Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Second World War 1940 operations D.F.M. group of eight awarded to Flight Lieutenant J. R. “Bill” Caister, Royal Air Force, a Spitfire pilot who was involved in the destruction of several enemy aircraft during the “Phoney War” and the Battle of Britain: in common with fellow No. 603 Squadron pilot Richard Hillary - author of The Last Enemy - he was shot down in September 1940, following a running combat over the Channel which ended with him making a crash landing in France

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (358860 Sgt. J. R. Caister, R.A.F.); General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (358860 Sgt., R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star, tailor’s copy clasp, Battle of Britain; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (Flt. Lt., R.A.F.), mounted as worn, generally good very fine (6) £6000-8000

D.F.M. London Gazette 13 September 1940. The original recommendation states:
‘This airman has been concerned in the destruction of six enemy aircraft and has consistently shown himself to possess a very fine sense of air discipline and spirit in attack. By his everlasting good humour and keenness, he is a refreshing influence in his Flight. On 19 January 1940, he was a member of a section which shot down an enemy machine off the Aberdeenshire coast. On 7 March 1940, he was a member of a section which brought one down a long way out to sea. On 10 March 1940, together with a section of No. 605 Squadron, he brought about the destruction of an enemy aircraft off the coast of Fraserburgh. On 3 July 1940, he helped to bring down a Ju. 88 off Stonehaven. On 6 July 1940, he was in a section which had climbed to 27,000 feet to intercept an enemy aircraft and he hung on to it steadfastly when it dived to sea level. On 12 July 1940, he was a member of the section which brought down the Heinkel over Aberdeen. Again, during the night of 18 July 1940, without aid of searchlights, he engaged an enemy aircraft and from close range fired all his ammunition before it descended out of sight into a cloud.’

James Russell “Bill” Caister was born in October 1906 and entered the Royal Air Force as an Aircrafthand in 1925. Subsequently qualifying as a pilot, he served in Palestine in the rank of Sergeant pre-war and was posted to No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron shortly after the advent of hostilities - then commanded by Squadron Leader Lord Douglas-Hamilton, No. 603 had recently taken delivery of the Spitfires.

In his biography of Richard Hillary, David Ross states that Caister was ‘a well built, tough Scot who liked to box and frequently sparred with ground crew’, while one of the latter recalled that he was ‘a really nice chap and a good friend’.

Based variously at Turnhouse, Dyce and Montrose over the coming months, prior to being ordered South to Hornchurch in August 1940, the Squadron was nonetheless in frequent contact with the enemy, claiming its first victory over the Firth of Forth as early as October 1939. Indeed what became known as the “Phoney War” was clearly a busy time for Caister and his fellow pilots. The following statistics regarding Caister’s claims have been taken from assorted references, as stated below:




The “Phoney War”

19 January 1940: closely involved in the search for an enemy raider off Aberdeenshire - in fact Caister located the Heinkel and engaged it but his guns were frozen up with ice; 30 minutes later 603’s Red Section re-located the Heinkel and brought it down in the sea (Fledgling Eagles, by Christopher Shores, and his D.F.M. recommendation refer).

7 March 1940: shared in the destruction of a He. 111 70 miles off the Scottish coast - just the enemy radio operator was subsequently rescued (Fledgling Eagles, by Christopher Shores, and his D.F.M. recommendation refer).

10 March 1940: shared in the destruction of an enemy aircraft off Fraserburgh (his D.F.M. recommendation refers).

16 April 1940: shared in the destruction of a Do. 17 (Men of the Battle of Britain refers).

The Battle of Britain period

3 July 1940: shared in the destruction of a Ju. 88 of 8/KG30 off Stonehaven, the enemy aircraft being seen to crash into the sea by the local Coast Guard (Battle Over Britain, by F. K. Mason, Men of the Battle of Britain and his D.F.M. recommendation refer).

6 July 1940: shared in the destruction of a reconnaissance Me. 110 (not a Dornier), brought down by 603’s Red Section 100 miles N.N.E. of Aberdeen (Battle Over Britain, by F. K. Mason, Men of the Battle of Britain and his D.F.M. recommendation refer).

12 July 1940: shared in the destruction of a He. 111 of 9/KG26 following a combat over Aberdeen at 1.10 p.m. - ‘unfortunately the enemy bomber crashed into the town’s newly completed ice rink’ (Battle Over Britain, by F. K. Mason, Men of the Battle of Britain and his D.F.M. recommendation refer).

18 July 1940: severely damaged a Ju. 88 of I/KG30 which was attacking a convoy off Aberdeen - ‘the damaged enemy returned home to Aalborg with a wounded crew member’ (Battle Over Britain, by F. K. Mason, and his D.F.M. recommendation refer).

19 July 1940: his own aircraft - Spitfire K995 - damaged in combat but he managed to land at Turnhouse (The Battle of Britain Then And Now refers).

30 July 1940: destroys a He. 111 of 8/KG26 12 miles west of Aberdeen at 12.05 p.m. - ‘Four N.C.Os missing. Aircraft lost’ (The Battle of Britain Then And Now refers).

30 August 1940: claimed a He. 111 destroyed (Men of the Battle of Britain refers).

2 September 1940: flew alongside Richard Hillary in a morning patrol over Hawkinge and in an evening patrol over Hornchurch, the latter claiming a brace of Me. 109s.

3 September 1940: again flew alongside Richard Hillary - who on this occasion was shot down, suffering terrible burns - and claimed a Me. 109 destroyed after a 10 second burst of fire at 50-250 yards range. Caister’s combat report states:

‘When on patrol with No. 603 Squadron, 12 or more Me. 109s dived on the Squadron from above, a few miles east of Manston. Six Me. 109s broke away east from below and did not enter the engagement. I attacked from astern one Me. 109 and after a few seconds burst it steeply climbed; closing up with a long burst I saw the enemy aircraft out of control. I had fired a few seconds burst at close range and broke off, and almost stalled. Turning away from the enemy aircraft I had attacked, I fired a few seconds burst at another Me. 109 almost dead ahead. This machine did not break off but passed me within a few yards distance. There appeared to be six streams of fire coming from the enemy aircraft. I did not observe any damage. I saw at least two and perhaps a third explosion on the water, either bombs or aircraft crashing. I noticed an aircraft in my mirror, but I was too far away for it to start firing. Spiralling down in a steep dive I lost it, and being short of petrol I refuelled at Manston, taking off immediately and returned to base.’

4 September 1940: shot down a Me. 109 of 3/JG27 off Dunkirk at 10.40 hours - the enemy pilot, Feldwebel Wilhelm Harting, was wounded and rescued from the sea (Richard Hillary, by David Ross, refers).

6 September 1940: himself shot down after a running combat over the Channel, being compelled to crash land in France. David Ross takes up the story in his biography Richard Hillary:

‘Bill Caister was flying Spitfire X4260 when he was brought down by Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin of I/JG54 in a sporadic engagement over the Channel off Manston at 13.00 hours. Probably owing to disorientation during combat this engagement did not come to an end in the fields of Kent or in the Channel, but on the wrong side of the water. Due to damage to the hydraulics system of Spitfire XT-D Bill Caister was unable to lower the undercarriage, but still made a perfect landing in a meadow near Guines in northern France, thus giving the Lufwaffe an intact example of the Spitfire. The recently commissioned 34-year-old pilot with over 15 years’ service in the R.A.F. had a brief meeting with von Bonin in the mess at Guines, after which he was taken away to spend the rest of the war as a P.O.W. His new bride would have to wait five years to see her husband again. The only possible consolation was the fact that he would not have to face the dangers of aerial warfare again during the current conflict.’

Caister, who had meanwhile been recommended for his D.F.M., was onetime held at Stulag Luft III, scene of the famous “Great Escape”. Liberated in May 1945, he left the R.A.F. in the rank of Flight Lieutenant in June 1946 and died in 1994.

Sold with an original portrait photograph of the recipient in uniform and four pages cut from his Flying Log Book, these with entries for the period July-August 1940.