Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: attributed to Temporary Sub Lieutenant A. Vickers, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, killed while serving on H.M.S. Illustrious, 11 March 1944

1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, all unnamed, nearly extremely fine (4) £100-140

Alan Vickers came from Southport, Lancashire where he was employed as a Policeman. Sub-Lieutenant Alan Vickers was killed in attempting to land on the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Illustrious, 11 March 1944.

His death is recalled in Carrier Pilot, by Norman Hanson:

‘I crossed the barriers, folded my wings and taxied on to the forward lift. I had just stopped and switched off when there came the deafening scream of tortured metal behind me. Joe Vickers had drifted off to port on his approach. Probably because Joe had lost sight of the batsman, he ignored all signals from Hastings to go round again; and Johnny had to jump for his life into the safety net as Joe hit the port after group of 4.5-inch guns. He then careered up the port side of the deck until he crashed heavily into the great steel stanchion of No 1 barrier, slewing the tail round to rest across the nets, with the nose pointing towards the island.

Because of amateur, albeit willing, interference in clearing up prangs, Captain Cunliffe had ordained that no goofers should approach a crashed aircraft. All rescue work had to be undertaken only by the flight-deck parties. So we stood our ground, Reggie Shaw and I, 200 feet away. Alan Vickers was still in the cockpit, either unconscious or dead-we shall never know. His head lolled to one side and it may be that his neck had been broken by the impact.

So the men who mattered leapt into action. Fire-fighters in their asbestos suits were running out their hoses to drench the engine in foam. A sick bay chief jumped up on to one wing, Doc Alcock, the flight-deck doctor, on the other. George McHardy-against all the rules, but nevertheless most gallantly-climbed on to the cockpit hood on which he sat astride, trying to help the other two to unharness Vickers and lift him out.

So far all was going well. Then, without a spark of warning and with the concussion of seething hot air, the main petrol tank went up in a great explosion. The chief was killed on the spot. Ron Alcock was flung to the deck, horribly burned on head, face and arms. George was blown-a great torch of bright flame - in a a wide arc to the sea, 50 feet below. The aircraft was now an inferno, with firefighters covering the engine in foam and flames leaping high from the fuselage. But even these men had to withdraw when the six guns of the Corsair roared into action and sprayed the island with lead and steel. Burning oil and petrol flowed from the aircraft into the ready-use ammunition locker below where three boys, trapped by the aircraft lying across their only exit, were badly burnt. Then came the final catastrophe. The rear end of the Pratt and Whitney power unit was made of magnesium alloy. Now it, too, caught fire. Nothing could extinguish it, nor could anyone now approach because of the intense heat.

Alan Vickers was dead. The chief was dead. George McHardy, picked up by a destroyer and rushed to hospital in Madras, died there from his dreadful burns. Doc Alcock and three gunners below the flight-deck were transferred to hospital with serious and disfiguring burns.’

Sold with named condolense slip ‘Temporary Sub. Lieutenant Alan Vickers, R.N.V.R.’