Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War Air Medal pair awarded to Sergeant Robert H. Ellis, U.S. Air Force

Air Medal, reverse inscribed, ‘Robert H. Ellis Sgt. AAF’, with lapel badge, in case of issue; Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, unnamed, with riband bar bearing two bronze stars; together with a metal identity tag and a ‘U.S.’ badge, good very fine (lot) £50-70

Robert Howard Ellis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 7 May 1926. Aged 18 years, he entered active service as a Private on 17 March 1944. As a Corporal, employed as a Tail Gunner on B-29 Super-Fortress bombers of 881st Bomber Squadron, he served on six missions in 1945 - bombing attacks on Toyama, 1 August 1945; Yawata, 8 August 1945, and Osaka, 14 August 1945, and prisoner-of-war supply drops on 28 and 31 August and 7 September 1945. Later as a Sergeant he was awarded the Air Medal.

With a number of original papers including: sortie listing; flight record sheets (12); National Service Life Insurance duplicate application form; call-up document; medical certificate; immunization register; physical record card; transient combat crew pass; enlisted man’s temporary pass - to visit Juarez, Mexico, 19 May 1945; off duty pass; receipt of parachute card; together with the booklet ‘Get That Fighter’ - an air gunner’s instruction and identification manual; and five magazines: Air Progress, September 1943; Yank, The Army Weekly, December 1944; Brief, VJ issue; Bomb Rack, October 1945; Air Force, December 1945.