Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Family Group:

Four: Wing Commander W. E. Ennis, Royal Air Force, late Royal Engineers and Corps of Military Accountants
British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. W. E. Ennis); Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as originally worn, generally very fine or better

Three: Sergeant P. J. W. Ennis, 102 Squadron, Royal Air Force, an Air Gunner whose Whitley was shot down whilst on a raid to Essen, 3/4 July 1941
1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, mounted for wear, generally good very fine (7) £500-£700

Wilfred Edmund Ennis was the father of P. J. W. Ennis and A. S. R. E. Ennis, and resided as 136 Hale Lane, Edgware, London. He enlisted in the 15th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Prince of Wale’s Own Civil Service Rifles), and served in the ranks until his was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in March 1915. Ennis advanced to Captain and transferred to the Corps of Military Accountants, subsequently transferring to the Royal Air Force. He re-engaged as Temporary Squadron Leader in September 1940, advanced to Wing Commander and served at Coastal Command HQ, Northwood.

Sold with the following items and documents: Riband bar; Letter to recipient from his A. S. R. E. Ennis from Driffield, dated 16 May 1941; Telegram informing recipient that his son P. J. W. Ennis is missing from operations; Letter from Buckingham Palace to recipient expressing condolences on the loss of two sons during the war, dated 8 August 1945; Two Air Ministry Letters addressed to recipient concerning burial and circumstances behind the death of P. J. W. Ennis, dated 26 May and 17 August 1949 respectively; Enclosure for photographs of grave of P. J. W. Ennis to recipient on behalf of the Under Secretary of State for Air, dated 23 March 1950.

Patrick Joseph William Ennis was the son of the above, and the younger brother of A. S. R. E. Ennis. He was educated at Wimbledon College, and joined the Royal Air Force in 1940, carrying out his initial training as an Air Gunner/Wireless Operator at No. E. & W. S. Ennis was subsequently posted to No. 19 O.T.U., and having advanced to Sergeant, was posted for operational flying with 102 Squadron (Whitleys) at Topcliffe in June 1941. He flew in just 2 operational sorties - the first being to Bremen, 27 June 1941.

Sergeant Ennis was killed in action on a raid to Essen, 3/4 July 1941, and the following detail is given by an Air Ministry Letter to his father dated 17 August 1949:
‘As you know, your son was a member of the crew of Whitley Z 6573, 102 Squadron, which took off from Topcliffe at 23.14 hours on 3rd July, 1941, for Essen. Nothing was heard during the war of the fate of any of the five occupants, and their death was presumed to have occurred on 4th July, 1941.

In 1946 we found among captured German documents an index card recording the death on 4th July, 1941, of three unknown members of the crew of a Whitley and their burial in the main cemetery at Neuss, four miles west of Dusseldorf (British Zone), in Plot 5, graves 9, 10 and 11. We accordingly sent a special enquiry to the Royal Air Force Missing Research and Enquiry Unit operating in the British Zone, asking them to investigate and notifying them that Whitley Z 6573 was the only aircraft of that type not accounted for on 4th July, 1941.

At the end of 1946 a report was received from the Unit to the effect that an Allied aircraft had been shot down at 01.10 hours on 4th July, 1941, at Kaarst, four miles north-west of Neuss. It had exploded with its bomb-load on crashing and identification was not possible at the time. The dead were buried at Neuss. Exhaustive interrogation of local inhabitants was not very productive but the search officer was reasonably certain that the aircraft was your son’s Whitley. In the hope of positive identification, exhumation of the graves at Neuss was ordered.

Unfortunately the volume of research in the Ruhr area was so great that it was not till this year that we received the examination reports.

As you will have appreciated, the nature of the crash was such that only fragmentary remains were found in the three graves but enough was found to prove that these graves contained the remains of all five members of the crew.

In grave 9 were found a corroded Ronson lighter and a smashed gold ring with the initials P. J. E. This identified your son Sergeant P. J. W. Ennis. These relics were in so bad a state that they were left on the body. Had they been in reasonably good condition, then they would have been sent to us and by us to you.

As we told you in Air Ministry Letter of 26th May, the graves have been moved to the British Military Cemetery, Rheinberg. Your son lies in Plot 6, Row B, Grave 9, and the other four members of his crew in Plot 6, Row B, communal graves 10 and 11.’

Sold with the following items and documents: Air Gunner’s Brevet; Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book (26 October 1940 - 3 July 1941) annotated ‘Death Presumed 4.7.41’; named forwarding slip for recipient’s Log Book.

For the medals awarded to A. S. R. E. Ennis, see Lot 24.