Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An original wartime R.A.F. Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s flying log book appertaining to 1573676 J. Smith, Royal Air Force, who flew operationally as an Air Gunner in No. 104 Squadron, Form 1767 type, covering the period July 1943 to April 1944, closing operational pages loose leaf and incomplete in respect of time and target details for last two operations, otherwise in good condition £80-100

Smith arrived in Italy, via North Africa, in February 1941, and commenced an operational tour as an Air Gunner in Wellingtons of No. 104 Squadron on the 14th - the first of three sorties in support of the Anzio operations. And between then and the end of April, he participated in around 20 operational sorties, mainly on the Italian front, but also against targets in Bulgaria, Hungary and Yugoslavia, his flying log book often referring to heavy flak and searchlight activity - indeed his skipper, Flying Officer Gilleland, was slightly wounded on a trip to Padua on 5 April, when their aircraft was engaged by E-Boats on the return trip. Smith’s operational entries also refer to his Wellington being damaged by flak on at two occasions, in addition to assorted enemy fighter activity.