Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An emotive Bomber Command group of three awarded to Sergeant J. W. Lowe, Royal Air Force, who was killed in action during the disastrous daylight attack on Amsterdam power station in May 1943, when his C.O., Squadron Leader Leonard Trent, was the only pilot in their Ventura formation to reach the target: he was subsequently awarded the V.C.

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, extremely fine (3) £400-500

James William Lowe commenced pilot training at No. 1 E.F.T.S., Hatfield, in September 1941 and, having attended additional courses in Canada, returned to the U.K. in the summer of 1942. Having then converted to Venturas and attended an O.T.U., he was posted to No. 487 (New Zealand) Squadron at Methwold, under Wing Commander G. J. “Chooper” Grindell, in early 1943, completing his first sortie, against Caen, on 4 April. Sadly, however, as cited above, he was killed in action on his very next mission - the costly daylight raid on Amsterdam power station on 3 May.

On that occasion, 12 Venturas of No. 487 Squadron took-off from Methwold under Squadron Leader Leonard Trent, D.F.C., Lowe piloting AE798 EG-D, but a poorly timed “rodeo” carried out earlier by No. 11 Group had alerted the enemy defences and, as they crossed the coast, the Venturas were jumped by dozens of 109s and Fw. 190s, under Gruppenkommandeur Hauptman Dietrich Wickop - within a few minutes eight of our aircraft had been shot down. In fact only Trent reached the target, where he, too, was downed, being thrown clear of the wreckage of his aircraft at 7,000 feet. He was awarded the V.C.

Lowe was 30 years old and left a widow, Mary Patricia Lowe, of Emsworth, Hampshire. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Book (Form 414), with entries covering the period September 1941 up until his death in action on 3 May 1943, with ‘Death Presumed’ and ‘Royal Air Force Central Depository’ stamps, and related forwarding letter to his widow - the flying log book cover and title page bear the original surname of ‘Stannard’, both struck out in ink and replaced by ‘Lowe’; a contemporary alteration and entirely as used by Lowe throughout his career; together with the recipient’s original Buckingham Palace commemorative scroll in the name of ‘Sergeant J. W. Lowe, Royal Air Force’.