Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Second World War clandestine operations D.F.M. group of six awarded to Flight Lieutenant T. Dickinson, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who carried out 44 sorties as a pilot in No. 148 (Special Duties) Squadron, on one occasion remaining over a D.Z. in occupied territory for two hours, as a consequence of which his return journey had to be completed in semi-daylight: returning to an operational footing in Mosquitos of the Path Finder Force in early 1944, he raised his tally of operational sorties to 71, including five trips to the “Big City”

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1045555 Sgt. T. Dickinson, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45, the campaign medals with their original addressed card box of issue, together with the King’s Badge, in its box of issue, and a cast base metal Czech pilot’s badge, nearly extremely fine (8) £2400-2800

D.F.M. London Gazette 1 October 1943. The original ‘Secret’ recommendation states:

‘Sergeant Dickinson has completed an operational tour of 333 hours consisting of 44 operations. Through his courage and tenacity his operations have been most successful. His record with the Squadron has been one of intelligent and persevering captaincy, an inspiration to his colleagues.

On the night of 23-24 May 1943, Sergeant Dickinson remained over his target for two hours waiting for the weather to clear. He successfully completed the operation although he finished in semi-daylight over enemy territory.

This spirit of determination, which he has shown throughout the whole tour has caused him to be chosen for many emergency operations.’

Thomas Dickinson was born in Gateshead, Co. Durham in January 1923 and enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in March 1941. Selected for pilot training, he gained his ‘Wings’ in Canada and was commissioned Pilot Officer in May 1943, shortly after joining No. 148 (Special Duties) Squadron, a Halifax unit based in the Middle East.

Thus ensued a tour of 44 ‘special duties’ missions over the Balkans and elsewhere, a fascinating record described by operational code names in his Flying Log Book. In the period March-August 1943, he made trips in support of numbered operations known as ‘Archipelago’, ‘Bovington’, ‘Buckram’, ‘Coachman’, ‘Concensus’, ‘Ferocity’, ‘Fertilizer’, ‘Fleshpot’, ‘Hackthorpe’, ‘Henbury’, ‘Hoathley’, ‘Huggate’, ‘Juniper’, ‘Keelrow’, ‘Kincraig’, ‘Kingbrace’, ‘Lambourn’, ‘Lapworth’, ‘Shepshed’, ‘Steadhampton’, ‘Smoulder’, ‘Tingewick’ and ‘Totteridge’.

Relevant O.R.B. entries reveal that Dickinson sometimes carried out four runs over his drop zones and, as cited above, he once remained over his ‘target’ for two hours. He was recommended for the D.F.M. in early August 1943.

He returned to the U.K. in early 1944, when he joined No. 8 (P.F.F.) Group, and subsequently flew 11 sorties in Mosquitos of No. 692 Squadron in April-May, all of them to Germany. Having then transferred to No. 139 Squadron, another P.F.F. marker unit, in the latter month, he completed another 16 operational sorties, no less than five of them to Berlin, thereby raising his total number of sorties to 71.

At the end of June 1944, however, his remarkable operational career was ended by a serious flying accident. An account of the accident, written by his Navigator, is included, their Mosquito carrying out a crash-landing at 135 m.p.h. in a cornfield near Coltishall: Dickinson’s seat was ripped from its mounting on impact and he ended up half-buried by earth in the nose section.

Released from service as a Flight Lieutenant in July 1946, he died at Ashington, Northumberland in September 1985.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s R.C.A.F. Pilot’s Flying Log Book, covering the period November 1941 to April 1946, worn/damaged spine; a ‘Blind Flight’ certificate, dated 16 May 1942; his R.A.F. Service and Release Book and National I.D. Card, and around a dozen or so wartime photographs.

The accompanying badge is Yugoslavian not Czech as stated