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

A Second World War D.F.C. group of six to Flight Lieutenant D. F. Webb, Royal Air Force

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse dated 1944 and additionally engraved, ‘F. Lt. D.F. Webb, 78 Sdn., R.A.F.’; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals, good very fine (6) £550-650

D.F.C. London Gazette 15 February 1944. The recommendation states: ‘This Officer has now completed his first operational tour consisting of 26 sorties. He has been a most exceptionally keen and efficient Flight Engineer and has done most valuable work in his section. Both on the ground and in the air he has carried out his duties with the greatest enthusiasm and has always shown the greatest coolness in face of danger while on operations. As a member of one of our most successful crews he has taken part in operations against many heavily defended targets and their success and safety can to a great extent be attributed to his thoroughness. For his courage and devotion to duty he is most strongly recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. ’

Donald Frank Webb, after completing a Fitters’ course followed by a Flight Engineers’ course in South Wales was posted as a Sergeant to a Heavy Conversion Unit at Rufford, South Yorkshire. After completing this latter course he was posted to No. 78 Squadron, a Halifax unit. With the Squadron he took part in 26 sorties as a Flight Engineer, his first mission being against Dusseldorf on 25 May 1943 and his last to the same place on 3 November of the same year; in between, his sorties included the daylight raid Le Creusot on19 June, the famous Peenemunde raid on 17 August, and the ‘big city’, Berlin, on 23 August. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the same month and following his tour of duty was posted back to the Conversion Unit as an Instructor and placed on an Engineer Leaders’ Course. He was subsequently posted to a Dakota squadron for ‘Glider Pick-up’ training and then posted east to Chittagong. He attained the rank of Flight Lieutenant in August 1945 and retired from the R.A.F. in 1947.

Sold with an original photograph of the recipient and two handwritten letters from Flight Lieutenant Webb detailing his wartime service and experiences. Also with a copied recommendation for his D.F.C. and extracts copied from the Operations Record Book concerning the recipient.