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Auction: 20002 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Space Exploration
Lot: 455

'There was (sic) men everywhere, some of them poor devils had grabbed hold of ropes & just slid down them with the rope being wet, which almost set their hands on fire & others from below decks in a terrible state.

Down & down she went & up and up I went, making for the highest point out of the water, still the men were grabbing at the wet ropes for safety only to slide down into the sea. Well, the time had come when the last part was going under & I had to leave it…

So now I was in the dirty, oily sea with thousands of others. I cannot recall the number of times that I was pulled under by a drowning comrade, & they was (sic) numerous, but each time I came up again, thanks to my life belt. I think those men, my country men was (sic) magnificent, although they knew that death must come they could sing & sing they did, at the top of their voice…'

The account of Private A. Hayes, Sherwood Foresters, describing the final moments of the Troopship Lancastria which was sunk by a German aircraft on 17 June 1940 (The Loss of the Lancastria, refers)

The campaign pair awarded to Leading Aircraftman J. H. Dowding, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was drowned when H.M.T. Lancastria was struck by four enemy bombs off St. Nazaire

1939-45 Star; War Medal 1939-45, in O.H.M.S. box of issue named to 'E. J. Dowding, Esq., 31 Lansdowne Road, Bournemouth, Hants.', with named condolence slip to 'Leading Aircraftman J. H. Dowding', good very fine (2)

John Henry Dowding died whilst serving with No. 98 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and is commemorated upon the Runnymede Memorial; sold with a paperback copy of The Loss of the Lancastria by John L. West.

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Sold for
£190

Starting price
£60