Auction Catalogue

21 September 2007

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

Lot

№ 874

.

21 September 2007

Hammer Price:
£4,700

A very rare E.II.R. Malaya operations D.F.C. group of six awarded to Squadron Leader B. H. Walker, Royal Air Force, who completed numerous bombing sorties in No. 148 Squadron’s Lincolns 1954-55

Distinguished Flying Cross
, E.II.R., reverse officially dated ‘1955’; 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, E.II.R. (Flt. Lt. B. H. Walker, R.A.F.), good very fine and better (6) £3000-3500

D.F.C. London Gazette 11 October 1955:

‘In recognition of gallant and distinguished service in Malaya.’

Brian Hibbs Walker, who was born in December 1921, was commissioned as a Pilot Officer, from Corporal, in February 1943 and is believed to have flown operationally in Lancasters before the War’s end.

A Flight Lieutenant by the time he joined No. 148 Squadron in early 1954, he was ordered to Tengah, Singapore in April of the same year, the unit’s Lincolns having been selected for operations over Malaya. Some hasty training in bombing and strafing missions ensued - as would attendance at a jungle training course care of the Somerset Light Infantry - and on 6 May Walker flew his first sortie, a strike against a target in Kampong Punngai. Five days later he was back in action over Kajang, followed by a pinpoint strike in the Ipoh area on the 19th, and a brace of visits to the Kulim region on the 26th and 30th.

June witnessed him flying another five sorties, against targets in Kulim, Flagwag Bahau, Flagwag Gurun, Kuala Selangor and Kadah peak, the last named involving a six-hour flight, while in July he participated in “Operation Termite”, a large scale initiative in collaboration with our ground forces in the Ipoh area, and one entailing the use of 1000lb. bombs prior to parachute drops to clear up any remaining opposition. “Termite” over, No. 148 returned to the U.K., where it participated in “Operation Sea Mist”, a large scale exercise to test the defences of Denmark and Norway, Walker being advanced to Squadron Leader in October.

Then in the following month, he returned to Tengah, this time as C.O. of the Squadron’s operational detachment and, between December 1954 and March 1955, flew a succession of sorties in support of “Latimer”, “Nassau” and other initiatives - thus a four-hour daylight trip against Ipoh, and three-hour night and day sorties against Triang in December 1954. But it was in January 1955 that he was at his busiest, dropping 14 x 500lb. bombs on Termerloh on the 1st, and the same load on targets in Triang and Kampong Puggai on the 2nd, and again on the latter place on the 4th. Then he delivered a bomb load of 12,000lb. to Taiping on the 6th, another 10,000lb. to Kuala Langat on the 11th and 12th, followed by a 14,000lb. load to the same target for good measure on the following night; and finally, in the latter part of the month, 7,000lb. loads were dropped on targets at Mount Ophir on the 19th, Gemas on the 25th and Port Dickson on the 27th.

As a result of rain damage to 148’s runway, operations were reduced in the February-March period, but Walker did deliver four further bomb loads in the former month. The Squadron was ordered home in April 1955 and he was gazetted for a well-deserved D.F.C. that October. He was placed on the Retired List in October 1973.