Auction Catalogue

16 July 2020

Starting at 10:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

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Lot

№ 333 x

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16 July 2020

Hammer Price:
£300

Three: Warrant Officer Air Gunner E. W. Samson, Royal Air Force

1939-45 Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, with Air Council enclosure, in named card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. E. W. Samson, Cranfield, Buckingham.’, nearly extremely fine (3) £200-£240

Ellis Warren Samson was born in Muswell Hill, London, on 16 November 1909, and joined the Royal Air Force on 15 February 1943. He served during the Second World War as both a Rear Gunner and an Air Gunner overseas from 20 December 1943, initially with the British North African Forces in Egypt, before getting his first Squadron posting, to 70 Squadron, based at Tortorella, in March 1944. Flying Wellingtons, his first operational sortie was on 24 March 1944, on a raid to Sofia; further targets over the next five months included Milan, Budapest, and Bucharest, as well as raids on various docks, oil refineries, and marshalling yards in Italy, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. He completed his tour on 19 August 1944, with a dual fighter and bomber attack on the Ploesti Oil Refinery in Romania. Returning to the U.K. on 6 January 1945, he was released on 2 April 1946.

Sold with the recipient’s Royal Air Force Navigator’s, Air Bomber’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, covering the period 5 June 1943 to 19 August 1944; the recipient’s Service and Release Book; three driving licences; a portrait photograph of the recipient; and cloth Air Gunner’s brevet.