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Auction: 6007 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 397

An ´Immediate´ Bomber Command D.F.M. Group of Five to Sterling Air Gunner/ Wireless Operator Sergeant Later Warrant Officer N.J. Pawley No.15 Squadron, for Courage and Coolness Under Almost Total Adverse Conditions; After the Destruction of an Enemy Night Fighter en route to Wuppertal, His Aircraft was Hit Five Times by Flak, was Attacked by a Fighter over its Target, and Caught Fire which was Extinguished by Steep Diving, but with One Engine Unserviceable and Petrol Leaking from Four Damaged Tanks the Sterling was left with only 70 Minutes to Reach England; Compelled to Ditch in the North Sea Pawley Continued to Send Distress Signals up to the Moment of Impact; He then Transferred the Injured Captain and Navigator to the Dinghy and Assumed Command Until they were Picked up by Air Sea Rescue; Operating Over Essen a Month Later, his Aircraft was Shot Down and he was Made a Prisoner of War, and After Three Escape Attempts his Camp was Liberated by the Russians in April 1945 Distinguished Flying Medal G.VI.R., 1st ´Ind: Imp:´ type (651401. Sgt. N.J. Pawley. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, with Caterpillar Club gold brooch badge, with ruby eyes, reverse engraved ´Sgt N.J. Pawley´; Defence and War Medals, the four Campaign Stars and Medals engraved ´651401 W/O N.J. Pawley R.A.F.´, very fine or better, with related M.I.D. certificate, dated 31.1.1947, four other official documents including a Buckingham Palace Investiture ticket, photographs and copies of newspaper cuttings (5) Estimate £ 2,200-2,400 D.F.M. London Gazette 20.7.1943. 651401 Sergeant Norman Jack Pawley No. 15 Squadron, jointly listed with 1316716 Sergeant W. Towse No. 15 Squadron Sergeant Pawley´s Recommendation, dated 26.6.1943, states ´Sergeant Pawley has carried out five operational sorties totalling 26.03 hours as First Wireless Operator/ Air Gunner of Stirling aircraft. On the night of 24th/25th June 1943, Sergeant Pawley was a Wireless Operator on Stirling aircraft in Sergeant Towse´s crew which was detailed to attack Wuppertal. When proceeding to the target just after crossing the Dutch coast, this aircraft was attacked by a Ju.88, the enemy being successfully destroyed. After bombing the target, the aircraft was hit five times by flak, eventually catching fire. The captain made a series of dives which eventually put the fire out but left a starboard engine u/s and damaged four petrol tanks from which petrol was lost. This left the aircraft with only 70 minutes endurance to reach England. Sergeant Pawley, the Wireless Operator/ Air Gunner of the crew, was called upon to give the maximum wireless assistance to the Navigator to provide accurate navigation in order that, if the possibility existed, the aircraft could be flown to England on what petrol remained. This he did in such a commendable manner that the aim was almost achieved. Owing to the loss of a large quantity of petrol it became apparent to the crew over the North Sea that the aircraft would have to be force-landed in the sea. Sergeant Pawley was then instructed to carry out distress procedure with the object of obtaining assistance from the Air/ Sea Rescue Service. In doing this, his procedure was faultless and his coolness highly commendable. Having previously made contact with the D/F organisation, he realised that there was no necessity for unduly high priority for his signals, and no greater priority than "Important" was ever used. This was done with the object of not congesting the M.F./D.F. services in the event of other aircraft also being in distress. When the crew were ordered to take up ditching stations, Sergeant Pawley remained on watch, transmitting signals in order that the D/F service could get the latest possible fix on his position and in order to identify his signals as coming from his aircraft. Only when the trailing aerial struck the water, thereby rendering further transmissions impossible, did he leave his post. When the aircraft was ditched, he was responsible for rescuing the injured Navigator and Captain of the aircraft and transferring them to the dinghy. Confident in the reception of his signals and the co-operation of the Air/ Sea Rescue Service and despite loss in the sea of all the ancillary equipment from the dinghy, he assumed command of the dinghy until an aircraft of the Air/ Sea Rescue Service located them and was responsible for the crew being picked up by the Air/ Sea Rescue Service. During the whole flight, the manner of the execution of his duty was an example for the whole of his crew and, during distress conditions, his courage, coolness, and devotion to duty, together with the realisation of the possibility of other aircraft being in distress, enabled the D/F Service and Air/ Sea Rescue Service to be put into action smoothly and promptly. He was responsible for the successful rescue of this crew from the sea. His coolness and courage were further revealed in the fact that, during the whole of the ditching and rescue, he retained possession of and brought ashore his confidential documents. I have no hesitation in strongly recommending this N.C.O. for the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.´ M.I.D. London Gazette 31.1.1947 Warrant Officer N.J. Pawley D.F.M., R.A.F. For services whilst a prisoner of war Warrant Officer Norman Jack Pawley, D.F.M., born Battersea, London, 1922; native of Fowey, Cornwall; enlisted Royal Air Force, July 1939; flew with 15 Squadron, Mildenhall, Suffolk (Stirlings), 1943; Pawley´s operational sorties in this year including: Dusseldorf; Krefeld; Aachen; Hamburg and Essen, 25/26. 7.1943, ´T/O 2230 Mildenhall [in Stirling III BK805 LS-U, piloted by Towse], shot down by a night-fighter (Hptm Wilhelm Dorman, III/NJG1), crashing 0040 at Osterwick, 14km S.E. of Ahaus´ (Bomber Command Losses of the Second War, refers). Of the crew of seven, Sergeant Towse D.F.M. was killed in action, whilst the other six were taken prisoner of war, with Pawley´s M.I.9 Debrief giving us an incite into his story, ´I landed in a forest on the outskirts of Essen and after burying my Mae West, parachute and harness, I set off walking. I walked for about half a mile to the edge of the forest and decided to hide until daylight when I could see the lie of the land and get my bearings. At dawn on 27th July, I started walking in a westerly direction with the intention of getting to Eindhoven. After I had walked 20 kms, I saw an isolated cottage so I knocked on the door. The owner of the cottage asked me in and whilst he was giving me a meal - quite unknown to me - sent one of his children to fetch the police. A short while later I was arrested by a German policeman and marched down to the local village police station. Whilst the police were telephoning the Luftwaffe authorities I asked if I could go to the lavatory. I was escorted there by a guard and once inside I climbed through the window and down the drain pipe. I then ran out through the courtyard of the police station, over a wire fence and into an orchard. I could hear voices so I ran into a toolshed and hid in a big box which looked just like a coffin. After I had been there ten minutes a German civilian came and told me to get out. He then took me across to his kitchen and pointed upstairs indicating that I was to go up there. I climbed up till I came to an attic and hid myself behind a large wardrobe in the corner. After half an hour I heard sounds of the house being searched and shortly afterwards the attic was entered and a search carried out. I was not discovered and remained standing behind the wardrobe for eight hours. At the end of that time the same German came to the attic and I managed to understand by the constant repetition of the word "nacht" that he meant me to make my getaway that night. At midnight I therefore walked downstairs. Luckily the front door had been left unlocked and I was able to walk out into the road. I walked all that night in a north westerly direction until 0800 hours when I hid in a field and went to sleep. At dusk on 28th July I set off walking and after two hours I was arrested by a German soldier was patrolling the area. I was taken to the frontier post near Bocholt where I was searched. I was then taken by car to Bocholt where I was put in a cell at the Police Station. I was kept there till the following morning when I was taken to Abwehr Headquarters and placed in solitary confinement. On the afternoon of 29th July I was taken to a local aerodrome and placed in a Luftwaffe cell. That evening I was taken by train to Dulag Luft.´ Pawley was imprisoned in Dulag Luft, Oberursel I July 1943-August 1943; Stalag VIIA, Moorsburg, August 1943; and Stalag IVB, Muhlberg August 1943-April 1945, where his Camp Number was 83672. At the latter camp he started his effort to escape and return home, ´At Stalag IVB in January, 1944, I changed identity with 17611110 Private F.A.S.C. Watter R.A.O.C. for the purpose of escape. I was sent on a working party in a wood factory making prefabricated houses at Chemnitz. I planned to escape with another member of the R.A.F. (P/O Davidson) who had changed identities with a South African army private. On the night of 10th January, 1944, P/O Davidson and I took the bars out of our hut in the lager. At midnight we climbed out of the window and after crossing a river got on to the main road. Our intention was to get to a railway marshalling yard in that area and jump a train going to Switzerland. We were equipped with food, maps and compasses but had no civilian clothes or money. We set off walking north east to get to the marshalling yard but after two and half hours we were arrested by two German policemen and marched down to the local police station. We were then taken by car to the police station at Chemnitz where we were put in cells. The following morning we were collected by the military police and taken to the Divisional Headquartes in the Chemnitz area. Here we were briefly interrogated and sentenced to seven days, solitary confinement.´ (M.I.9 Debrief refers) Undeterred by being captured Pawley made a second bid for freedom, ´In July, 1944 whilst on the working party at the Josef Wicks Spinnery near Chemnitz, I made another attempt to escape. This time I planned to escape with Sgt. G. Brown, R.A.F, who had changed identity with an army private. We had previously told Pte. Jones A.A. (Tank Corps) who was Man of Confidence at the working party of our plan to escape. On the evening of 23rd July Sgt. Brown and I hid behind some bags of cement until dark. We then just walked out on the road with the intention of getting to Prague. We were not equipped with any escape aids or civilian clothes but had been given the address of a contact in Prague who would help us. We walked all night and hid during the day. We continued like this without incident for six days living on what we were able to find in the fields. On 29th July we skirted the town of Ave (in the Sudetenland) and were seen by about a dozen of the German Home Guard. Sgt. Brown and I immediately ran off in the opposite direction. But Brown unfortunately stumbled and fell and was captured. He was carrying the haversack containing our few rations and personal kit. I managed to get away and after running for ten minutes hid under the trunk of a fallen tree. I lay there for half an hour till it was practically dark and then set off walking again. I walked all night and at 0800 hours on 30th July I slept for a couple of hours and then set off walking again. Owing to the fact that I had lost all my rations I decided that my only way was to jump a train and get to my destination as quickly as possible. That evening at 2000 hours I came to a goods yard 10 kms north of Karlsbad. I remained hiding watching the trains shunting backwards and forwards for some time. I eventually saw one train that appeared to be heading south so I decided to board it. Whilst I was trying to climb onto the train I was seen by a couple of railway officials who accosted me and took me to the Station Master office. I was then taken by car to Ave where I was put in a cell for one day. On 31st July I was taken by lorry back to the working party at Chemnitz. I was interrogated there and my true identity was discovered. I was then moved to Stalag IVB and put into the Punishment Compound where I was kept for two months. At the end of that period I served 17 days in cells.´ (M.I.9 Debrief refers) Warrant Officer Pawley was liberated by Russian forces from Stalag IVB, 23.4.1945 and the 2nd of May, ´I cycled to Torgau where I made contact with the American forces´. He was flown from Halle to England, via Brussels, arriving 31.5.1945.

Sold for
£5,500