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Auction: 18001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 39

(x) A Second World War Coastal Command operations D.F.C. awarded to Warrant Officer A. E. Wheeler, Royal Air Force, who piloted a Catalina of No. 210 Squadron on an epic 27-hour reconnaissance flight to the Finno-Norwegian border

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated '1941' and privately engraved, 'W.P.O. A. E. Wheeler', in its Royal Mint case of issue, together with an original congratulatory letter from an ex-C.O., dated at the Air Ministry, Kingsway, 25 July 1941 (' … I also congratulate you on being the first Warrant Officer to be awarded the D.F.C.'), extremely fine

D.F.C. London Gazette 18 June 1941. The original recommendation states:

'On 5 June 1941 this officer, as captain of Catalina AH. 535, was detailed to carry out a reconnaissance of the Norwegian coast in the Kirkenes and Vadso areas, near the border between Norway and Finland. This involved a flight of some 2500 miles.

After a landfall had been made near North Cape at 00.02 hours on the morning of 6 June 1941, the weather conditions became very bad. Visibility was as low as 1000 yards with low cloud and almost continuous heavy snow storms. Very severe icing conditions were encountered. Nevertheless, W./O. Wheeler persisted with the reconnaissance and, in spite of these bad conditions, made a very detailed examination of the areas concerned.

After leaving Vadso, the aircraft encountered a merchant vessel which opened fire. The aircraft was slightly damaged but nevertheless W./O. Wheeler brought it safely back to its base at Oban, having been in the air for a total of 27 hours.

This flight is a typical example of the consistently good work which W./O. Wheeler has performed whilst with the Squadron. Since joining the Squadron in January 1941, he has flown 365 hours on operations and during a recent period of high pressure he flew 66 hours in seven days. He has now completed a total of 3160 hours flying.

W./O. Wheeler has maintained an unusually high standard of efficiency, which is apt to pass unnoticed by virtue of the quiet and unostentatious manner in which he performs his duties; duties which, nevertheless, are deserving of the highest praise.'

Albert Edward Wheeler appears to have undertaken further operations of an unusual nature in Catalinas of No. 210 Squadron. By way of example, he departed Sullum Voe in the Shetlands on 20 July 1941, bound for Archangel, Russia with 'special passengers'.

Tour-expired, Wheeler served at No. 4 O.T.U. and R.A.F. Cranwell and was advanced to Flying Officer in October 1942. He was subsequently killed in a flying accident, when, on 20 March 1943, his Airspeed Oxford collided with a barrage balloon protecting the Rolls Royce works at Crewe. Aged 32 years, he left a widow, Doris Haddock Wheeler of Chester. His name is commemorated at Birkenhead (Landican) Crematorium.


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Sold for
£1,300