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

A Second World War Hurricane pilot’s D.F.C. group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant O. A. Parry, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who completed over 175 sorties on the Burma front, many of them of the low-level, head-on kind

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1945; 1939-45 Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals; Air Efficiency Award, E.II.R., 2nd issue (Flt. Lt., R. Aux. A.F.) good very fine and better (6) £2300-2500

D.F.C. London Gazette 3 April 1945. The recommendation states:

‘Flying Officer O. A. Parry completed his first operational tour of 300 hours on 27 November 1944 in this unit. He has at all times displayed the qualities of keenness and efficiency. His particular ability to find, assess and bring back information regarding the enemy has been of great value to the Army. The coolness and efficiency with which he led his Flight, and at times the Squadron, resulted in the maintenance of high morale among the aircrew and in a large amount of destruction to enemy vehicles and supplies. His achievements are worthy of tangible recognition.’

The Station Commander’s covering remarks state:

‘Flying Officer Parry has throughout his tour shown a fire power of leadership allied with personal skill and courage which has enabled him to contribute much to the Squadron’s success, and especially to the continuation of an intensive operational programme during the monsoon, when the prevailing weather and the mountainous nature of the country might well have caused its curtailment. He has throughout set an excellent example both in the air and on the ground and I strongly endorse his Squadron Commander’s recommendation for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.’

The A.O.C., No. 221 Group’s covering remarks state:

‘The very high total of operational flying hours of this pilot represents distinguished flying of the highest order. No. 11 Squadron has attained very spectacular results on the Lines of Communication, largely responsible for the defeat of the enemy in the Imphal campaign, and this pilot has taken his full share in the attainment of these results.’

Owen Arthur Parry was decorated for completing over 175 sorties with No. 11 Squadron, No. 906 Wing, No. 221 Group, South East Asia Command, during the course of 1944. Equipped with Hurricane F2b fighter-bombers, the Squadron flew a relentless brief of search and destroy missions against the Japanese and participated in the battles for Imphal and Kohima, the whole in support of the 14th Army. Often operating in pairs, and sometimes on solo missions, Parry and his fellow Hurricane pilots attacked a wide variety of targets, enemy troops, supply dumps, bridges, gun positions, sampans and barges making up just part of the Squadron’s punishing schedule. And nor were such missions flown without cost, Parry witnessing the loss of fellow pilots on three separate occasions.

An insight into the nature of these operations may be found in The Air Battle for Imphal by Norman Franks, who quotes fellow No. 11 Squadron pilot, Flight Lieutenant C. G. H. Ditmus:

‘11 Squadron, like the other Hurricane units, was busy and had been since the beginning of March. My log book shows such bald statements as - patrols over Chowringhee - scrambles at base when we were always too low and too slow to intercept, though the Spitfire squadrons got a few. Army support strafing 160 miles to east of Imphal, with occasional high body-counts by the Army afterwards (March 18). Search and destroy patrols (Rhubarbs) - Irrawaddy and Chindwin (March 20-21) - Chin Hills Roads (March 29-30), Sittaung-Tamu Road, transport and staff car confirmed (April 10). Then (April 19-30) numerous Army support operations at Kohima.’

Franks continues with a reference to Parry:

‘The staff car he mentions on 9 April he had found on a morning Rhubarb. Flying Officer O. A. Parry was his No. 2. They found a 3-ton lorry which they shot up and later saw the Japanese staff car heading north very fast. They attacked and it went off the road to go crashing down the hillside!’

Sold with a complete set of photocopied entries from No. 11 Squadron’s Operational Record Book for the period March to December 1944, the whole vividly illustrating the type of sorties flown by the men of No. 11, an entry for 22 March 1944 being a case in point:

‘Four aircraft were airborne early a.m. [Parry among them] on Rhubarb over Homalin - Nawngpu-Awng - Maingkaing - Mansi - Thayetkon. 32 miles West of Thayetkon and 16 miles East of Naungkan, a convoy of 24 M.T. vehicles, including Bren Carriers, and 12-15 bullock carts and several mules, heading East was observed, and on approach of aircraft stopped. Aircraft made repeated attacks until all ammunition was exhausted. Strikes were seen on M.T. and bullock carts. Eight M.T. were claimed as badly damaged, two were seen to be on fire. Two mules were killed and bullock carts were wrecked and scattered. Machine-gun fire was encountered from road but was inaccurate for height and direction. This was silenced also. On completion of task, all aircraft returned safely to base.’

Parry, who was from Blackpool, Lancashire, had been commissioned as a Pilot Officer back in November 1942.