Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Flight Sergeant H. J. M. McDonnell, Royal Air Force, a Spitfire pilot who was killed in action in a cross-Channel sweep in August 1942

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, together with original Air Ministry condolence slip in the name of ‘Flight Sergeant H. J. M. McDonnell’ and medal entitlement transmittal slip to ‘1380301 F./Sgt. McDonnell’, extremely fine (3) £400-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Coldstream Guards, R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. formed by the late Tom Baugh.

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Hermann Joseph Michael McDonnell, who was born in Walthamstow, Essex in June 1914, was posted to No. 242 Squadron, a Spitfire unit operating out of Turnhouse, in May 1942, and completed his first operational patrols in the following month. Shortly afterwards transferred to No. 129 Squadron, he flew a dozen or so further sorties before being killed in action during a cross-Channel sweep on 18 August 1942 - the Squadron’s Operational Record Book states that ‘he called out that he had been hit and went into the sea about 30 miles S.W. of Selsey, his aircraft sinking immediately.’

McDonnell had fallen victim to Luftwaffe ace Unterfeldwebel Alfred Knies, piloting an FW. 190 of the 7th Wing of the Richthofen Fighter Squadron:

‘On 18 August 1942, I was ordered to search for the crew of a ditched Ju. 88. The area where the crew was in the water was approximately 30 km. south of the Isle of Wight. At 0802 hours I took off from Cap de la Hague and then flew north in the direction of Swanage at low altitude. The weather was clear, visibility good and the sea calm. When I sighted the west coast of the Isle of Wight, I turned towards Cherbourg and as I continued north over Cap Barfleur, I spotted the downed men. The four crew members were in a life raft and waved at me. I went to an altitude of 100 metres, called in my position and requested a rescue sea plane (type HE-59). The rescue party arrived in a relatively short time and proceeded to pick up the crew. I landed at Cherbourg, refuelled and again took off with my Wing Commander, Oberleutnant Egon Mayer.’

Meanwhile, McDonnell and his fellow pilots in 129 Squadron had arrived on the scene, and shot down the HE-59. Alfred Knies continues:

‘From quite a distance away we saw the aerial fight. The totally destroyed wreck of the HE-59 floated in the water and approximately 10 Spitfires were in each others way. We immediately attacked and I was able to shoot at an English fighter which went down in a spiral and then hit the water. The pilot [McDonnell] was not able to get out of the plane. My Wing Commander engaged another Spitfire and shot it down. The plane exploded in mid-air and the pilot died in the explosion.’

McDonnell has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial; sold with a file of research, including original correspondence with Alfred Knies.