Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Second World War D.F.C. group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant G. ‘Tiger’ Hunter, Nos. 218 (Gold Coast) and 142 Squadrons, Royal Air Force, later 2nd Pilot to comedian Jimmy ‘Whacko’ Edwards in No. 271 Squadron, engaged in towing Gliders on ‘D’ Day and to Arnhem

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1943, with its Royal Mint case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France & Germany; Italy Star; Defence & War Medals, with their named card box of issue, together with his Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book for the period July 1941 to August 1945, with endorsement confirming loss of original Log Book for the period November 1940 to July 1941, an unusually well detailed Log Book with several inserted target photographs, extremely fine (6) £1000-1200

D.F.C. London Gazette 30 November 1943.

Graham ‘Tiger’ Hunter commenced flying training at No. 45 Air School in South Africa in late 1940 and joined No. 20 O.T.U. at Lossiemouth as a Sergeant Navigator in mid-July 1941. Posted to No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron in the following month he commenced his first operational tour in Wellingtons and later Stirlings, completing 33 operational sorties against targets in France and Germany. These included the daylight attack on the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen on 12 February 1942, when his plane was attacked by a Dornier 217.

In early May 1942, his first tour completed, Hunter was posted to No. 21 O.T.U., taking part in the 1000 Bomber Raids on Cologne and Essen on the 30th May and 1st June respectively. Exactly one year later, after serving with No. 311 Ferry Flight, he was posted to No. 142 Squadron, based at Kairouan in North Africa, for a second operational tour. He went on to complete a further 33 operations with this squadron against a wide variety of targets in Italy, the whole as an Air Bomber in Wellingtons.

Back in the U.K. by January 1944, he was posted to No. 271 Squadron, Transport Command, as a Navigator and 2nd Pilot in Dakotas. Thus employed he subsequently found himself sharing his cockpit with the famous comedian Jimmy Edwards, shortly to win the D.F.C. over Arnhem. In his memoirs, Six of the Best, Edwards described his new 2nd Pilot as ‘a cheery, blond-haired chap, with a great taste for beer’, the pair of them going on ‘many booze-ups’ in the comedian’s Austin Seven.

On the 5th and 6th June 1944, they towed loaded gliders to Normandy in Operations ‘Tonga’ and ‘Mallard’. Continuing in his role as 2nd Pilot to Edwards throughout the ensuing weeks, the ‘Tiger’ found himself ferrying casualties and equipment in and out of the advanced airfields in France until 17 September when they took part in a Horsa Glider towing sortie to Arnhem as part of Operation ‘Lemon’. He noted in his Log Book, ‘Capt. Joe Mills in the Horsa (since reported missing).’ Shortly afterwards, Hunter was appointed to No. 111 Wing, Communications Flight, and in early November to No. 575 Squadron, Transport Command. With this squadron he participated in a further Glider towing operation for the Airborne Invasion of the Rhine on 24 March 1945.