British and World Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Sergeant G. R. Collett, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a Spitfire pilot who was killed in action while serving in No. 54 Squadron on 22 August 1940

1939-45 Star, privately engraved ‘745500 Sgt. G. R. Collett, R.A.F., K.I.A. 22.8.1940, “One of the Few”’; Air Crew Europe Star, privately engraved ‘A.C.E. & W.M. 745500 G. R. Collett’; War Medal 1939-45, privately engraved as per the last, in their original (damaged) addressed card forwarding box with related Air Council condolence slip in the name of ‘Sergeant G. Collett, R.A.F.’, together with metalled R.A.F. cap badge and post card format portrait photograph, all late issues, extremely fine (4) £300-500

George Richard Collett was enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in March 1939 as an airman for pilot training. Called up in September of the same year, and his training complete, he was posted to No. 54 Squadron in July 1940. He subsequently claimed a 109 destroyed on 24th, but was compelled to make a forced-landing on the beach at Dunwich later in the same day, after running out of fuel while pursuing another enemy aircraft. And it was during another pursuit and combat with enemy fighters on 22 August that he was killed in action, his Spitfire crashing into the Channel. The son of George C. and Elizabeth Collett of Luton, Bedfordshire, he was 24 years of age and is buried in Bergen-op-Zoom War Cemetery, the Netherlands; the above described forwarding box is addressed to ‘Mr. G. L. Collett, 1 Bassett Road, North Kensington, London W. 11’, quite possibly a brother.