Orders, Decorations and Medals

A good A.F.C., Spitfire Pilot’s Battle of Britain group of six awarded to Squadron Leader Phillip H. Tew, Nos. 65 and 54 Squadrons, Royal Air Force

Air Force Cross, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, the reverse officially dated 1948; 1939-45 Star, clasp, Battle of Britain; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence & War Medals; Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 2nd issue (Act. Sqn. Ldr., R.A.F.) the group mounted as worn, together with six Pilot’s Flying Log Books for the period November 1933 to January 1948, named Buckingham Palace letter on award of A.F.C., Air Ministry letter on leaving the R.A.F., and several photographs including a group shot of the Staff Officers at Central Flying School, Little Rissington, in 1947, good very fine (6) £3000-3500

See Colour Plate VII

A.F.C. London Gazette 10 June 1948.

Phillip Harry Tew was born on 13 February 1913, and educated at Finchley County School. He joined the Royal Air Force in September 1939 as an Aircraft Apprentice (563697) and passed out in August 1932 as a Fitter, Aero Engines. After a posting with No. 600 Squadron at Hendon as an Air Gunner, Tew applied for pilot training and was accepted, attending No. 3 F.T.S. at Grantham from September 1935 to July 1936, after which he was posted to No. 65 Squadron, flying Gloster Gladiators. In March 1939 the squadron received its first Spitfires and Tew made his first solo in Spitfire K9903 on the 23rd March. Training on these new fighters continued in earnest after war broke out on September 3rd and towards the end of November, Tew made his first sorties looking for unidentified aircraft. Towards the end of March 1940, 65 Squadron was posted to Hornchurch where, apart from a few Convoy patrols, nothing much happened until 17th May when he was one of 12 Spitfires on an offensive patrol over Zealand. His section attacked and brought down a lone Ju-88 but Tew appears to have been a mere witness on this occasion.

On 24th May, 1940, Tew was posted to No. 54 Squadron, also stationed at Hornchurch, and here he flew in the illustrious company of pilots destined to become household names during the Battle of Britain. Men like Colin Gray, Dorian Gribble, Desmond McMullen, and Al Deere. On his first day with 54 he joined a dog-fight already in progress between 74 Squadron and Me-109’s and bagged his first Me-109, shot down in flames, and on the 26th May he claimed a probable Me-110. On 24th July the whole squadron was engaged in a dog-fight over the Thames Estuary against enemy bombers with a strong fighter escort. Tew got a probable Me-109, seen with glycol and smoke coming from the aircraft which was diving through cloud to the sea but not seen again. The squadron’s bag in this one engagement may have been as many as twelve.


On 18th August he flew four offensive patrols and was engaged with the enemy on three of them. On his second patrol with four other Spits at 25,000 feet, they saw an Me-110 some 6,000 feet above them which they attacked in turn as follows: P/O Gray attacked from 100 yards with a fairly long burst setting both engines on fire; F/Lt Gribble followed and holed the fuselage. F/Sgt Tew fired third and set the engines alight again (apparently the fire had subsided after Gray’s attack). This time the enemy was diving steeply towards the French Coast. P/O Hopkins fired fourth and further bits and pieces fell off the machine. Sgt Norwell was the last to fire and he pulled out of his dive only a very few feet above the water. Although the machine was not actually seen to crash into the water, by this time it was fully ablaze.

On his third patrol that day he destroyed an Me-109 with out firing a single shot but in fact it was a lucky escape for Tew, who wrote in his combat report: ‘During patrol at approx. 1300 hours on 18/8/40 I was attacked by one ME 109 when I was at 2,000 feet. I turned towards enemy aircraft in a diving turn. Enemy aircraft half-rolled and followed me. I pulled out of dive at low altitude but enemy aircraft continued his dive and struck the ground bursting into flames.’ The squadron Intelligence Officer noted, ‘It was emphasised once again that the 109 has difficulty in pulling out of a dive at low altitude. An Me-109 following on the tail of a Spitfire crashed through this failure.’

On his fourth and final patrol of the day he ‘intercepted large formn. of e/a - all types - escorted by Me-110’s. Fired all my rounds at Do-17 [since confirmed] Squadron on this day accounted for 36 e/a.’ After such an eventful day, Tew was taken off flying until 26 September and, shortly afterwards, was posted to No. 57 O.T.U. and then to C.F.S. Upavon. Thereafter he was chiefly engaged as a flying instructor, consistently assessed as ‘above average‘ or ‘exceptional’. Having been commissioned in May 1942, Tew continued in the role of flying instructor until January 1948, when he was at the Central Flying School, Little Rissington. Awarded the Air Force Cross the following June, he continued in the Royal Air Force, and retired on 19 February 1963, as Squadron Leader.