Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War campaign group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant J. G. F. Booth, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who flew operationally in Hurricanes of 33 and 94 Squadrons in the Middle East

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with card box of issue and forwarding slip; Air Efficiency Award, G.VI.R., 2nd issue (Flt. Lt. J. G. F. Booth, R.A.F.V.R.), in named card box of issue, all late claims, good very fine (6) £400-500

Booth commenced pilot training at the E.F.T.S. at Brough in August 1940, a fellow pupil being Neville Duke, who later described how they had a close call with some barrage balloons while flying a Miles Master:

‘My more advanced training was to have its moments, though. Two days after my nineteenth birthday I had to do an instrument flight in fairly thick weather from Tern Hill. With fellow pupil J. Booth in the reserve seat, I got the Miles Master to the right place over Leicester and carefully selected a railway line to follow back to Tern Hill. The idea was good. But it was the wrong line.

The clouds became thicker and thicker until neither Booth nor I could see a thing. Suddenly a dark shape loomed up. A barrage balloon. Christmas! I pulled hard back on the stick and up we went, right through the balloons, missing several by what seemed to be inches, climbing through 6,000 feet of cloud, completely lost.

It was a pretty lonely feeling, sitting up there above the clouds without the vaguest idea of where we might be. “That looks like a gap,” said Booth after a while. Through it we went down to find Worcester and its cathedral below. I returned to Tern Hill a little thoughtfully, and Booth also seemed rather preoccupied.’

Having qualified for his “Wings” and converted to Hurricanes at 56 O.T.U. at Sutton Bridge, Booth was posted to No. 245 Squadron at Aldergrove in April 1941, in which month he flew his first scrambles and dawn patrols, in addition to convoy patrols. Then in June he transferred to an Air Sea Rescue unit at Warmwell, flying Lysanders, an early success story being the rescue of Squadron Leader Blake of 234 Squadron, located and picked up ‘quite near Cherbourg’.

Next posted to No. 242 Squadron at Manston, in August 1941, Booth flew a number of convoy patrols and anti-shipping sorties, the whole under the watchful eye of Flight Lieutenant R. F. “Hammy” Hamlyn, D.F.M., the Battle of Britain ace and his Flight Commander.

In late September he was ordered to the Middle East, where he joined No. 94 Squadron, another Hurricane unit, in the Western Desert, his flying log book containing a flurry of entries for sweeps, scrambles and bomber escort duties over the coming weeks and months - and references to being jumped by 109s on several occasions. In April 1942, Booth transferred to No. 33 Squadron, another Hurricane unit of the Desert Air Force, and remained actively employed in that capacity until the late summer - thus further scrambles and sweeps, a case in point being 28 May 1942: ‘Intercepted 5 Ju. 87s and fighter escort. General mix up. I squirted at 2 Ju. 87s. 2 Mc 202s squirted at me. On returning I flew low over Hun M.T. and got one rifle bullet through the port wing! F./O. Wade got one Mc 202 and one Ju. 87. Sgt. Lyons shot down and baled out. C.O. returned covered in oil.’

Rested at the end of September 1942, Booth converted to Spitfires and reported to the Aircraft Delivery Unit, Middle East, in which capacity he remained employed until early 1944, when he joined No. 173 Squadron, a communications unit, at Heliopolis. At the year’s end, however, he was embarked for the U.K., where he was attached to Fleet Air Arm, testing Barracudas of 776 and 798 Squadrons, and he remained similarly employed for the remainder of the War, latterly with an appointment at R.N.A.S. Ringway.

Post-war, Booth was employed as a flying instructor, and was appointed a Flying Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in July 1947.

Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Book covering the period August 1940 to May 1952, the cover with a cartoon of Hitler and a flying boot, together with several wartime photographs, his Officer’s Pay Book and Air Ministry letter regarding his appointment as a Flying Officer in the R.A.F.V.R., dated 14 July 1947.