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Auction: 17003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 601

A well-documented Fleet Air Arm Pilot's campaign group of five awarded to Lieutenant (A.) V. A. Fancourt, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who, having participated in the F.A.A's celebrated attack on the Tirpitz in April 1944, lent valuable service as a Corsair pilot in the carrier Victorious in the Far East

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Burma Star, clasp, Pacific; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, good very fine or better (5)

Vernon Austin Fancourt volunteered for aircrew duties in the Fleet Air Arm in August 1940 and was called-up in January 1941. Awarded his 'Wings' in August of the same year, he was duly commissioned Sub. Lieutenant (A.) in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and joined Heron at Yeovilton, Somerset. Here he gained flying experience in Hurricanes and Fulmars and completed a deck-landing course.

Embarked for South Africa in May 1942, he joined No. 789 (F.A.A.) Squadron at Cape Town, followed by an appointment in No. 795 (F.A.A.) Squadron in Kenya. He then embarked for England in H.M.S. Illustrious in January 1943 and joined No. 771 Squadron at Tern in the Orkneys in March. In July 1943, he was ordered to the America, where he joined No. 1836 (F.A.A.) Squadron and gained experience in Corsairs at U.S. Naval Air Stations in Maine and Virginia.

H.M.S. Victorious: Tirpitz and beyond

The unit returned to the U.K. in early 1944 and joined the carrier Victorious at Scapa in March. Her aircraft proceeded to carry out operations on German targets in Norway, and high on the list of such targets was Tirpitz: Fancourt flew a Corsair in support of Operation "Tungsten" on 3 April 1944.

On that date he acted as escort to a wave of Barracudas that bombed the enemy battleship from 1,000 feet. Owing to the fact the Tirpitz was about to move off her anchorage to Alten Fjord, she was caught off her guard and, as a result, about a dozen hits were obtained on her for the loss of just two aircraft.

Later in the same month, he participated in an attack on an enemy convoy off Bodo on the 26th, and in May he was among those chosen for another strike on the Tirpitz but, owing to poor weather, the operation was cancelled. He did however get airborne for Operation "Lombard", an anti-shipping strike south of Aalsundo on the first day of June.

Victorious next sailed for Ceylon, from whence her aircraft carried out attacks on the Dutch East Indies, and lent support to Operation "Crimson", a spate of sorties flown against enemy targets in Sabang and elsewhere. In August-September, her aircraft likewise attacked targets in Sumatra, whilst in October their focus was diverted to enemy airfields on Nicobar Island. These were heavily-defended, the Nicobar operation being a case in point: Fancourt noted the loss of two fellow pilots on that occasion, Lieutenant Chandler and Sub. Lieutenant Hill.

New Year 1945 saw Fancourt and his fellow pilots detailed to attack the oil refineries at Palembang in Sumatra, one such raid being the largest ever mounted by the F.A.A. In a strike on 29 January, Fancourt noted the loss of 15 of our aircraft - 'poor old Stan Maynard and Matt Blair' being among those missing.

Fancourt completed his operational tour in the following month and was disembarked at Sydney, Australia. Having then been based at the F.A.A's dispersal centre Golden Hind, and served as a Flying Control Officer at Nabthorpe, a Sydney air station, he was embarked for England in May 1945. He was released from service in February 1946.

Sold with the recipient's original R.A.F. Pilot's Flying Log Book (Form 414 type), covering the period March 1941 to January 1946; his extensive hand written 'Record of War Service', in a green-bound exercise book, with numerous pasted-down inserts, including Admiralty letters of appointment and ship character reports or 'flimsies', and a quantity of evocative wartime photographs (approximately 25 images).


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Sold for
£1,100