Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part I)

Four: Squadron Leader N. H. Bigsby, Royal Air Force, who completed a tour of operations in Sunderlands of Coastal Command

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence and War Medals, good very fine and better (4) £300-350

Bigsby commenced pilot training in June 1939, one of his earlier appointments to the School of General Reconnaissance on Thorney Island taking him to a two week navigation course on Guernsey in May 1940.

His first operational posting, however, was not until August of the same year, when he joined No. 204 Squadron, a Sunderland unit operating out of the Shetlands, as a 2nd Pilot. That same month, on the 27th, his crew escorted some Battles to Iceland. Thereafter, until August 1941, with the exception of a training period in the new year, he participated in a constant round of A./S. patrols and convoy escort sorties, in addition to more hastily mounted duties such as a search for a German sea raider on 3 November 1940 and escorting H.M.S. Hood on 6 May 1941 - she was sunk just over two weeks later. And towards the end of his tour, No. 204 set course for Gibraltar, from which place its Sunderlands acted as escort to at least a brace of Malta convoys.

Posted to R.A.F. Greenock in late August 1941, Bigsby served for two years on Catalinas, flying assorted tests and trials, and in August 1943, after a brief appointment at Sullum Voe, was grounded by his posting to “M.A.P.” at Millbank in London, although he still logged a few local flights out of Hendon, the last of them in August 1944.

Sold with the recipient’s original Flying Log Book, covering the period June 1939 to June 1952, the latter entries on “refresher” flights as a pilot on the R.A.F. Reserve of Officers.