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Auction: 22001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 299

(x) An interesting campaign group of four to Flying Officer G. Richmond, Royal Air Force, who completed a tour of Operations in Halifax bombers as a Flight Sergeant with No. 35 & 102 Squadron, this included flying on all three 'Thousand Bomber Raids' and a ditching due to anti-aircraft fire which resulted in some 7 hours at sea in a Dinghy before rescue - Richmond was thus admitted to the Goldfish Club

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, in their card box of issue addressed to 'G. Richmond, Esq., 85 Swakeleys Drive, Ickenham, Middlesex.', with the waxed envelopes of issue for the Medals and 'ticker tape' confirming four awards, good very fine (4)

Gordon Richmond qualified as an Air Gunner at No. 5 Bombing & Gunnery School in October 1940. By the time he joined No. 35 Squadron in May 1942, he had some 483 hours of day flying to his name, taking part in his first Op, a sortie to Cologne on 30 May 1942. This would be the first of the famous 'Thousand Bomber Raids' when 1,047 aircraft dispatched in "Operation Millennium" against Cologne. This saw the first use of the "bomber stream" to overwhelm enemy radar and defences by flying in a narrow dense formation. Bomber Command recorded 868 bombers attacking the target with 1,455 tons of bombs. Over three thousand buildings were destroyed and another nine thousand damaged.

His 2nd Op would be on the second of the 'Thousand Bomber Raids', this time on Essen on 1 June 1942, when some 956 aircraft rounded on the city. Richmond notched up three more Ops before the third and final 'Thousand Bomber Raid' on Bremen on 25 June 1942. Bomber Command assembled 960 aircraft including aircraft from No. 2 Group RAF's day bombing force to which RAF Coastal Command added 102 aircraft. The attack was spread across the Focke-Wulf factory, the A.G. Weser shipyard, the Deschimag shipyard, and an area attack on the town and docks. GEE radio navigation partially offset cloud cover over the target and just under 700 aircraft bombed Bremen.

Richmond had another Op on Essen on 8 June in between the raids, this time becoming one of four of the Squadron to be lost that night. Coming back from their bombing raid, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. The port inner and outer engine failed and the crew were forced to ditch off Great Yarmouth at 0330hrs. After some seven hours at sea they were spotted by a Lockheed Hudson and were collected by Air Sea Rescue at 1030hrs. The scene was captured on camera and Richmond was granted some well-deserved 'survivor's leave'.

Having flown his 8th Op on Dusseldorf on 31 July, that saw them loose an engine and be forced to land at Cottesmore. In August that year it was decided that No. 35 Squadron would be selected for the Path Finder Force, which meant that the length of a tour would be some 45 Ops rather than 30. No surprise then that Richmond, like most of his comrades, chose for a transfer, his to No. 102 Squadron.

His first Op was made on Duisburg on 6 September, being coned by searchlights for an hour and sustaining no less than 45 holes in their aircraft from the flak guns. Having got themselves away, they were chased by an Me109 and an Me110 to the British coast, finally putting down at Manston. Attacked by fighters on a sortie to Kiel on 13 October, they landed at Topcliffe having been forced to return early whilst the Op on 23 October to Genoa had far worst consequences. Whilst landing a tire burst, meaning they could not clear the runway, which resulted in another plane colliding with them. Two of his comrades were killed, with another two wounded. Richmond's nine lives were being used up, and fast. He was lucky to complete his tour with his final Op coming on 1 March 1943, being commissioned before War's end; sold together with his Observer's and Air Gunner's Flying Log Book, Goldfish Club cloth Badge and Membership Card, besides photograph of the recipient and copied research.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£1,200

Starting price
£580