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Auction: 23112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 645

Sold by Order of a Direct Descendant

A tragic 625 Squadron casualty group of three awarded to Sergeant F. A. Porter, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who died when his Lancaster was shot down by German night-fighter ace Oberfeldwebel Karl-Heinz Scherfling

1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, sold together with its original named box of issue and named slip of issue, good very fine (3)

Frederick Allan Porter was born at Newlands Cottage, 170 Fidlas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff in June 1922, the son of Charles and Anna Porter. Joining the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in November 1941 he was posted to 81 Operational Training Unit at RAF Sleap in May 1943. Joining the crew of Flying Officer W. P. Cameron he went with him to 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit, to train on Lancasters.

From there Porter was to join the newly formed No. 625 Squadron as an Air Gunner in Cameron's crew. This unit was instituted on 1 October 1943 at Kelstern, Lincolnshire and began operational flying on 18 October, flying Avro Lancaster IIIs.

Porter's one and only mission for this unit was undertaken two days later, only the second raid made by the fledgling squadron, over Leipzig. 14 Lancasters were detailed to take part although one dropped out beforehand due to a faulty turret and another was forced to turn back due to a fault with their oxygen supply which had rendered the navigator unconscious. It was on this outbound journey, over Texel that they encountered German night fighters. One Lancaster piloted by Sergeant Aspin managed to down two, one destroyed, which resulted in his award of the D.F.M.

The rest flew on with Lancaster JA714 disappearing from the formation, this was the machine Porter was aboard. They were the only aircraft from the formation to be lost at this stage of the operation and where claimed by the night-fighter ace Karl-Heinz Scherfling. The rest made the target and bombed it, although with limited results- caused by poor weather.

Porter and the rest of the crew of JA714 where found to have died when the machine was shot down near Oosterend, Texel. They landed in the mud flats of the Wadden Sea, he is commemorated upon the Runnymede Memorial; sold together with copied research comprising census data, Bomber Command Losses entry and Squadron records books extracts as well as an original framed painting of the recipient and a framed photograph of the memorial for him in the Church of his home village of Llanishen, now part of Cardiff.

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Sold for
£550

Starting price
£280