Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An outstanding Second World War campaign group of three awarded to Flying Officer G. Barker, Royal Air Force, who gained several victories over Greece while flying as ‘Wingman’ to Squadron Leader Marmaduke “Pat” Pattle in No. 80 Squadron, prior to being seriously wounded when his Hurricane came under attack at Maleme in April 1941: that his gallant services never received official recognition was likely on account of the loss of all of his squadron’s records

For his own part, Pattle - who had met and befriended Barker at the same flying school back in 1936 - achieved an estimated 50 ‘kills’ before being shot down and killed over Piraeus in the same month, an achievement that resulted in him becoming the highest scoring R.A.F. pilot of the war

Fellow squadron pilots included Roald Dahl, the author, who later described the trials and tribulations of No. 80 Squadron in the Greek campaign in Flying Solo: by April 1941, the R.A.F. had just 18 airworthy combat aircraft left in Greece - 14 Hurricanes and four Blenheims

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, together with Air Ministry forwarding slip and his embroidered R.A.F. ‘Wings’, extremely fine (3) £1800-2200

Gordon Barker was born in Northallerton, Yorkshire, in 1917, one of four children to Jabez Bethel and Jane Elizabeth Barker of Bellwood Farm, Ripon. He gained a place at Ripon Grammar School and, by the time he had completed his studies, was set upon a career in the R.A.F.

After his initial induction training and drill, Barker was selected for flying duties and, in June 1936, was posted to a civil flying school run by Scottish Aviation Ltd. at R.A.F. Prestwick. On the same course was the South African born Marmaduke Thomas St. John “Pat” Pattle, the two pilots becoming firm friends - an enduring friendship that was tragically curtailed by Pattle’s death in action over Greece in April 1941, but not before Barker had flown as his ‘Wingman’ on a number of occasions.

Having qualified for his ‘Wings’, Barker attended advanced pilot training courses and graduated with an ‘above average’ rating in the Spring of 1937. Posted as a Sergeant to No. 80 Squadron, a Gloucester Gladiator unit, he joined ‘B’ Flight with ‘Pat’ Pattle, who had been commissioned Pilot Officer.

In April 1938, 80 Squadron was ordered to Ismaila in Egypt, in order to protect the Suez Canal by way of ground attacks on Arab rebels. Here, following the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939, Barker flew alongside another notable ace of 1939-45 vintage, Pilot Officer Ernest “Imshi” Mason.

With Italy’s entry into the war, 80 Squadron found plenty of action, flying defensive sorties over Alexandria before moving up to the Libyan border. By August 'B' Flight was commanded by Pattle and the squadron was deployed to an advanced area at Sidi Barrani in order to relieve 33 Squadron and assist the troops on the ground. However, with the Italian invasion of Egypt, No. 80 was withdrawn to Habbaniyah to re-equip with Mk. II Gladiators, following which it transferred to Greece. Here, then, the commencement of a memorable chapter of operations: during the unit’s very first sortie, an offensive patrol over Korce on 19 November 1940, eleven Italian aircraft were shot down.

Greece

On 4 December 1940, four newly arrived Gladiator aircraft on detachment from 112 Squadron, and 11 others from No. 80, flew up to Yanina for further operations. Squadron Leader Hickey led 14 of these aircraft on an offensive patrol over the Tepelene area on the very same day, the British force coming up against 12 CR-42s of 150 Gruppo and 10 G 50bis of the 154 Gruppo. During the ensuing dogfight 9 Fiat CR-42s were destroyed, with two probables, Pattle claiming 3 CR-42s destroyed with two probables. Barker claimed one of the CR-42s as destroyed over Klissoura. Pattle was recommended for his first Distinguished Flying Cross, and the squadron returned to Larissa the next day.

On the morning of 13 February 1941, Gladiators from 80 and 112 Squadron escorted Blenheims from 84 and 211 Squadrons to bomb Tepelene, Barker taking part in the operation. During the afternoon, further flights were made by the Blenheim bombers and Gladiators to attack a mountain ridge crowded with troops, guns, and light tanks. The Italians put up a large barrage of anti-aircraft fire, the flak bursting all around the fabric covered Gladiators. Barker was flying Gladiator N5761 which was hit in the engine, forcing him to use all his skill to keep the machine in the air - he could have baled out, but chose instead to try and force-land 40 miles north of Yanina on a small clearing. Unfortunately, the ground was too soft and his aircraft cartwheeled, completely wrecking it. He was however uninjured and returned to the squadron with some troops in a Greek Army truck. Barker was back in the air the next day as Pattle’s ‘Wingman’, with eight other Gladiators, in a patrol over the Kelcyre region.

In late February, 80 Squadron was re-equipped with Hurricane Mk. 1s, Pattle leading six of them on a bomber escort mission to Berat the very day of their arrival. A week later the R.A.F. scored their highest tally of Italian aircraft in aerial combat, claiming 27 Italian aircraft destroyed in 90 minutes. Pattle received a Bar to his D.F.C. on the 18 March 1941, the recommendation stating that he had destroyed 23 enemy aircraft.

With Germany’s declaration of war on Yugoslavia and Greece in early April, No. 80 was in constant contact with the Luftwaffe, a case in point being Barker’s mission to drop a message to the 19th Australian Brigade at Katerine on the 17th. Having done so, he was intercepted by three 109s from JG 77, who were on patrol looking to attack shipping or airfields near Volos. Watched by the Australian Army below, Barker managed to evade two of them, shooting down the third, with the Luftwaffe pilot baling out over the Mount Olympus area, a victory that was confirmed later by the Australian troops.

Two days later “Pat” Pattle, although ill with a high temperature, defied orders not to fly, and was shot down and killed in a major air combat over Athens.

On 23 April, while returning to Maleme airfield with a replacement Hurricane, Barker claimed one Do. 17 shot down south of Argos and an Me. 110 as a probable. However, shortly after landing at Maleme, alongside four other pilots in replacement Hurricanes, the airfield was attacked by about 25 Me. 110s, followed by 20 Ju. 88s, the whole escorted by 109's from II and III/JG 77. Four of the Hurricanes managed to take off again but Barker’s aircraft was hit by a cannon shell from one of the Me110s and spun into a ditch, where it turned over. His back injured and suffering from burns, he was hauled out of his cockpit and taken to a slit trench until the attack subsided. He wasn’t the only casualty, much of the squadron’s equipment and records being destroyed in the raid - hence the loss of his first flying log book.

The scoreboard

His new flying log book was endorsed on the first page by his C.O., Squadron Leader Gordon Jones:

‘Certified that these times are to my knowledge as near correct as possible, previous logbook destroyed due to enemy action in Greece.’

The grand total of flying hours Barker had clocked up is shown as 827 hours 45 minutes.

Barker then added the following statistics to his flying log book:

‘Gladiator - 600 hours
Hurricane - 30 hours

Number of sorties:

Libya 27 + 20 patrols (I.P)
Greece 96 + 10 patrols (I.P)

Total 153 sorties = 300 hours approx.

Combats: 25 approx.

Victories:

1 CR. 42 at Klissoura – Pilot shot
1 Me .109 at Olympus – Pilot baled out
1 Do. 17 at Peleponesus – Broke up

Probables:

1 CR. 42 – Spinning- bits flying off
1 Me. 110 – Bursts in cockpit (confirmed)’

On 25 April, Barker was evacuated from Greece to Crete by Sunderland flying boat, and then by sea to Egypt.

After recuperating from his wounds, he was attached to Ferry Pool Maintenance Units in the Middle East, prior to returning to the U.K. in early 1942. Having then been advanced to Warrant Officer, he qualified as a flying instructor, and remained similarly employed for the rest of the war. His final wartime appointment was at No. 22 O.T.U., where he flew Hurricane LF 738 on a number of occasions, which aircraft became a ‘Gate Guardian’ outside St George’s Chapel at Biggin Hill and today resides at Cosford, care of the Royal Air Force Museum.

On leaving the R.A.F. in October 1945, Barker continued to suffer from a bad back, along with pain caused by pieces of shrapnel still lodged in his upper right arm. By all accounts a quiet and introverted Yorkshireman, he rarely complained about his injuries. Instead, he re-trained as a photographer and joined his wife’s family business, Blikhorn’s Photographers at Banbury, Oxfordshire. He also continued to fly as a member of the Oxford Flying Club at Kidlington, taking aerial shots of the surrounding countryside whilst flying a Tiger Moth.

In 1957 he left the business to buy the village Post Office in Watlington, where he remained with his wife until his sudden death in September 1965, at the age of 47 years. At his wartime marriage, his best man had been a fellow 80 Squadron pilot, Flight Lieutenant Charles “Cas” Casbolt, D.F.M., who was credited with around a dozen ‘kills’ over Greece.

Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Books (Form 414 types) (2), covering the periods April 1941 to September 1944, and September 1944 to September 1945, the former with opening endorsement, signed by Squadron Leader Gordon-Jones, and counter-signed by Barker, ‘Certified that these times are to my knowledge as near as correct as possible. Previous Log Book destroyed due to enemy action in Greece’; together with ‘B’ Flight, No. 80 Squadron record book of navigation flights, handwritten entries for flights made by ‘Sgt. Barker’, ‘Sgt. Couzens’, ‘P./O. Pattle’, ‘P./O. Swindell’, P./O. Schwab’ and ‘P./O. Jones’, in 1937; several wartime photographs of the recipient’s pet dog; and additional original documentation contained in a large file of research.