Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria. Including a superb collection of medals to the King’s German Legion, Police Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin and a small collection of medals to the Irish Guards

Four: Warrant Officer E. A. Mason, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals, together with original card forwarding box, Air Ministry condolence slip and memorial scroll, good extremely fine (4) £250-300

Eric Arthur Mason, who was from Lambeth, London, commenced his wartime career out in Canada in January 1941, where he was trained as a Navigator. Returning to the U.K. in August of the same year, he attended No. 25 O.T.U. prior to being posted to No. 455 (Australian) Squadron, a Hampden unit operating out of Swinderby, Lincolnshire.

Appointed Navigator to Squadron Leader J. Clift, O.B.E., he flew his first operational sortie on the night of 21-22 January 1942, against Emden, his Flying Log Book recording that his Hampden returned on one engine and landed at Coltishall. And on the last day of the month another sortie was flown to St. Nazaire.

February 1942 witnessed three more operations, Mason’s aircraft being one of those detailed to attack the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during their famous “Channel Dash”, in addition to carrying out a “Gardening” run to Wangerooge and a strike against Kiel. And in March, on the night of 3rd-4th, he participated in the highly successful low-level attack against the Renault Works at Boulogne-Billancourt, just west of Paris, while another “Gardening” run was carried out over Lorient a few nights later.

Cologne and Essen made up the operational agenda for April, but on the 26th of the month No. 455 was transferred to Coastal Command. Mason, however, and the remainder of Squadron Leader Clift’s crew, was transferred to No. 408 (R.C.A.F.) Squadron, another Hampden unit operating out of Balderton, Nottinghamshire. Quickly returning to the operational scene, Mason went on to complete another eight sorties, all of them against German targets, among them Duisberg, Emden, Essen, Flensburg and Stuttgart, and latterly with a new skipper, Pilot Officer Sanderson.

Then in September 1942, Mason was posted to No. 207 (“Leicester’s Own”) Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Syerston, where he once again joined the crew of Squadron Leader Clift. Flying his first sortie with the Squadron on the night of 23rd-24th, against Wismar, he went on to complete six more trips before ending his tour in January 1943, including the daylight raids on Le Creusot on 17 October and on Milan one week later. The other sorties comprised two visits to Genoa, another to Turin and a return to the German front with a strike against Essen on the night of 12-13 January 1943, when his Lancaster was hit by flak. Mason was next appointed to instructional duties, but flew a “Nickel” operation to Le Mans at the end of January 1944, while serving at No. 83 O.T.U. at Peplow.

Then in early May 1944, he was posted to No. 576 Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire. Assigned to the crew of a Pilot Officer Langford, Mason completed sorties to Dieppe, Dortmund, Duisberg, Mardyck and Orleans in quick succession, but tragically their Lancaster failed to return from a strike against Aachen on the night of 25-26 May 1944. Mason, who was aged 24 years, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Book, covering the period January 1941 to May 1944.