Orders, Decorations and Medals

The British War Medal awarded to 2nd Lieutenant M. P. Fraser, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps, who flew operationally in Handley Pages of No. 58 Squadron

British War Medal 1914-20 (2/Lieut. M. P. Fraser, R.A.F.), very fine £80-100

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F..

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Mathew Pollock Fraser, who was born in January 1889 and completed his education at Edinburgh University, was a tea planter in Ceylon on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. At what stage he returned to the U.K. remains unknown, but he gained an appointed in the Royal Flying Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant in November 1917 and witnessed active service out in France with No. 58 Squadron from August 1918 until the War’s end, a period of service well worthy of further research. For the record s sake, however, he was involved in at least one combat, when returning from a bombing sortie against Bac St. Maur aerodrome in a Handley Page 0/400 on 23 September - pursued by two enemy aircraft back to our lines, he, and his crew, 2nd Lieutenant A. Spotswood and Sergeant T. H. Barron, were fortunate to reach base unscathed. Fraser was transferred to the Unemployed List in January 1919.