11 passengers including General Sikorsky and his daughter. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant E. M. Prahal, suffered a broken ankle and injuries to his head and was the only survivor of the crash. The body of Flight Sergeant Gerry was recovered three days after the crash with multiple injuries. The plane was found in six fathoms of water and was raised and taken back to the UK, where experts examined it for signs of sabotage or defects. Nothing conclusive was found except for a serious strain on the elevator control which could have caused the crash. The pilot was cleared of blame but the enquiry lasted on and off until 1946. George Brotchie Robertson Gerry came from Dundee in Scotland and was 21 years old at the time of his death. He is commemorated on the Gibraltar Memorial. Sold with full details.