Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Seaplanes anti-U-boat operations D.S.C. group of five awarded to Flight Lieutenant Thomas H. ‘Ginger’ Newton, Royal Air Force, late Royal Naval Air Service

Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., the reverse hallmarked London 1917 and additionally inscribed ‘Flt. Comdr. T. H. Newton, R.N.A.S. 1917’; British War Medal (Capt. T. H. Newton, R.A.F.); Mercantile Marine War Medal (Thomas H. Newton); Victory Medal, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Capt. T. H. Newton, R.A.F.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Kurdistan (F/L. T. H. Newton, R.A.F.) mounted as worn, pin lacking, and sold with related ribbon bar, original R.A.F. cloth wings, R.A.F. Rugby Football velvet and gold braid cap for 1920-21, and similar embroidered blazer badge, generally good very fine (5) £4000-5000

D.S.C. London Gazette 2 November 1917: ‘for services in action with enemy submarines.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 1 October 1917: ‘for services on patrol duties and submarine searching in Home Waters.’

On July 24, 1917, the seaplanes 8662 (Captain W. Perham), 8682 (Captain G. R. Hodgson), 8676 (Captain E. J. Cuckney), 8689 (Captain T. H. Newton), and N.65 (Commander J. C. Porte, R.N.) were operating under orders of the Admiralty and were about six miles S.S.W. of the North Hinder Lightship in the North Sea, when they sighted and bombed a submarine, which was believed to have been the U-C 1, manned by a crew of 18. The enemy was apparently destroyed, as a quantity of oil and wreckage appeared on the surface.

The following extract from The Spider Web tells a similar story: ‘...the Commander of U-C 1 tried to dive. He was too late. Ginger Newton and Trumble [pilot and observer respectively] dropped two two hundred and thirty-five bombs on him from five hundred feet. Commander Porte and Queenie dropped two similar bombs. Cuckney and Clayton dropped one bomb. And the two other [flying] boats stood by ready. But the career of U-C 1 was ended. There was oil on the surface and a little white spot on the water, where a long string of silver bubbles, coming up and up, were breaking gently. The water was twenty-four fathoms deep. A fathom is six feet. One of the boat pilots, curious to see what the bubbles looked like at close quarters, landed, but was unable to find the spot. Once in the air again he could see the bubbles clearly.’

Sold with some photocopied research including several photographs of Newton and various seaplanes, and a copy sketch of a rugby match played in December 1916 ‘R.N.A.S. v Loyal N. Lancs.’