Miniature Medals

Three: Sergeant (Pilot) B. Irwin, Royal Air Force

1914-15 Star (3389 2.A.M., R.F.C.) surname spelt ‘Irwing’ on this medal; British War and Victory Medals (3389Sgt., R.A.F.) nearly extremely fine (3) £80-100

Sergeant (Pilot) Bromley Irwin served with No. 23 Squadron. The following is extracted from Royal Flying Corps Communiques 1915-1916: ‘Sergeant Irwin with Second Lieutenant Cox, 23 Squadron, whilst on an offensive patrol near Bepaume, at 9:45am, met 4 L.V.G’s. flying north. They fired a drum into one machine, which left the others and went down in a nose dive. They were unable to see it crash, but Second Lieutenant Blake saw what he took to be an L.V.G. crashed on the ground at about the spot where this machine would have come to ground.’

Whilst engaged on an reconnaissance patrol on 17 September 1916 with his Observer Second Lieutenant F. G. Thierry, his plane was shot down ‘under control’ by the German Ace Hauptmann Martin Zander. The Observer was confirmed as killed in action and Irwin was taken prisoner of war. It is interesting to note that Manfred Von Richtofen claimed his first victory on this same day. Sold with comprehensive research detail, including a contemporary postcard photograph of Hauptmann Zander.