Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Sergeant A. G. Johnson, Royal Air Force, who was killed in action in piloting a Battle of No. 12 Squadron during the Blitzkreig in May 1940: just two days earlier, a fellow squadron pilot, Flying Officer Garland, and his Observer, Sergeant Gray, won posthumous V.Cs for a suicidal low-level attack on a bridge over the Albert Canal - an attack for which all the squadron’s aircrew had volunteered

1939-45 Star; War Medal 1939-45, in their original card forwarding box with remnants of address label to ‘Mrs. F. Johnson’, together with Air Ministry condolence slip in the name of ‘Sergeant A. G. Johnson’, extremely fine (2) £200-250

Arthur Geoffrey Johnson, a pre-war regular and Sergeant (pilot), most probably went to France in No. 12 Squadron in September 1939, when 16 of the unit’s Battles landed at Berry-au-Bac as part of 76 Wing, Advanced Air Striking Force. Certainly he would have known the likes of of fellow squadron pilot, Flying Officer D. E. Garland, who, with his Observer, Sergeant T. Gray, was to win a posthumous V.C. for an extraordinarily gallant low-level attack on a bridge over the Albert Canal on 12 May 1940. It is worth noting for the record that all of No. 12’s aircrew stepped up to the mark when the call for volunteers went out.

Two days later, five of the unit’s Battles were detailed to attack an enemy column on the road between Sedan and Givonne, where intense light A.A. and machine-gun fire was encountered. In a fate not dissimilar to that shared by Garland’s flight on the 12th, four of the Battles were shot down, including Johnson and his crew, Sergeant White and Aircraftsman Spencer.

Aged 27 years, he was the son of Arthur and Frances Johnson of Scarborough, Yorkshire, and the husband of E. W. Johnson. He is buried in Pouru-St. Remy Cemetery.