British and World Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Flight Lieutenant A. R. Darbyshire, Royal Air Force, who, having completed an operational tour as a Wireless Operator in Wellingtons of No. 221 Squadron in 1941-42, flew a further 37 sorties as an Air Gunner in Mitchells of No. 226 Squadron in 1944-45, which latter period witnessed his aircraft being holed by flak on three occasions

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, in original Air Ministry card forwarding box with related issuance slips, extremely fine (5) £350-400

Darbyshire commenced his training as a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner in September 1940 and was posted to No. 221 Squadron, a Wellington general reconnaissance unit, in December of the same year. On moving to Limavady in Northern Ireland in May 1941, the Squadron went operational, flying anti-submarine sweeps and occasional convoy escorts, Darbyshire completing 30 such operations before the year’s end, his Flying Log Book noting at least one attack on a U-Boat on 4 September - which was claimed as damaged.

In January 1942, a detachment of Squadron aircraft was ordered to Luqa, Malta, but for his own part Darbyshire did not return to an operational footing until joining his comrades on their moving to L.G. 89 in Egypt in May. He subsequently flew another 10 sorties, mainly of an anti-submarine and shipping nature, working in liaison with torpedo-carrying “Fishingtons” under Wing Commander John Chaplin. His Flying Log book also records a bombing strike against Tobruk on 15 July and the sighting of a U-Boat during a patrol in early August.

His first operational tour complete, Darbyshire returned to the U.K. to take up duties as an instructor at No. 10 Radio School, in which capacity he remained employed until joining No. 226 Squadron, 2nd Tactical Air Force, a Mitchell unit operating out of Vitry-en-Artois, France, in December 1944. And thus ensued a very busy tour of duty in the role of Air Gunner in Flight Lieutenant R. D. Robertson’s crew, in which he flew 37 sorties, the majority of targets comprising troop concentrations, bridges, railways and marshalling yards in Germany, his aircraft being hit by flak over Zaltbommel on New Year’s Day 1945, again over Deventer on 6 February (’Moderate very accurate heavy flak - holed 8 times’), and for a third time over Dorsten on 15 March (’Holed 4 times’). One of his final sorties was a trip to Arnhem to attack gun positions in April, in which month, tour expired, he returned to the U.K. in a Dakota. A month or two later, Robertson, his skipper, was gazetted for the D.F.C. (London Gazette 24 July 1945 refers).

Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Observer’s and Air Gunners Flying Log Book, covering the period September 1940 to September 1945, together with a dozen or so wartime photographs, including several of a “Cook’s Tour” nature, depicting extensive bomb damage in Germany.