Auction: 9033 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 10
A Well Documented and Rare, ´Military Division´ O.B.E., 1919 ´Kronstadt Raid´ D.F.C., ´Great War´ A.F.C. Group of Eight to Seaplane Pilot, Flight Lieutenant, Later Group Captain, A.W. ´Fletch´ Fletcher, Royal Air Force Late Royal Naval Air Service, Who Flew His Short Seaplane to the Rescue of Lieutenant Agar R.N., ´Who Was Some Considerable Distance Behind the Four Other Surviving C.M.B.s. Observing Agar´s Imminent Peril of Becoming the Exclusive Target of Every Bolshevik Gun in Kronstadt, Captain Fletcher Dived His Short Seaplane Down the Beam of the Searchlight Apparently About to Pick Up the Diminutive Launch and Then Beat Up the Forts Along the Harbour Entrance, Strafing the Emplacement with Trace So That Agar Could Make Good His Escape.´ Augustus Agar Went On to Be Awarded One of Three Victoria Crosses Given For the Kronstadt Raid, 17/18.8.1919 a) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 1st type, Military Division, Officer´s (O.B.E.). breast Badge, silver-gilt (Hallmarks for London 1919) b) Distinguished Flying Cross, G.V.R., reverse engraved in upright sans-serif capitals, ´Captain A.W. Fletcher´ c) Air Force Cross, G.V.R., reverse engraved in upright sans-serif capitals ´Captain A.W. Fletcher´ d) 1914-15 Star (F.1348. A.W. Fletcher. P.O.M., R.N.A.S.) e) British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oakleaves (Capt. A.W. Fletcher. R.A.F.) f) War Medal g) Jubilee 1935, cleaned, very fine, together with the following official documents &c.: - Three Royal Air Force Pilot´s Flying Log Books (covering the periods 16.1.1928-23.6.1931, 7.6.1933-5.8.1936 and 26.8.1937-27.5.1938) - Commission appointing Albert W. Fletcher as Probationary Flight Sub Lieutenant, Royal Naval Air Service, dated 12.7.1916 - Commission appointing Albert W. Fletcher as Temporary Flight Lieutenant, Royal Naval Air Service, dated 23.1.1918 - M.I.D. Certificate, dated 22.12.1919 - Permission to Wear Document for Jubilee Medal 1935, with named enclosure slip - Letter from The Royal Aero Club informing recipient that he has been granted an Aviator´s Certificate No. 3816, dated 18.11.1916 - Royal Naval Air Service Certificate for graduation as Aeroplane Pilot from the R.N.A.S. Training Establishment, Cranwell, numbered 299, and dated 3.1.1917 - Officer Commanding R.N.A.S. Calshot confidential report on recipient´s Seaplane Training, dated 17.2.1917 - Royal Air Force Certificate of Air Pilotage, dated 14.12.1926 - Royal Air Force Certificate of Air Navigation, dated 16.8.1927 - Certificate of Service for the period, 28.10.1916-7.1.1917, whilst serving with H.M.S. Daedalus - Certificate of Service for the period 25.3.1919-7.5.1919, whilst serving with H.M.S. Caledon - Certificate of Service for the period 14.7.1925-20.4.1926, whilst serving with H.M.S. Hermes - Copy of Station Orders by Colonel R.C. Hunt, O.C. East Fortune, listing and congratulating recipient on the award of A.F.C., dated 7.11.1916 - Letter from the Air Ministry informing recipient of his share of the Prize Bounty due to him in respect of the destruction of the Bolshevik armed vessel "Pannyat Azeca" [sic] and a Torpedo Boat Destroyer on 17th and 18th August 1919, dated 2.7.1920 - Two Invitations to a Royal Garden Party at Holyrood Palace, dated 11.7.1923 - Eight Letters of congratulation upon recipient´s promotion and 13 Telegrams to the same effect - Memorandum of Report concerning the Kronstadt Raid, dated 20.8.1919 - Recipient´s Visiting Card as a Wing Commander - Letter from the Fairey Aviation Company Ltd to the recipient, dated 26.6.1923 - Letter from the School of Naval Co-Operation, R.A.F. Lee-On-Solent to recipient´s son informing him of his selection in an Officer´s Sons Cricket Match, dated 11.8.1937 - Portrait photograph of recipient, two reconnaissance photographs of Kronstadt Harbour and other ephemera (lot) Estimate £ 4,500-5,500 O.B.E. London Gazette 3.6.1925 Flight Lieutenant Albert William Fletcher, D.F.C., A.F.C., Royal Air Force D.F.C. London Gazette Flight Lieutenant Albert William Fletcher, A.F.C. ´For gallantry and distinguished services (Baltic)´ A.F.C. London Gazette 2.11.1918 Capt. Albert William Fletcher M.I.D. London Gazette 22.12.1919 Flight Lieutenant Albert William Fletcher, A.F.C. (Baltic) Group Captain Albert William Fletcher, O.B.E., D.F.C., A.F.C., born Hampstead, London; studied at Clark´s College, Cricklewood, 1911; enlisted Royal Naval Air Service as Petty Officer Mechanic, 4.11.1914; served at H.M.S. Pembroke, 4.11.1914-31.3.1915 and at H.M.S. President, 31.3.1915-1.4.1915 and 1.9.1915-11.7.1916; commissioned Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant, 12.7.1916; posted to R.N.A.S. East Church, 5.8.1916; posted to Cranwell, 28.10.1916 and to Calshot, where he undertook a Seaplane Course, from 8.1.1917; he served as a Seaplane Pilot with H.M.S. Vindex (R.N. Seaplane Carrier), from 27.2.1917; served at R.N.A.S. East Fortune (Airship Station), 21.1.1918-27.4.1918 (A.F.C. for work at this station, letter included with lot refers); Temporary Flight Lieutenant 23.1.1918; served as Captain R.A.F. with H.M.S. Caledon, 25.3.1919-7.5.1919. The Kronstadt Raid In July 1919 H.M.S. Vindictive (a light cruiser converted into an aircraft carrier) left the Firth of Forth with a complement of Camels, Griffins, 1 1/2 Strutters and Short seaplanes for the Baltic to take part in a daring combined Naval and Royal Air Force raid on the Bolshevik forces holding Kronstadt naval base. The naval base ´Kronstadt has ranked with Gibraltar and Heligoland as one of the impregnable fortresses of the world... [with] innumerable forts and protecting sandbanks´ (R.A.F. Operations in the Baltic, 1919, Squadron Leader D.G. Donald, D.F.C., A.F.C., refers). Vindictive arrived at Björkö on the 20th July and ´an aerodrome was established out of a wilderness of trees and rocks on the mainland about one mile east of the ship. At first it was not so level as one could wish, and it was very small; but after a few weeks the aeroplanes were able to take-off and land, fully loaded with bombs. A seaplane base was started on an island about one mile south-west of the ship, and all seaplanes were landed.´ (Ibid) It was to the latter with his Short seaplane that Fletcher went. Within a week of arrival the R.A.F. undertook their first reconnaissance and photographic flights over and around the Kronstadt area and ´two or three seaplane patrols were carried out daily, each flight usually lasted 3 to 3 1/2 hours. The nature of the patrol was principally anti-submarine, but any enemy craft seen were bombed, and movements or changes of disposition of enemy ships in Kronstadt were reported by W/T´ (Ibid). The R.A.F. unit in situe consisted of only 11 pilots, of which 5 (including Fletcher) were seaplane pilots. They carried out their first large bombing raid on the 30th July, ´the machines arrived over Kronstadt just as it was getting light..... five direct hits were observed, and two large fires were started..... All aircraft returned safely, but passed through a heavy anti-aircraft fire from the ships and batteries defending Kronstadt. This was particularly unpleasant for the seaplanes, which could not get above 4,000 feet.´ In the first two weeks of August, as a prelude to the forthcoming raid, the R.A.F. increased the pressure on the Bolsheviks by carrying out eight daylight and two night bombing raids over Kronstadt. Unfortunately for the R.A.F. the quality of the anti-aircraft fire improved whilst their rather out dated aircraft did not. The naval forces to be employed for the Kronstadt Raid were to be led by Commander C. Dobson, and consisted of eight Coastal Motor Boats. Their objective was to gain access to the inner harbour and thus be in a position to attack the Capital ships anchored there, under Bolshevik control. In order to be able to carry this objective the R.A.F. were tasked with bombing the harbour defences and to create as much of a diversion away from the naval forces as possible. On the night of the 17th August, ´the intention was that aircraft should attract all attention in Kronstadt so that the Coastal Motor Boats should be neither heard nor seen to approach the harbour, and with the end in view the bombing attack was timed to begin before the boats arrived within sound of Kronstadt, and further, to continue [even if they ran out of ammunition] until the boats reached the harbour entrance. Individual aircraft were also detailed to attack the guardship anchored in the entrance, to attack guns´ crews and searchlights on the breakwater, and to cover the retreat of the Coastal Motor Boats.´ Fletcher was ordered to attack the guardship and provide cover for any R.N. ships that managed to make it out of the maze of island forts, batteries, mines and nets that made up Kronstadt harbour. The aircraft successfully diverted attention away from the C.M.B.s, with the result that surprise was achieved and two Bolshevik battleships (the Petropavlosk and the Andrei Pervozvanny) were torpedoed and the submarine depot ship Pamiat Azova was sunk. The Royal Navy lost three C.M.B.s in the raid, and it could have been more had Fletcher not gallantly come to the rescue of Lieutenant Agar (who was later awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the raid), ´the last (boat) to leave the scene of the battle was Lt. Augustus Agar in no.7, who was some considerable distance behind the four other surviving C.M.B.s. Observing Agar´s imminent peril of becoming the exclusive target of every Bolshevik gun in Kronstadt, Capt. Fletcher dived his Short seaplane down the beam of the searchlight apparently about to pick up the diminutive launch and then beat up the forts along the harbour entrance, strafing the emplacement with trace, so that Agar could make good his escape.´ (When the R.A.F. Flew Against the Bolsheviks-Night Strike Against the Red Fleet, by R. Steel, published in Royal Air Force News, refers) The raid was hailed as a great success with Admiral Cowan (C-in-C. British Forces in the Baltic) writing in his official report, ´the result will, I feel sure, be assessed by those best qualified to judge, as brilliant and completely successful a combined enterprise by sea and air forces as the last five years of war can show.´ Three Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Royal Navy for this raid, and Fletcher who had so gallantly risked his life so that Agar could live to receive his V.C., was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for the raid. He also received £64 15s. 5d. as his share of the Kronstadt Raid Prize Money. Service for Fletcher after the Kronstadt Raid included on the Aircraft Carrier H.M.S. Argus; served as Flight Commander of 403 Flight on H.M.S. Hermes (Aircraft Carrier), 14.7.1925-20.4.1926; served with 480 Flight prior to being posted to No. 3 Flying Training School, R.A.F.; served with the latter as an Instructor, May 1928-November 1930; further postings included the Central Flying School; as Squadron Leader, Commanding, 204 Squadron (a Flying-Boat unit) 1934-36 and as Wing Commander, Chief Instructor, School of Naval Co-Operation, R.A.F. Lee-on-Solent, from August 1937; Fletcher´s last posting was during the Second World War as a Group Captain at R.A.F. Abbotsinch (Torpedo Training Unit); he was forced to retire due to illness in September 1941.
Sold for
£12,500
