Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Great War pair awarded to Lieutenant C. J. Stanfield, No. 98 Squadron, Royal Air Force, who shared the honour of shooting down one of the first two enemy aeroplanes in the Squadron’s history

British War and Victory Medals (Lieut., R.A.F.), part of surname on B.W.M. officially corrected, good very fine or better (2) £80-100

Lieutenant Charles Joseph Stanfield joined the Royal Flying Corps from the Inns of Court, O.T.C. in April 1917. In May 1917 he was involved in a crash, presumably whilst training. On 21 April 1918 No. 98 Squadron claimed their first ever victories in aerial combat, when they succeeded in shooting down two German aeroplanes. One of these planes was claimed by Stanfield when he drove down an enemy aircraft out of control at Armentieres. His own plane was shot up in this action and his Observer Lieutenant Wrigley was wounded in the leg. It was on this day that Manfred Von Richthofen was killed.

Stanfield was wounded 8 days later and as a result spent some time in 58 General Hospital, Boulogne. On recovery he completed a course of instruction, before being severely injured in an aeroplane accident on 7 November 1918. He was forced to relinquish his commission on account of ill health contracted on active service, 11 November 1919. Sold with 12 copied pages of research detail.