Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Great War pair awarded posthumously to Captain A. T. Cull, No. 48 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps and Seaforth Highlanders, a victim of Richthofen’s ‘Flying Circus’

British War and Victory Medals (Capt.), good very fine or better (2) £120-150

Captain Arthur Tulloch Cull was seconded from the Seaforth Highlanders for service with the Royal Flying Corps in January 1916. He was killed in action on 11 May 1917 whilst on an offensive patrol East of Arras, when his machine was shot down in flames. The Sky their Battlefield, by Trevor Henshaw suggests that he was a victim of the German fighter ace Karl Allmenroder, a member of the famous Jasta 11, Richthofen’s ‘Flying Circus’.

A copy of a report written by Second Lieutenant W.O.B. Winkler who was shot down in the same action as Cull is included with the lot. Winkler himself had fallen victim to Lothar Freiherr Von Richthofen, brother of the Red Baron, but fortunately he survived his forced landing and was taken prisoner of war. ‘I wrote a p.c. off immediately to Geneva last night about Captain Cull. I am very sorry to say that both he and his observer 2nd A.M. Trusson are killed. As you were led to understand they came down in flames from about 6,000 feet, so there was not much chance of their coming out of it. It was very hard luck, because he was one of our best. I think he was hit right at the beginning of the fight, judging from the way the machine flew. His machine was my other pair on that day and on many previous ones. The German’s confirmed his death after we were taken.’

Sold with 10 copied pages of service detail.