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Auction: 6007 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 387

A Good 1941 Bomber Command D.F.M. Group of Four to Hampden (AE309) Air Gunner/ Wireless Operator A.L. Lynch, No.144 Squadron, later No.83 Squadron (Lancasters), Notably for Three ´Hairy Jobs´: On his 2nd Operational Sortie en route to Wilhelmshaven, July 1941, his Aircraft (Hampden AE309) was Caught in Searchlights and Attacked by Three Enemy Aircraft: Two were Avoided and the third Beaten Off by Accurate Gunfire; Over Cologne, September 1941, his Aircraft was Coned by Searchlights and was Attacked by a Night Fighter which was again Driven Off by Accurate Gunfire; Still Coned the Aircraft was Subjected to Heavy Accurate A.A. Fire; Off Wangeroog, Frisian Islands, November 1941, he was Present in the Successful Attack on an Enemy Convoy Made from a Height of 30 Feet under Heavy Fire, Through Rain, Sleet, and Snow; He was Killed in Action on his 51st Operational Sortie After a Raid on Stuttgart, December 1943 Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R., 1st ´Ind: Imp:´ type (1001787 Sgt. A.L. Lynch. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe; War Medal, good very fine or better, the campaign medals are in the original card box of issue, addressed to ´Mrs I.B. Lynch´, with named enclosure slip (4) Estimate £ 1,800-2,200 D.F.M. London Gazette 13.2.1942 1001787 Sergeant Alexander Lynch No. 144 Squadron The Recommendation, dated 2.1.1942, states ´This Wireless Operator/Air Gunner has participated in attacks on dockyards, industrial targets and other important enemy targets including Frankfurt (3), Cologne (3), Aachen (2), Hanover (2), Karlsruhe (2), Kiel (2) and one raid on the German capital itself. On the night of 11th/12th July, 1941, while on his second operational sortie against a target in Wilhelmshaven, the aircraft in which Sergeant Lynch was flying was caught in a circle of searchlights on the way to the target and attacked by three unidentified enemy aircraft, two of which were avoided. The third enemy aircraft persisted in the attack making three approaches on his aircraft, all from behind and below. Sergeant Lynch beat each attack off by accurate fire and eventually the enemy aircraft disappeared. On the night of 1st/2nd September, 1941, when attacking a target at Cologne, Sergeant Lynch´s aircraft was coned by searchlights in the target area and a twin-engined night fighter made an attack from astern but Sergeant Lynch got in a good long burst and the enemy aircraft dived steeply past on the port side and was not seen again. Still coned by the searchlights, the aircraft was subjected to heavy and accurate A.A. fire which burst all around the aircraft, but no damage was caused and there were no casualties in the crew. On the night of 3rd November, 1941, Sergeant Lynch was a member of a crew detailed to search for and attack convoys in the vicinity of the Frisian Islands. A convoy was sighted of Wangeroog and was attacked from a height of 30 feet in the face of heavy opposition. Several of their bombs struck a large supply ship from which a column of steam and smoke was seen to rise and a direct hit was claimed. The entire trip including the return to Base was made at low level though rain, sleet and snow. His work both in the air and on the ground has been of a high standard and he contributed materially to the successes achieved showing courage throughout his fine operational tour.´ Flight Sergeant Alexander Lynch, D.F.M.; enlisted Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve; flew with 144 Squadron, North Luffenham, Rutland (Hampdens), 1941-42; flew with 83 Squadron, Wyton, Huntingdonshire (Lancasters), 1943; at 2031 hours, 11.12.1943, Lynch took off from Wyton in Lancaster I ED313 OL-B; the aircraft was piloted by Flight Lieutenant N. Mackie (D.F.C.) and was detailed for a raid over Stuttgart; having dropped their complement of bombs and turned for home, ´the Lancaster was attacked without warning by a fighter from underneath and slightly to starboard. The Pilot saw 2 lines of red tracer coming up at a steep angle and hits were sustained in the starboard inner engine which caught fire. Black smoke poured out of the damaged engine which was immediately feathered and the extinguisher button pressed, but without visible effect. The Pilot at once started to execute violent corkscrew manoeuvres..... Both gunners replied vigorously to the enemy fire but did not report any hits..... Pilot saw tracer going into the wing and damaged engine and heard the hits.... The fire was growing apace and a moment later he noticed that it had enveloped the whole inner engine, of which the cowlings had gone, and had also destroyed the leading edge of the wing from the engine about half way to the fuselage..... After a short interval a third attack developed. This time the fighter seemed to come from directly underneath and slightly to port and hits were sustained in the port inner engine´ (Report on Loss of Aircraft on Operations, refers), the order to bale out was given, however Lynch and the other Air Gunner Sergeant K. Chipchase never left the Lancaster, as they had been killed in the fire-fight. Of the crew of seven, two were killed, three were taken prisoner of war, and two managed to evade capture. Eleven aircraft-six Halifaxes, three Stirlings and two Lancasters were lost in this raid. Flight Sergeant A. Lynch was killed in action on his 51st operational sortie, and is buried in Sogny-en-L´Angle Churchyard, France.

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£2,800