Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria including the collection to Naval Artificers formed by JH Deacon

An evader’s Second World War D.F.C. group of five awarded to Flight Lieutenant J. Marpole, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who survived 44 operational sorties, including the disastrous Nuremburg raid of March 1944

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse dated 1945, with its Royal Mint case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals, good very fine (5) £1000-1200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of Awards to the Men of Bomber Command 1939-45.

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D.F.C. London Gazette 22 May 1945. The recommendation states:

‘Acting Flight Lieutenant Marpole was the Flight Engineer in Squadron Leader Lamason’s crew. He has completed 14 operational sorties totalling 238 hours, including such targets as Essen seven times, Cologne four times, Berlin twice and Pilsen twice. On his first operational tour with No. 218 Squadron, he completed 30 operational sorties on Wellington and Stirling aircraft. Since joining the Squadron [No. 15] he has completed 14 operational sorties, in all of which he has shown skill and courage of a high order in assisting his Captain to press home all attacks to a successful conclusion. On his 15th sortie with the Squadron, he was reported missing. He succeeded in escaping and has since returned to this country. In addition to his duties as Flight Engineer, he took over the duties of Engineer Leader, being granted the acting rank of Flight Lieutenant. These duties he performed with merit and distinction, gaining the confidence of his Commanding Officer by his efficiency. By his zeal, determination and consistent devotion to duty, he has set a very fine example, which will be an incentive for others to follow. He is recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.’

Flight Lieutenant John Marpole, D.F.C., was born in Shepperton, Middlesex in June 1921 and enlisted in the R.A.F.V.R. in October 1939. Having completed training as an Engineer, he joined No. 218 Squadron, a Stirling unit, in February 1942, and flew his first operational sortie on the night of 8-9 March, against Essen, the first of four successive visits to that place in less than three weeks, one of them being completed on three engines. Other heavily defended German targets to be attacked in the following month included Cologne, Dortmund and Hamburg, in addition to three more visits to Essen, Marpole now having been appointed to the crew of his Squadron Leader.

On the night of 25-26 April, No. 218 was given a special assignment to strike the Skoda works at Pilsen in Czechoslovakia, Marpole’s Stirling being one of a small force of six allocated to the task. He records in his Flying Log Book a low-level attack being carried out at just 1500 feet. Nonetheless, a return visit was ordered for the first week of May. As evidenced by the joint recommendation for immediate D.F.Cs to his pilot and Navigator, the enemy were now ready and waiting:

‘Squadron Leader Oldroyd and Flying Officer Brown were pilot and Navigator respectively of an aircraft detailed to attack the Skoda works at Pilsen. Dense cloud was experienced in the last 200 miles to the target but, owing to the navigational skill of Flying Officer Brown, the objective was reached and located five minutes before the estimated time. Very heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered and the aircraft was repeatedly hit. Despite this, Squadron Leader Oldroyd remained over the target for a considerable time. On the return journey the aircraft was held by searchlights and subjected to further anti-aircraft fire, which was evaded successfully. Later, the aircraft was engaged by a Junkers 88, fire from which caused further damage to the oil system, the port landing wheel and the petrol tanks ...’

At the end of the same month, Marpole and his crew were back in action over Cologne in the first 1000 Bomber Raid, an experience to be repeated on the similar strike against Bremen on 25 June. And it would not be until the end of August that Marpole completed the 30th and final sortie of his first tour of operations, raids on Duisberg (twice), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg being carried out in the interim, among other targets.

Rested at No. 1657 Conversion Unit at Stradishall for most of 1943, and commissioned, Marpole returned to the operational scene with an appointment to No. 15 Squadron, a Lancaster unit, at Mildenhall at the end of that year, and he flew the first sortie of his second tour against Brunswick on the night of 14 January 1944. Between then and early June, he participated in two strikes on Berlin and survived Bomber Command’s mostly costly raid of the War, the attack on Nuremburg on the night of 30 March, when no less than 95 aircraft were lost, in addition to trips to other German and French targets, the latter in support of the pending Normandy Landings.

On the eve of D-Day itself, Marpole’s crew was detailed to attack Caen, but two nights later, en route to a target in Massey, his Lancaster was shot down by an enemy night fighter. Four crew members managed to bale out, including Marpole, but the Rear-Gunner and the Mid-Upper were killed. It later transpired that two of the former had been taken P.O.W. but that Marpole and fellow crew member Flying Officer Musgrove had managed to evade the enemy. Exactly how they achieved this remains unknown, other than the fact that they clearly made contact with the French Underground and were duly protected until the liberation of Paris later in the year.

Marpole appears to have found employment in New Caledonia after being demobilised in April 1946 and it was here, as late as July 1949, that H.M. Consul finally tracked him down to make arrangements for the presentation of his D.F.C.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Book, covering the period January 1942 until March 1946, and civilian entries for the period June 1947 to July 1955; a wartime photograph signed by his crew members; and his Air Ministry Certificate of Release.