Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

A Second World War Air Gunner’s D.F.M. group of four awarded to Flight Sergeant W. H. Hitchcock, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a two-tour Path Finder whose sorties included the strike against Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” and Berchtesgaden on 25 April 1945

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1866576 F./Sgt. W. H. Hitchcock, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45 good very fine or better (4) £800-1000

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.M. London Gazette 13.4.1945. The recommendation states:

‘This Air Gunner has completed 44 sorties against the enemy and is now engaged on his second tour of operational duty. His outstanding ability and cheerfulness have been an inspiration to his crew and in the face of extreme danger he has displayed gallantry of a high order.’

Walter Henry “Wally” Hitchcock commenced his operational career as an Air Gunner with No. 635 Squadron, a Lancaster Path Finder unit based at Downham Market, Norfolk in June 1944, with a trip to Tours on the night of 11th-12th. He had already completed sorties to Le Mans, Berlin, Essen, Frankfurt (twice) and Stuttgart with a regular unit of Bomber Command.

The period June to July 1944 witnessed No. 635 attacking largely French targets in support of the Normandy landings, in addition to V.1 sites, Caen, Tours and Lens being among the dozen or so such places to be visited. During the latter raid on Lens on the night of 15-16 June, fellow 635 Squadron member, Squadron Leader I. W. Bazalgette, acted as Deputy Master Bomber. Hitchcock would participate in several more sorties alongside him prior to his V.C.-winning exploits over Troissy St. Maximin in early August. Another renowned Squadron character was the C.O., Wing Commander S. “Tubby” Baker, D.S.O., D.F.C., who went on to complete his 100th operational sortie early in the new year.

From August onwards, however, the Squadron gradually returned to the more challenging brief of Germany, Essen, Munich and Stuttgart being among the heavily defended chosen targets - Hitchcock visited the latter city on three occasions. But it was not until mid-January 1945 that he completed his first tour of operations, with an outing to Merseburg on the night of the 14th-15th, his 44th sortie.

An insight into Hitchcock’s time with No. 635 may be found in Strike Hard, in which he is quoted on several occasions. He states that he was given just two weeks holiday in Torquay at a hotel run by the R.A.F. following completion of his first tour, immediately after which he was returned to the Squadron to commence his second tour. And his second tour did indeed commence in February 1945, with an outing to Cleve on the 7th, Politz on the following night and another to Mainz at the end of the month. March witnessed sorties being flown against Mannheim, Chemnitz, Dessau, Witten and Hamburg, and April another strike against Hamburg, in addition to outings to Kiel, Potsdam and Heligoland, the whole bringing Hitchcock’s final tally of operations to near the 60 mark.

His second tour actually ended with the memorable strike against Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” and Berchtesgaden on 25 April 1945. Considerable damage was inflicted on the area, the attack lasting for one and a half hours with two assault waves. Although Hitler was at the Reich Chancellory in Berlin at the time, he cannot have failed to have been moved by the final damage report - the local S.S. Barracks and the private residences of Bormann and Goring were among the key buildings to be severely damaged or destroyed.

For his own part, “Wally” Hitchcock celebrated the successful conclusion of his operational career in style:

‘We gathered with our groundcrews, who always did a marvellous job on our aircraft, at the Crown pub for a last session. All I can remember about that was attempting to return to the camp after dark on my bike and riding straight into a brick wall, which did neither myself or the front wheel any good.’