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Auction: 6007 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 381

An ´Immediate´ 1940 Bomber Command Wilhelmshaven Raid D.F.M. to Hampden Pilot Sergeant, Later Pilot Officer S.B. Fuller, No.144 (Grimsby) Squadron, for the Daring, Almost Zero Feet Attack on the Battleship Admiral Scheer and Other Warships, with Special Bombs/ Mines at Night Under Terrific Gunfire and Searchlight Glare, 20th July 1940; Although his Aircraft was Hit, He Brought it Safely Home across the North Sea and En Passant He Machine-Gunned Borkum Aerodrome; He was Killed in a Mid-air Collision with Another British Aircraft When Piloting a Mosquito of No. 264 Squadron, February 1943 Distinguished Flying Medal G.VI.R., 1st ´Ind: Imp:´ type (565152. Sgt. S.B. Fuller. R.A.F.), minor edge bruise, otherwise extremely fine Estimate £ 2,000-2,200 D.F.M. London Gazette 6.8.1940 565152 Sergeant Sidney Ben Fuller No. 144 Squadron listed jointly with 551854 Sergeant A.G. Goulder (D.F.M.) Sergeant Fuller´s Recommendation, dated 22.7.1940, states ´This N.C.O. was Captain of an aircraft detailed to attack warships in the harbour at Wilhelmshaven from a very low altitude on the night of 20th July, 1940. He carried out this attack from a few feet above the docks and placed his mine correctly in the face of a terrific barrage of gunfire and searchlight glare from the whole of the defences. His aircraft was hit but by skill and determination, he brought it safely home across the North Sea. On his way back, he went out of his way to attack the aerodrome at Borkum with machine-gun fire. This N.C.O. has shown conspicuous courage and devotion to duty on many previous occasions when he pressed home his attack with the same determination.´ The Bomber Command War Diaries give, ´Bomber Command records state that attacks with ´special bombs´, possibly a type of mine, were carried out from 30-100 ft against the battleship Admiral Scheer at Wilhelmshaven. This must have been a dangerous method of attack; Wilhelmshaven records say that 2 bombers crashed in the town and 3 near by, all shot down by local flak.´ Pilot Officer Sidney Ben Fuller, D.F.M., born Chiswick 1915; joined as Boy Apprentice Royal Air Force, 1931; posted 144 Squadron, Helmswell, Lincolnshire (Hampdens), 16.10.1939; flew in operations including: Hamburg; Aaachen, Rheims; Dortmund-Ems Canal; Schillig Roads, 21/22.6.1940, ´Gardening-circled to identify landfall encountering intense A.A. fire from warship and coast owing to damage caused by A.A. fire, hydraulic gear put out of action´ (Operations Record refers); Keil Bay; Wenzendorf, 24/25.7.1940, Bombing Aircraft Factory; Magdeburg; Hamburg, 8/9.9.1940, Blohm and Voss Shipyard; and Calais Docks; posted 264 Squadron, Colerne (Defiants and Mosquitos), April 1942; during Fuller´s service with the Squadron (April 1942-February 1943) he mainly flew Mosquito patrols, many over the Bay of Biscay On 2.2.1943 Fuller was killed in a collision with another British aircraft, ´In morning F/Lt. W.F. Gibb took new pilots recently posted to Squadron , round in Dual. In evening at 23.15 hours P/O S.B. Fuller D.F.M., and F/O F. Mountain in DD665 collided with P/O Corser and F/O R.G. Clark in DZ785 at 10,000 feet over Southampton area. P/O Corser and F/O Clark baled out and landed safely as did F/O Mountain. Both aeroplanes crashed and burnt out P/O Fuller´s body was found in wreck near R.A.F. Thorney Island´ (Operations Record refers). Pilot Officer Fuller is buried in Minster-in-Sheppey New Churchyard, Kent.

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£6,000