A Collection of Medals to Second World War Royal Air Force Casualties

Three: Flight Sergeant (Wireless Operator / Air Gunner) D. E. C. Adams, 150 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was killed in action when his Wellington was shot down by a night fighter during a bombing raid on Bremen, 27-28 June 1942

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Air Council enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. L. Adams, 33 Albert Palace Mansions, Battersea Park, London SW11’, nearly extremely fine (3) £300-£400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Second World War Royal Air Force Casualties.

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Desire Ernest Charles Adams served during the Second World War as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner with 150 Squadron, flying Wellingtons. He took part in his first operational sortie on 15 November 1941, where his pilot was the New Zealander Sergeant Gordon Cochrane, who ultimately ended the War with the D.S.O. and D.F.C. with Two Bars. From 15 November 1941 to 20 June 1942 Adams took part in 26 sorties with Cochrane as pilot including a raid on Hamburg on 30 November 1941, when their aircraft was ‘attacked over target area by a HE 113, attack came at the rear of the aircraft but the attacker was hit with 300 round burst from Wellington front gunner as he exited from his attack. Fuel tank holed and several geodetics were severed. The aircraft was then held in a searchlight cone for ten minutes over the target and “pounded” by flak. The pilot dived the aircraft right and down to 4,000 feet to shake off the attack’. They also participated in attacks on the German battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in Brest and during the famous Channel dash. Other sorties included Bremen, Munster, St Nazaire, Dortmund, Paris, Cologne, and four attacks on the Krupps Works at Essen. On 1-2 June 1942 they took part in the second Thousand Bomber Raid on Essen. Cochrane completed his tour and moved to training in late June. Flight Officer Osbourne took over as the new crew pilot. They continued with a raid on Emden then the third Thousand Bomber Raid on Bremen on 25-26 June 1942.

Adams was killed in action on his 29th sortie when Wellington X3309, piloted by Flying Officer D. O. Osborne, was shot down over the Ijsselmeer, east of Enkhuizen, by the German night-fighter pilot Uffz. Heinz Vinke whilst on a raid to Bremen on 27-28 June 1942. All the crew were killed.

Adams is commemorated with the rest of his crew on the Runnymede Memorial. His medals were sent to his father, Louis Adams.

Sold with copied research.