Orders, Decorations and Medals

Family group:

The Second World War D.F.C. group of four awarded to Flight Lieutenant L. S. Webb, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was killed in action in a raid on Frankfurt in October 1943

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1943’, in its Royal Mint case of issue; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, these last in their original card forwarding box addressed to the recipient’s father, Mr. S. L. Webb, of Romford, Essex, with Air Ministry condolence slip in the name of ‘Flight Lieutenant L. S. Webb, D.F.C.’, virtually as issued

The Great War campaign service pair awarded to Private S. L. Webb, Essex Regiment, his father

British War and Victory Medals (5608 Pte. S. L. Webb, Essex R.), in their original card forwarding boxes, virtually as issued (6) £1600-1800

D.F.C. London Gazette 17 April 1945 (‘with effect from 4 October 1943, since deceased’).

Leonard Sidney Webb, the son of Sidney Louis and Amy Florence Webb of Romford, Essex, was serving as a Bomb Aimer in a Lancaster of No. 97 Squadron when killed in action in a raid on Frankfurt on 4 October 1943 - it was later confirmed that his aircraft was shot down in flames, the entire crew being killed. At the time, No. 97 was operating out of Bourn as a component of No. 8 (Path Finder Force) Group.

Webb is buried with other members of his Lancaster’s crew in a collective grave in the Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium

Sold with a quantity of original documentation and a wartime portrait photograph, the former including R.A.F. Casualty Branch letter to the recipient’s father, dated 14 October 1943, reporting him missing on operations; another to him from the Air Ministry, dated 26 April 1946, requesting his presence at a Buckingham Palace investiture ‘in order that you, as next of kin, may receive from The King the Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to your son the late Flight Lieutenant Leonard S. Webb’; an Imperial War Graves letter, dated 20 April 1950, and a photograph of the recipient’s gravesite at Haverlee; and two copies of The London Gazette of 17 April 1945, in which the award of his D.F.C. was announced.