Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Acting Sergeant W. W. Swainson, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps, one of a handful of R.F.C. personnel awarded the Khedive’s Sudan 1910 Medal

1914-15 Star (2792 2 A.M. W. W. Swainson, R.F.C.); British War and Victory Medals (2792 A. Sgt. W. W. Swainson, R.A.F.); Khedive’s Sudan 1910-21, 1 clasp, Darfur 1916 (2792 2/A.M. W. W. Swainson, R.F.C.), clasp loose on riband, slack suspension and partial loss of service number on the second, worn overall, fair to fine (4) £1200-1500

60 Khedive’s Sudan 1910 Medals were awarded to R.F.C. personnel, 23 of them with them with the ‘Darfur 1916’ clasp.

Swainson first entered the Balkans theatre of war as an Air Mechanic 2nd Class in early December 1915 and, having transferred to No. 17 Squadron at Ismailia in Egypt early in the following year, participated in the Darfur operations of March-December 1916, when four B.E. 2c aircraft from the squadron’s ‘C’ Flight went into action with the Governor-General Sir Reginald Wingate’s blessing, for ‘the sudden appearance out of the blue of flying chariots would impress on Ali Dinar’s followers the futility of resistance.’ Henry Keown-Boyd’s article, From Private to Pilot (O.M.R.S., June 2010), takes up the story:

‘With hindsight, the inclusion of the Flight seems to have been a curiously unnecessary addition to the burden of the war effort bearing in mind the considerable logistical and transportation problems involved, balanced against it uncertain effectiveness. Neither the aircraft or equipment and stores required could be flown in those days the 1,000 miles to destination, so four crated aeroplanes, their fuel in drums, two Leyland lorries, four Crossley tenders, a spare aero engine, two canvas hangars together with arms, ammunition and about 60 officers and men had to be transported by sea and land, the latter part of the journey across trackless desert into central Africa. Via a series of landing grounds and depots the Flight and its equipment was transported from Port Sudan via Khartoum and El Obied by rail, lorry and camel to its main base at Nahud and advance base at Jebel el Hula.’

Keown-Boyd continues:

‘The first operational flight was made on 12 May 1916 by Lieutenant F. Bellamy and on the 17th a plane piloted by Captain Bannatyne was hit by a bullet. On the 23rd, 2nd Lieutenant (later Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John) Slessor was wounded in the thigh while attacking Ali Dinar’s army retreating from its defeat at the battle of Beringia but displaying a certain defiance against Wingate’s Flying Chariots! The Sultan Ali Dinar escaped from Beringia but was killed by a Camel Corps patrol a few months later.’

Sold with copied research, including Sudan Medal and clasp roll verification.