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Auction: 3016 - Orders, Medals, Decorations & Militaria
Lot: 171

HA Coastal Command Immediate D.F.C. Group of Five to Halifax Navigator and Bomb Aimer Flight Lieutenant J. A. O'Reilly Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse dated '1945', in case of issue, with enclosure document named to Flight Lieutenant John A. O'Reilly, D.F.C. ; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, with Atlantic bar; Defence and War Medals; all unnamed as issued good very fine or better; together with Royal Canadian Air Force Flying Log book for Air Crew, October 1942-August 1946.
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D.F.C. London Gazette 24.4.1945 Flying Officer J. Archibald 502 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 'As pilot (Hutchison) and navigator (O'Reilly) of aircraft respectively, these Officers have participated in many varied sorties, including numerous successful attacks on enemy shipping. On one occasion, in Decmber, 1944, they pressed home an attack on a large supply vessel off Goteborg. Two hits were obtained amidships. In March, 1945, they secured another notable success against a medium sized merchantman at the entrance to Oslo fjord. In spite of fierce opposing fire, the attack was well pressed home and two hits were obtained on the stern of the vessel. In these well executed attacks, Flight Lieutenant Hutchison and Flying Officer O'Reilly displayed courage and resolution of a high order.'
The Recomendation states: 'Flying Officer O'Reilly is a Navigator-bomb-aimer of marked intelligence and aggressive spirit. He has taken in his stride the special problems presented to the Navigator by the type of work which the Squadron has been doing, and as a member of Flight Lieutenant Hutchison's crew has had some notable successes. Their determination and zeal was shown on the Squadron's last sortie in the Bay of Biscay when they defied the notorious defences of Lorient harbour to make two sorties inside it, and two attacks.
In the Skagerrak they have made five good attacks and on two of these there has been unmistakable and obvious evidence of their success. the first took place near Goteborg on the night of December 29th when a pair of bombs hit a tanker between its bridge and its funnel
This performance was to be repeated in the face of more serious opposition. On March 2nd even the concentrated heavy and light flak from a destroyer believed to be of the Narvik class and another escort vessel coming from a mere 4000 feet below the aircraft, failed to shake his accuracy. He had taken pains to find a really accurate wind, and in the difficult light of the moon he deliberately aimed and hit his target with two bombs of the stick, once again causing fire to brake out. The target was a 3000 ton Merchant vessel stationary near the mouth of Oslo fjiord.
Results like these cannot be obtained without a combination of determination and science on the part of the Navigator-bomb-aimer, and Ifeel that Flying Officer's O'Reilly's success deserves special recognition.'

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£1,500