Orders, Decorations and Medals

A British War Medal awarded to Captain S. H. Holland, Royal Air Force, late Royal West Surrey Regiment, who was killed in action in 1936 as a Pilot for the Communist forces during the Spanish Civil War

British War Medal 1914-20 (Capt. S. H. Holland, R.A.F.) nearly extremely fine £100-140

Temporary Lieutenant Sidney H. Holland, 9th Battalion Royal West Surrey Regiment was appointed Temporary Captain on 20 May 1915 and in September was attached to the 1st and 2nd Battalions. He was transferred the Royal Flying Corps in September 1917 and qualified as an Observer, serving with No.9 Squadron in France. During this time his aircraft was engaged in several combats with enemy aircraft but with no confirmed results. He returned to the United Kingdom in February 1918 to undertake pilot training. Having qualified, he was then posted in September 1918 to No.139 Squadron in Italy flying Bristol fighters. On 8 October 1918 whilst on reconnaissance, he was attacked by seven enemy aircraft. The Combat Report states,

‘Captain Holland’s front gun would not fire. His Observer, Lieut. Fullagar, was wounded, but continued to engage the attacking E.A., one of which, after a good burst at close range, went down vertically and crashed just E. of Borgo (unconfirmed). The E.A. then broke off the combat and dispersed. ...’

During the last few weeks of the war Captain Holland crashed or forced landed his machine several times, usually due to engine failure. As a Liutenant (Hon. Captain) in the R.A.F. he was transferred to the Unemployed List in April 1919.

Holland was killed in action in the Spanish Civil War, whilst flying as a mercenary pilot for the communist forces. An excerpt from British Aviation, Ominous Skies 1935-39, by Harold Penrose reads, ‘Bombing was the order of the day in Spain both by Royalist and Communist forces using a heterogeneous collection of aircraft obtained wherever there was an aeroplane for sale. Mercenaries lured more by money than ideals were flocking in. The first British fatality was Sidney H. Holland, while flying a three-engined Russian bomber for the Communists’.

Sold with a quantity of copied research including photographs, m.i.c., squadron record book extracts and combat report extracts.