Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Six: Warrant Officer Rear Gunner H. S. A. Lynch, Royal Air Force

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted for wear; together with the recipient’s unofficial ‘Bomber Command’ medal, in box of issue, good very fine (7) £400-£500

Hugo Sylvester Andrew Lynch was born on 22 February 1922 and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 8 October 1940. He served during the Second World War overseas in the Middle East and Italy from July 1941 to April 1945, and received his first operational posting, to 142 Squadron, flying Wellingtons, in July 1944. His first operational sortie was to Trieste on 24 July 1944 (‘heavy flak on route’); further targets included Portes les Vallenes, Szombathely, Polesti (‘intercepted West of Danube - enemy aircraft Ju.88 driven off’); Genoa; Marseilles; Bologna; Athens; Salonika; San Benedetto; and Zagreb. Continuing into 1945, the majority of the operational sorties in January 1945 were supply drops for Yugoslav patriots; before resuming bombing targets in northern Italy in February 1945, especially the railway marshalling yards at Verona.

Lynch’s final operational sortie (and his tenth in the space of three weeks) was to Pola on 21 February 1945. He was promoted Warrant Officer on 3 March 1946, and was discharged on 24 April 1946.

Sold with the recipient’s somewhat damaged Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, covering the period 8 February 1944 to 21 February 1945 (the unused pages of the Log Book subsequently used as a child’s colouring book); the recipient’s Service and Release Book; Identity Card; a selection of original aerial photographs; and other ephemera.