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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 179

Five: Telegraphist Air Gunner D. H. Gaffney, Fleet Air Arm, who served aboard H.M.S. Nairana on Arctic Convoy duties

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Arctic Star, in its box of issue, with name label to the base 'D H Gaffney FX86651' and with its Defence Council forwarding slip denoting '1'; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, earlier awards in their box of issue named to 'Mr D. H. Gaffney, 61 Temple Road, Croydon, Surrey' and with their Admiralty forwarding slip, good very fine (5)

Denys Harry Gaffney was born on 24 November 1921, the second son of Lieutenant-Commander Harry Cecil Gaffney and was educated at Lancing College. Working in a department store and serving in the Local Defence Volunteers during the first years of the Second World War, his duties included guarding Croydon Airport. Called up for the Royal Navy in February 1942, he qualified as a Telegraphist Air Gunner the following year and was severely injured in a defence training exercise that May, when an armoured car he was operating in rolled. Recovered from his injury, he joined the Nairana and served with her on the Arctic Convoys. Russian convoy JW 61 - which sailed on 20 October 1944 - had three escort carriers, Nairana, Vindex and Tracker. This was a large convoy of 62 merchant ships with a significant escort group. Vice-Admiral Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton was in command with Vindex as his flagship. Gaffney was with 835 Naval Air Squadron, which had 14 Swordfish IIIs and six Wildcat VIs on board for what would be their first Arctic convoy.

On 6 February 1945, Nairana, Campania, the cruiser Bellona, and eight fleet destroyers joined 26 merchant ships in convoy JW64. The return convoy RA 64 left the Kola Inlet on 17 February. One of the escorts and a merchant ship were torpedoed almost immediately. Another merchant ship was torpedoed that afternoon. Terrible weather conditions kept all aircraft grounded until 20 February. When it began to clear, the Luftwaffe also appeared and the Wildcats were scrambled to intercept them. Two Ju 88s were shot down by the fighters, another two by the escorts, and three were damaged. The convoys had lost to enemy action: two fighters, two escorts and two merchant ships. In return, they claimed 15 aircraft destroyed, seven aircraft probably destroyed and one U-boat sunk.

Gaffney's story was told in the chapter 'Flying Over the Waves' in Sons of the Seas by Patrick Gaffney, in which his name was changed; sold together with a Lancing College boxing Medal and copied confirmation and research.

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Sold for
£600

Starting price
£320