Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Sergeant L. S. O’Donoghue, Royal Air Force, who served operationally as a Sunderland Air Signaller with 88 Squadron during the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency

General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya, G.VI.R. (2238598 Sgt. L. S. O’Donoghue. R.A.F.); Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (2238598 Sgt. L. S. O’Donogue. R.A.F.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, very fine (3) £400-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Awards to the Royal Air Force between the Wars (1919-1939) formed by Group Captain JE Barker.

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Provenance: Christie’s, April 1992.

Laurence Stephen O’Donoghue was born at 25 Roaring Springs Road, Clonmel, Ireland, in December 1927. He initially trained as an Aircrew Signaller, and having advanced to Sergeant served as an Air Signaller with 45 Squadron, 1950-51. The latter were based at Tengah, Singapore from December 1949, and converted to Bristol Brigands over the following months. O’Donoghue features in a squadron group photograph in front of a Brigand, which appears in Wing Commander C. G. Jefford’s history of 45 Squadron.

O’Donoghue was posted to 88 Squadron (Sunderlands), Seletar, Singapore, in September 1951. He initially served as the Air Signaller in a Sunderland crew piloted by Flight Lieutenant J. R. Douche. O’Donoghue was part of a detachment sent by the Squadron to operate out of Iwakuni, Japan, for reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols off the west coast of Korea. He also served with the Squadron during Operation Firedog, the Malayan Emergency, carrying out operations between October - December 1951. O’Donoghue returned to the UK for Pilot/Navigator aptitude tests in January 1952. He died at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, in July 2010.

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