Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The War Medal 1939-45 awarded to Flying Officer R. E. Dowson, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

War Medal 1939-45, unnamed as issued, extremely fine £140-£180

Ronald Eric Dowson was born on 20 April 1925, at Reigate, Surrey, the son of George Dowson and Maud Elizabeth Dowson (née Ellis). He was Cadet 166 with III Flight , 311 Squadron Air Training Corps, Brentford & Chiswick, and joined the Royal Air Force, becoming 1812038 Leading Aircraftman R. E. Dowson. He was at R.A.F. Tiree in Scotland between 1943-44, and attended Navigation course No. 114 at No. 1 Central Navigation School, Royal Canadian Air Force Station at Rivers, Manitoba. He attended the No. 1, C.N.S. Graduation Dinner on 27 March 1945, and gave the Toast to The King. He was given a commission as a Pilot Officer with a new service number of 16839 on, 29 March 1945.

He began training as a Navigator and flew on Anson V 12383 on 25 November 1944 as 1st & 2nd Navigator, and qualified as an Air Navigator on 30 March 1945. On 24 May 1945, he was at No. 6 Officer Training Unit at Comox, British Columbia. On 30 September 1945, he was posted to 232 Group, flying from Lyneham to Castle Benito, then on 1 October to Lydda, 2 October to Shaibah, 3 October to Karachi, 10 October to Calcutta and finally, on 13 October, to Rangoon. He was then promoted to Flying Officer, 29 September 1945. On 14 October 194,5 he was posted to No. 96 Squadron, Transport Command, on Dakotas at Bilaspur, and on 1 May 1946 No. 96 Squadron was renamed No. 110 squadron, flying Dakotas. His logbook shows his last flight as a navigator was on 20 April 1947. In 1949 he was living at 10a Boston Manor Road, Brentford, Middlesex.

Sold with original R.C.A.F. Flying Log Book for Aircrew other than Pilot for the period 6 November 1944 to 29 March 1947; Graduation Dinner Menu from Navigation Course, Rivers, Manitoba; Notification of passing Navigation course; Certificate of qualification as Air Navigator dated 30 March 1945; and a quantity of photographs of time training and stationed at R.A.F. Transport Command No. 3 Staging Post; together with related Gazette notices and other research, mostly copied to CD.