Orders, Decorations and Medals

Four: Flight Lieutenant G. T. Bennett, Royal Air Force, a Blenheim pilot who was admitted to the membership of the “Late Arrivals Club” after being downed over the desert by 109s - and making his way back to base after a three day trek

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, generally good very fine (4) £250-300

Gordon Turner Bennett commenced pilot training in October 1940 and, on gaining his “Wings”, was posted to No. 13 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.) at Bicester. A few weeks later, in July 1941, he joined No. 107 Squadron, a Blenheim unit operating out of Great Massingham, Norfolk, and on the 8th completed his first operational sortie, a low-level anti-shipping sweep of the Danish coast. Two days later, he participated in a “zero feet” attack on Cherbourg harbour, but, shortly afterwards, was posted to the Middle East, where he joined another Blenheim unit, No. 45 Squadron.

Having flown two sorties from Habbaniya in Iraq in late August, the Squadron moved to Fuka in Egypt to commence a tour of operations in the Western Desert, Bennett carrying out a brace of strikes against the marshalling yards at Bardia in early October. Targets in the following month were of the motor transport variety, three such daylight attacks being mounted in the vicinity of Sidi Omar, while in December, on moving to Gambut, No. 45 extended its brief to enemy armour - and it was on the third such operation, on the 10th, that Bennett came to grief in Blenheim V5948-X, his port outer engine being set on fire by Me. 109s south of Barce - pilot and crew were fortunate to survive a forced-landing and a three day desert trek back to our lines: less fortunate was another of 45’s Blenheims, piloted by Flight Sergeant J. Burns - he and his crew being killed outright in the same attack.

Back with his squadron by the last week of December, Bennett flew three strikes against enemy gun emplacements in the region of Bardia, following which he was posted as an instructor to No. 72 O.T.U. in Kenya in January 1942. Then in July 1943, after being commissioned as a Pilot Officer, he joined No. 26 A.A.C.U. at Haifa, in which capacity he flew Marylands and Baltimores, and, in February 1945, transferred to 212 Group’s communication flight at Benina. Having remained similarly employed until the War’s end, Bennett appears to have been demobilised as a Flight Lieutenant at R.A.F. Middleton St. George in June 1946.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Books (2), covering the periods October 1940 to May 1945, and June 1945 to April 1946, both with assorted inserts, including a newspaper cutting regarding the “Late Arrivals Club”.