Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War Sea Plane Pilot’s A.F.C. group of four awarded to Captain Ronald E. Dean, Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force

Air Force Cross, G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star (Flt. S. Lt., R.N.A.S.); British War and Victory Medals (Flt. Lt., R.N.A.S.) nearly extremely fine (4) £900-1200

A.F.C. London Gazette 1 January 1919.

Flying Officer Ronald Eric Dean, a planter and ex-Malay Rifles Volunteer, was born in 1893 and entered the Royal Naval Air Service as a P.O. Mechanic in January 1915. In July 1915 he was a probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant at the C.F.S., and was subsequently on the strength of the following establishments: R.N.A.S Wanley Island, January 1916; Howden, July 1916; South Shields Seaplane Station, January 1917; and Newlyn Seaplane Station from 1 April 1917 as Flight Lieutenant. At Wanley he gave airship crews familiarisation flights in Boxkite 8452 until smashing up the tailplane on 28 February. On 30 January 1917 he force landed and damaged a Short 184 Type Tractor biplane and had to be towed in by a motor-boat. On 16 August 1917 he had a rare U-boat contact: ‘Baby Seaplane N. 1923 (Flight Lieutenant Dean) on special patrol, sighted what appeared to be a submerged submarine at 1450 in position about 10 miles south of Land’s End, from a height of 4,500 feet. Seaplane dived to about 800 feet and dropped one 65-lb bomb, which fell 50 feet ahead of submarine. Seaplane circled round vicinity for about 10 minutes, but nothing further was seen.’ In 1922 he was serving as Flying Officer in the carrier H.M.S. Pegasus in the Mediterranean.