Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Bomber Command D.F.C. and Battle of Britain group of five awarded to Flight Lieutenant L. L. Pearse, No’s. 236 and 460 Squadrons, Royal Air Force
Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1945’ and additionally inscribed (142916 F/Lt.) in its Royal Mint case of issue together with named transmission slip; 1939-45 Star, clasp, Battle of Britain; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals, these last four privately named; together with named card box of issue for WWII medals, the recipient’s Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, R.A.F. Service and Release Book, two Observer’s cloth wings and a ribbon bar, good very fine (5)

D.F.C. London Gazette 21 September, 1945.
Leslie Lewis Pearse was born in Watchet, Somerset, on 22 April, 1915, and enlisted into the R.A.F.V.R. on 4 September, 1939. He qualified as an Observer on 14 September, 1940, after training at 4 AONS and No. 8 B & GS. He was posted to 236 Squadron at St. Eval, flying Blenheims in the fighter role, and with them flew 10 operational sorties during the Battle of Britain. After a further 17 sorties with 236 Squadron he was employed as an instructor at 24 Commonwealth Air Observer School at Moffat, Rhodesia, until early 1944. He was promoted to T/Warrant Officer on 1 October, 1942 and commissioned as a Pilot Officer on 9 November that same year. On completion of an Air Bomber refresher course at No 8 AFU at Mona, No 30 OTU and 1667 HCU, he joined No. 460 Squadron (R.A.A.F.) on 21 October, 1944, at Binbrook flying Lancasters. He flew his first operation with his new squadron as Air Bomber to Group Captain H. Edwards, V.C., D.S.O., D.F.C., on a daylight raid over Cologne. Over the next six months he flew on a further 35 operations, including raids on Nuremburg, Hanover, Stuttgart, Dresden, Chemintz and Kassel. He flew his last sortie on a daylight raid to Bremen on 23 April, 1945, and was released from the Royal Air Force on 29 September, 1945. Sold with further details including copies from squadron records for most of his raids, and a small Battle of Britain souvenir album.