Orders, Decorations and Medals

An emotive Second World War Observer’s and Air Gunner’s flying log book, appertaining to Lieutenant N. C. Scott-Winlow, South African Air Force, who completed numerous sorties in Marylands and Bostons in the Mediterranean theatre of war, prior to his death in action in a B.26 Marauder of No. 24 (S.A.A.F.) over Suda Bay in February 1944, covering the period December 1941 to January 1944, and with plenty of operational activity, but with opening endorsement ‘Copy of original [log] lost El Daba, Western Desert, June 1942’, thus original signed entries not commencing until October 1942, good overall condition (Lot) £200-250

Having qualified as a Wireless Operator at No. 64 Air School, Bloemfontein in October 1940, and as an Air Gunner at No. 65 Air School, Young’s Field in the following month, Scott-Winlow first went operational with an appointment in No 21 (S.A.A.F.) Squadron at El Daba in the Western Desert in December 1941. Over the coming weeks, flying in the Squadron’s Maryland bombers, he completed around a dozen sorties as a member of either Captain Ramsey’s or Major Baxter’s crew, and survived a crash-landing at Tobruk after his aircraft was damaged by cannon fire in a combat with three Ju. 52s.

Next posted to No. 12 (S.A.A.F.) Squadron, a Boston unit, in April 1942 - and still as a member of Major Baxter’s crew - he completed a further 20 or so missions before being sent home on leave that July, yet again surviving a crash-landing after his aircraft was shot up by 109s and Machis 202s on a raid west of Mersa Matruh on 26 June.

Back in action by September 1942, this time flying in Venturas of No. 23 (S.A.A.F.) out of Kromberg in South Africa, Scott-Winlow went on to complete around 30 maritime patrols, mainly of a search and escort nature, prior to returning to the Mediterranean theatre of war with another appointment in No. 12 (S.A.A.F.) Squadron in November 1943.

A week or two later, and having been commissioned Lieutenant, he transferred to No. 24 (S.A.A.F.) Squadron, and flew a sortie against shipping off Stampalia Island, west of the island of Kos, on 31 January 1944 - in a B. 26 Marauder piloted by his Squadron C.O., Lieutenant-Colonel J. N. “Jack” Robbs, D.F.C. Sadly, however, he was killed in action on another mission with Robbs a few days later, when their Marauder - better known to U.S. aircrew as the “Widow Maker” - was shot down over Suda Bay, Crete on 3 February - an incident famously captured on camera, the detached tail-plane of their B. 26 being visible several hundred feet above the main airframe. Robbs and his co-pilot, Lieutenant R. K. “Dick” Townsend, managed to bale out, but Scott-Winlow and three other crew members perished. He is buried in the Suda Bay War Cemetery, Greece.