Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An unusual Second War 1943 ‘Immediate’ D.F.C. group of eight awarded Flight Lieutenant, late Warrant Officer, H. R. Cooke, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who started the war as a Blenheim Air Gunner during the Battle of Britain, and went on to fly in at least 70 operational sorties with Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands. Employed as a Rear Gunner in Wellingtons and Whitleys, he ended the war as a Mid Upper Gunner in Lancasters. Cooke shot down an M.E. 109 over Kassel, 22 October 1943, in what was to be his last operational sortie of the war

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1943’; 1939-45 Star, copy clasp, Battle of Britain; Air Crew Europe Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Air Efficiency Award, G.VI.R., 1st issue (Plt. Off. H. R. Cooke. R.A.F.V.R.); Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, E.II.R. (Herbert R. Cooke.) generally very fine (8) £3000-4000

D.F.C. London Gazette 10 December 1943:

‘As air gunner, Warrant Officer Cooke has taken part in a very large number of sorties and has displayed great devotion to duty. On a recent occasion, during an attack on Kassel, Warrant Officer Cooke saw an aircraft being attack by a fighter. He immediately informed his captain who made the necessary combat manoeuvre and Warrant Officer Cooke was enabled to deliver a burst of machine-gun fire which hit the enemy aircraft with destructive effect. His vigilance and skill were highly commendable.’

Herbert Reginald Cooke joined the Auxiliary Air Force as an Aircrafthand in October 1938. He served with 601 (County of London) Squadron, and was mobilised 24 August 1939, and later remustered as an Air Gunner. He was posted for operational flying to 23 Squadron (Blenheims), Wittering, in March 1940. The Squadron was employed as a night-fighter unit during the Battle of Britain, and having advanced to Sergeant in April 1940 Cooke was subsequently employed in numerous patrols. At the end of August Cooke was posted overseas for service with the Takoradi Ferry Flight on the Gold Coast of Africa.

Cooke advanced to Flight Sergeant and returned to operational flying when he was posted as a Rear Gunner to 70 (Bomber) Squadron (Wellingtons), Egypt, in April 1941. The Squadron was engaged in attacks on ports and bases in Libya, Italy and Greece to restrict supplies to the enemy during the campaign in the Western Desert. In 1941 some operations were flown over Iraq and Syria to support local campaigns. As the frontline moved westwards, the squadron left Egypt for bases in Libya and Tunisia. Cooke flew in a large number of operational sorties between May 1941 - January 1942, including: 2 May 1941 ‘Daylight Bombing & M.G. Gunning on Iraqi Army Gun Positions Commanding & Attacking R.A.F. Stn. Habbaniya. Petrol Tanks Holed’; and later the same day ‘Daylight Bombing & M.G. Gunning on Iraqi Army Gun Positions. Attacked by ‘Breda 65’ Fighter Over Target & Chased For 30 Mins (190 - ‘0’ Feet). Attacked By Fighter - 7 Times - 3 Out of Sun - Guns Definitely U/S in Turret (Old Links Etc) Short Bursts Only of 6 - 10 Rounds - Successfully Beat Off Fighter’; 18 May 1941 ‘Bombing Attack on Hassani Aerodrome. (Athens Greece)’; 26 May 1941 ‘Bombing Attack on Harbour Etc at Benghazi (Libya)’; 1 June 1941 ‘Fuka - Beach Near Komitades Southern Crete - Food Supplies & Medical Supplies For Evacuating Troops’; 12/13 June 1941 ’Raid on Calato Rhodes’; 30 June 1941 ‘Raid on Beirut (Syria) Harbour Installations Etc’; 28 September 1941 ‘Raid on Bardia’; 6 October 1941 ‘Pyraeus (Athens) Large Oil Fire ‘ETC’’ (Log Book refers).

Having completed his tour, Cooke returned to the UK and was posted to No. 15 O.T.U. Whilst with the latter he was designated to take part in the Thousand Bomber Raid to Bremen, 25 June 1942. As his log book records this proved abortive, ‘Ops - Bremen - 1,000 B.R. Dutch Coast - Returned Lakenheath S. Engine U/S’. Cooke served as an instructor at No. 19 O.T.U., Kinloss, from January 1943. Two months later he was attached to Coastal Command at R.A.F. St. Eval, and flew in 8 anti-shipping patrols as a Whitley Rear Gunner.

After converting to Lancasters at No. 1660 C.U., Cooke returned to operational service with Bomber Command. He was posted as a Mid Upper Gunner to 619 Squadron (Lancasters), Woodhall Spa, in June 1943. He flew in at least 17 operational sorties with the Squadron, including: Krefeld; Gelsenkirchen; Hamburg (3); Essen; Mannheim; Milan; Munchen-Gladbach; Berlin; Munich (2); Anthéor Viaduct, 16 September 1943, a joint operation with 617 Squadron; Hanover (2); Leipzig and Kassel.

The sortie to Kassel carried out on 22 October 1943, was Cooke’s last operational sortie of the war, and the sortie for which he was awarded the D.F.C. Flying on this sortie as a Rear Gunner, his log book records ‘Ops Kassel (M.E. 109) Awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross For “Adventure”!’

Cooke advanced to Flight Lieutenant and received his Air Efficiency Award in November 1945. He was released from the service the following year, and resided in Chichester in later life. He died in 1994, and arranged for his ashes to be scattered from an aircraft flying over the former RAF base at Tangmere (newspaper cutting included in lot refers).

Sold with the following items and documents: Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book (15 March 1940 - 14 June 1944), annotated ‘Previous log book for 601 Sqdn - left at Tangmere’; a number of photographs and photographic images (two of which are framed and glazed) of the recipient from various stages of service and life; Air Ministry correspondence relating to Medal Claims and a file of copied research.