Auction Catalogue

23 June 2005

Starting at 10:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

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Lot

№ 1212 x

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23 June 2005

Hammer Price:
£52,000

The unique and outstanding Great War ace’s D.S.C. and 2 Bars, D.F.C. group of nine awarded to Wing Commander R. J. O. Compston, Royal Air Force, late Royal Naval Air Service, a supremely gallant Flight Commander of the famous “Naval 8”, who much preferred point-blank range encounters to any other (once using an enemy pilot’s head as his “marker” at 50 yards range), and who amassed 25 victories - destroyed, driven down out of control or otherwise - among them a “shared” with Major “Mick” Mannock, V.C., D.S.O., M.C.: during the 1939-45 War he served as a Fleet Aviation Officer and witnessed the sinking of the Scharnhorst from the Duke of York’s bridge, this time from the relatively safer range of three miles

Distinguished Service Cross
, G.V.R., with Second and Third Award Bars, hallmarks for London 1917, unnamed as issued; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; 1914-15 Star (Flt. S. Lt., R.N.A.S.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Major, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf, the fourth with officially re-impressed naming, generally good very fine (9) £25000-30000

Of just 10 officers who were awarded the D.S.C. and 2 Bars in the Great War, Compston was the only one to add a D.F.C. to his honours.

D.S.C.
London Gazette 12 May 1917: ‘For conspicuous skill and gallantry during the past nine months, in particular when attached to the Royal Flying Corps, when he had numerous engagements with enemy aircraft and certainly destroyed one.’

Bar to D.S.C.
London Gazette 11 August 1917: ‘For gallantry in action and for very good work in driving away German artillery aeroplanes. On 12 June 1917, with three other machines, he attacked six hostile scouts. He got close to one, and shot it down out of control. On 16 June 1917, he attacked two Aviatiks, which he drove down and forced to land.’

Second Bar to D.S.C.
London Gazette 16 March 1918: ‘For ability and determination when leading offensive patrols, in which he displays entire disregard of personal danger. On 1 January 1918, he observed a new type twin-tailed two-seater enemy machine, which he attacked, and fired a good many rounds at point-blank range. The enemy machine dived, but was again attacked and went down vertically with his engine full on. The wings came off and the machine was observed to crash.

Later in the day, Flight Commander Compston observed two formations of ten and five Albatross scouts respectively. He attacked one of the enemy machines and sent it down in a flat spin and falling over sideways completely out of control.

On numerous occasions Flight Commander Compston has destroyed or driven down enemy machines completely out of control, and has frequently had more than one successful engagement in the same day.’

D.F.C.
London Gazette 3 June 1918. The original recommendation - for a D.S.O. - states:

‘This officer has always shown the most exceptional skill and gallantry in action. As a Flight Commander he has been wonderfully successful, and it is entirely due to his able and determined leadership that his Flight has contributed very largely to the marked success of his Squadron. The consistency in which he has engaged and shot down enemy aircraft and his fine example of the real offensive spirit is only excelled by his entire disregard of personal danger. In all this officer has personally destroyed 25 enemy aircraft.’

Robert John Orton Compston was born in January 1898, the son of the Rev. and Mrs. H. F. B. Compston of Oxford, and joined the Royal Naval Air Service in August 1915, having originally gone to the Admiralty to volunteer his services as a despatch rider. Posted to Eastchurch for pilot training, he left a lasting impression there of his first solo flight when his aircraft nearly removed a weathervane on an aircraft hangar - ‘it remained bent for the rest of the war as a memorial to his somewhat imperfect performance.’ Notwithstanding this bumpy start, Compston gained his aviator’s licence that October and was employed on Home Defence duties until September 1916, when he was posted to the famous “Naval 8” Squadron in France. The rest, as they say, is history.


With the exception of occasional leave and a short period of recovery from a wound in October 1917, he was constantly in action over the Western Front, all the way through to February 1918, originally in Nieuports, then in Sopwith Triplanes and finally in Camels - on one occasion he had the opportunity of discussing the merits of such aircraft with Captain Albert Ball, V.C., although they begged to differ in their choice between the Sopwith Triplane and Nieuport. The same period witnessed him participating in at least 40 combats, often against the “Red Baron’s” famous “Circus”, as a result of which - on his own account - he claimed 18 confirmed victories and another 10 ‘out of control’, while 15 of them remained ‘indecisive’ (while Shores, Franks and Guest in
Above The Trenches list 25 victories of varying type).

What
is absolutely certain from his combat reports and flying log book (photocopies of which are included) is the fact he was often flying two or three missions in a day, a punishing agenda probably only sustainable because of his age - he was only 19 years old when appointed a Flight Commander. Certain, too, is the fact he displayed extraordinary bravery and leadership, and a sharp eye for tactical detail, thereby ensuring the safe return of his pilots, but always without any consideration for his own personal safety - time and time again Compston would close to 50 - or less - yards range, on one occasion actually using the enemy pilot’s head as his “marker” (combat report dated 30 April 1917 refers). All of these facts are borne out by a wealth of accompanying research, but for the full story of the trials and tribulations of his time as a Flight Commander, no better account exists than his own, which was published in Naval Eight in 1931. For the purposes of this exercise, however, the following extracts provide a good overview of this remarkable man in action:

Christopher Draper, D.S.C., onetime Squadron Commander of “Naval 8”, said of Compston in his contribution to
Naval Eight:

“The success of a squadron in the air depended first and foremost on its Flight Commanders and Compston, who had ‘B’ Flight, was a wonderful example. He was one of the most remarkable men at the front, and because of his youth, frail nature and highly strung temperament. I was always anxious about him. Though he suffered from neuralgia and loss of sleep, caused no doubt by the ever-increasing altitudes at which we had to work, he had indomitable courage and nothing held him back. Although this was his second long spell at the Front, it was not until the whole of the squadron went home in March 1918 that I could persuade him to give up and take the rest he so richly deserved. He joined the Squadron in October 1916, and except for one break of six weeks in 1917, was fighting in the air the whole time. His air tactics were worked out to the highest degree, and he holds the unique distinction of never having lost a pilot over the lines.’

An idea of the relentless nature of Compston’s operational sorties - and his constant desire to engage at point-blank range - may be gleaned from the orginal recommendation for his third D.S.C.:

‘For ability and determination when leading offensive patrols, which is only excelled by his entire disregard of personal danger.

On 8 November 1917, when on offensive patrol in the neighbourhood of Oppy, he attacked an enemy aircraft, opening fire at 20 yards range. The enemy aircraft went down completely out of control and crashed just the other side of the lines near Fresnes Les Montauban.

On 1 January 1918, when on a special mission, a new type twin-tailed two-seater was observed west of Arras. Flight Commander Compston attacked and fired a good many rounds at point-blank range. The enemy aircraft dived but was again attacked and went down vertically with his engine full on, and his wings came off. The enemy aircraft was observed to crash in the trenches at Fampoux (confirmed by ‘A’ and ‘B’ Battery Anti-Aircraft).

On 3 January 1918, when on offensive patrol, a D.F.W. was seen crossing the lines and being engaged by our A.A. fire. He dived on the enemy machine, which turned towards him, receiving his first burst in its engine and centre section at very close range. The enemy aircraft then went down jerkily from right to left, with puffs of smoke coming from its fuselage (this machine was confirmed by an Observer of No. 16 Squadron to have crashed).

On 2 February 1918, when on offensive patrol, he attacked a twin-tailed two-seater which was flying east over Douai. When 80 rounds had been fired at point-blank range the enemy aircraft went down out of control and eventually crashed just south-west of Lille. Later, an Albatross scout was observed near Carvin. He dived, and when at point-blank range, fired about 100 rounds into the enemy aircraft, which went down completely out of control and was last seen falling vertically sideways. Flight Commander Compston is certain that the enemy machine crashed.

On 3 February 1918, when on offensive patrol, he attacked a D.F.W. in the vicinity of Sallaumines. When he had fired 150 rounds at point-blank range, the enemy aircraft turned slightly to the left, and getting close under its tail he fired another 50 rounds. The enemy aircraft fell vertically and eventually crashed. On the same day, he attacked one of two D.F.Ws, south-east of Douai. After he had fired 200 rounds at point-blank range, the enemy aircraft fell over on its left side and went down vertically out of control.

In addition to the above, since 8 November 1917, Flight Commander Compston had driven down out of control six enemy aircraft, of which at least three were almost certainly destroyed.’

By way of example, too, of one of Compston’s many “dogfights”, the following is his combat report for a late morning encounter over the Arras sector on 1 January 1918:

‘Whilst climbing into the sun preparatory to diving on a hostile wireless machine, we observed an enemy aircraft west of Arras. We went along, climbing hard, and the enemy aircraft, seeing he was outmanoeuvred, tried to run through us. He came right over me, and I had sufficient speed to pull my machine vertically up at it. I opened fire in this position and got off a good many rounds at point-blank range, the enemy aircraft nearly hitting my left wing. The Observer started firing when I was underneath the enemy aircraft, but stopped as soon as I opened fire. The enemy aircraft immediately did a slide-slipping turn and went west. In my opinion he was then out of control. However we followed him up and got right on top of him again, firing all the time. By this time the enemy aircraft was going down so steeply that we could hardly keep up with him ... The enemy aircraft by this time was going down vertically with the engine full on. His left wings came off and he fell over and over into the trenches at Fampoux on the river Scarpe. 400 rounds were fired in all.’

Here, then, all the hallmarks of a classic Compston attack - use of the sun, use of height, relentless pursuit, and, above all, point-blank gunnery tactics of the hair-raising kind, even at the risk of collision, and certainly at no more than 50 yards range. Interestingly, too, Captain E. “Mick” Mannock of No. 40 Squadron, also got on the tail of the above described “kill”, and it was duly “shared” between R.N.A.S. and R.F.C. pilot. Mannock, of course, ended up as the most successful British pilot of the War, winning in the process the V.C., a D.S.O. & 2 Bars and the M.C. & Bar

After leaving “Naval 8” for a rest from operations, Compston ended the War as C.O. of No. 40 Squadron and, in addition to his unique run of three D.S.Cs and a D.F.C., he was also twice mentioned in despatches (
London Gazette 20 May 1918 and 11 July 1919).

Having retired in 1923, he was recalled in the Second World War and, among other duties, was placed in charge of operational flying out of Iceland. He also acted as a Fleet Aviation Officer, in which capacity he served aboard H.M.S.
Duke of York at the sinking of the Scharnhorst on 26 December 1943, an action which he would later describe with some authority, having witnessed events from Admiral Fraser’s bridge and command centre:



‘ ... The enemy was now almost down to only a few shots - she was glowing on the bridge and quarterdeck but she continued to fire with all the guns she could bring to bear on us as well as using her secondary armament against the destroyers. Now was the time, as the Chief of Staff said, “to slap her down”: the
Duke of York closed the range to give the coup de grace. It was a smashing blow. The tracer bands of her 14-inch shells enabled one to follow little circles of light thrown, like illuminated quoits, on to the glowing target now less than three miles away. As each salvo registered, flames and sparks flew up as high explosive disintegrated, piece by piece, the great structure that had been Scharnhorst ... ’

According to one obituarist - his old Great War C.O. Air Vice-Marshal Sir Geoffrey Bromet - Compston was also ‘wounded and badly shocked when the Operations Room in which he was on duty received a direct hit from a bomb’, presumably an incident relating to his time with Coastal Command, and maybe at its Liverpool H.Q. in the Blitz. More certain is the fact he was mentioned in despatches (
London Gazette 1 January 1942) and placed back on the Retired List in 1946, in the rank of Wing Commander. Compston, ‘always the most modest and lovable of men with the highest sense of duty’, died in January 1962, aged 64 years.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including Admiralty appointment document for ‘Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant Robert J. O. Compston, R.N.’ to report to ‘President III , additional for R.N.A.S.’, dated 24 August 1915, and another similar, dated 11 December 1915; ship’s “flimsies” dated 19 January and 29 October 1917, the first as a Flight Sub-Lieutenant and the second as a Flight Commander, while “resting” at R.N.A.S. Dunkerque; his commission warrant for Captain, R.A.F., dated 1 December 1918; M.I.D. certificate in the name of ‘A./Wing Commander R. J. O. Compston, D.S.C., D.F.C., Royal Air Force’, dated 1 January 1942; two further ship’s “flimsies” from the 1939-45 War, dated 13 June and 11 November 1944, both as a Wing Commander and Fleet Aviation Officer, and the latter signed by Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser (‘Nothing is ever too much trouble for him. Possesses tact and great charm of manner’); and Royal Automobile Club (R.A.C.) Driving Instructors’ Examination certificate, dated 29 March 1954!