Orders, Decorations and Medals

An original R.A.F. flying log book appertaining to Warrant Officer A. J. H. Polmear, D.F.M., who completed an eventful tour of operations as a Rear-Gunner in No. 10 Squadron, prior to commencing a second tour in No. 223 Squadron, Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s type (Form 1767), covering the period May 1943 to May 1945, together with six wartime period photographs, spine weak, contents good (Lot) £250-300

Alfred James Henry Polmear attended No. 1 Air Gunnery School at Pembrey in May 1943 and, on graduation, No. 20 Operational Training Unit at Lossiemouth. Having then attended a conversion course, he was posted to No. 10 Squadron that September, a Halifax unit operating out of Melbourne, Yorkshire.

Taking part in his first operational sortie on the night of 3-4 December, an attack on Leipzig, Polmear fired his guns in anger for the first time, an incident that would form part of the recommendation for his subsequent award of the D.F.M. (London Gazette 13 October 1944 refers):

‘He was Rear-Gunner of a Halifax aircraft detailed to attack Leipzig on 3-4 December 1943. After bombing the target, his aircraft was attacked by an Fw. 190 from 400 yards on the port quarter. He and the Mid-Upper Gunner co-operated in passing accurate information to the captain who took successful evasive action. The gunners got in bursts of fire at the enemy aircraft which broke away ...’

Nor was it to be long before Polmear’s guns were back in action for, following sorties to Frankfurt and Berlin, his Halifax was attacked by a night fighter over the “Big City” on the night of 28-29 January 1944. This, then, another action cited in his D.F.M. recommendation:

‘Soon after leaving the target, a Ju. 88 attacked. Once again, Flight Sergeant Polmear passed accurate information to his captain and successful evasive action was taken. At the same time, he and the Mid-Upper Gunner fired on the enemy aircraft and strikes were seen. The enemy aircraft broke away and was not seen again, and was claimed as damaged ... ’

Between then and the end of May 1944, Polmear completed another 25 sorties, several of a “Gardening” nature in support of the forthcoming Allied landings in Normandy, but others of the heavily defended kind, among them two further visits to the “Big City”, a brace of attacks on Essen and, most notably of all, the raid on Nuremburg on the night of 30-31 March 1944, the most costly of the entire War, Bomber Command losing 95 aircraft with a loss of several hundred aircrew - it is interesting to note that Polmear’s flying log book entry for this date states ‘landed away’, a possible indication of damage sustained.

In July 1944, in submitting the recommendation for Polmear’s D.F.M., his Squadron C.O. concluded that ‘his fine offensive spirit, and coolness in the face of extreme danger’ were worthy of reward, a sentiment shared by his Station C.O.

Having then undertaken instructional duties, he returned to the operational scene with an appointment in No. 223 Squadron in March 1945, a Radio Counter Measures (R.C.M.) unit operating in specially equipped B-24 Liberators out of Oulton, Norfolk. Thus ensued 10 more sorties, most of the Window variety against German targets, including a brace of trips to the Berlin area and another two to Hamburg, his tour finally ending with a sortie against Schleswig on the night of 2-3 May 1945.