Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Six: Flight Lieutenant J. B. Nicholson, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Cadet Forces Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (Act. Flt. Lt. J. B. Nicholson. R.A.F.V.R. (T.)) mounted as worn, the last loose, good very fine and better (6) £360-£440

M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1941.
The original Recommendation, dated 10 August 1940, states: ‘Sergeant Nicholson has proved himself a keen and reliable Wireless operator who has carried out his duties in a reliable most satisfactory manner on 25 operational flights.’

John Bertram Nicolson was born in Gateshead-on-Tyne on 16 May 1915. He joined the RAF in 1935 and was posted to the Wireless School to train as a radio operator. He was posted first to 102 Squadron, then 10 Squadron in Disforth in March 1937, who were flying Whitneys. Serving from the start of the war as a wireless operator air gunner, his first operational sortie was on 8 September 1939 when No. 10 Squadron began its first operation of the War, leaflet-dropping over Germany with the Whitley Mk.IV. He served continually on the squadron until August 1940. On the night of 11-12 June 1940, he took part in raids on the Italian cities of Turin and Genoa. On 8 July 1940, the unit moved to RAF Leeming, Yorkshire. Nicolson flew with several pilots and targets included Berlin and factories deep inside Germany. One of his pilots included Flight Lieutenant Anthony French-Mullen, shot down in July 1940, and who later would be involved in the planning of the ‘Great Escape’ at Stalag Luft 3.

In June 1942 Nicholson was selected for pilot training and was commissioned on 19 October 1942 to train in Canada. He entered the Far East theatre in August 1944, where he flew a second tour as a second pilot on Sunderlands under Flight Lieutenant R Levy-Haarscher. In February 1944 the squadron had moved further east to Ceylon to support the Operations in Burma, including supply operations to Chindits and casualty evacuation. In February 1945, a detachment moved to Calcutta to transport freight into Burma and casualties back out, using an inland lake as the Burmese end of the route. In April 1945 the entire squadron moved to Burma and was used to attack Japanese coastal shipping between Malaya and Burma. In December 1945 the squadron finally returned to Singapore, but only for a short period, and in April 1946 it returned to the UK.

After the War, Nicholson served in the Cadet Force as part of 1029 Squadron ATC. He finally resigned his commission on 17 November 1966.

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