The Collection of Medals to the Coldstream Guards, R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. formed by the late Tom Baugh 271
A good Second World War group of six awarded to Acting Squadron Leader C. D. Whittingham, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a Hurricane pilot who flew in No. 151 Squadron in the Battle of Britain and afterwards in No. 261 Squadron in Malta, claiming three destroyed and one probable, in addition to others damaged
1939-45 STAR, with Battle of Britain (copy) clasp; AFRICA STAR; ITALY STAR; DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS 1939-45; AIR EFFICIENCY AWARD,
G.VI.R., 1st issue (Act. Sqn. Ldr. C. D. Whittingham, R.A.F.V.R.), good very fine and better (6)
£800-1000
Charles Derrick Whittingham, who was born in March 1912, was appointed to a commission as a Pilot Officer on the Reserve of Air Force Officers in June 1931 and transferred to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in January 1938. Mobilised on the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, and having attended No. 6 O.T.U. at Sutton Bridge, he was posted to No. 151 Squadron, a Hurricane unit operating out of Martlesham Heath, in July 1940.
Quickly thrown into a busy agenda of convoy patrols, Whittingham’s aircraft was damaged in a combat with 109s over the Thames Estuary on 29 July, compelling him to make a forced landing back at base. Returning to the Squadron from sick leave in late October, he was ordered to the Middle East in December, where he attended No. 70 O.T.U, before being posted to No. 261 Squadron in Malta. The latter appointment involved a lengthy flight from Capuzzo in Ismailia, the Hurricanes being equipped with non-jettisonable long range fuel tanks but no ammunition - the weight of the latter being deemed too risky to achieve the range required to Malta. One of Whittingham’s fellow pilots recalls the journey in Malta - The Hurricane Years 1940-41, by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull:
‘A loose ‘vic’ was formed on the Wimpey and I was on the outer starboard. Whittingham was the appointed leader of the Hurricane flight. The first portion of the flight, in beautiful Mediterranean weather, was still within fighter range of the Italian Air Force. Derna, about 40 miles west of Gazala, only fell the day we took off. Consequently, in loose formation, we kept up a fairly constant weave which settled down as we got further out to sea. The majority of the over four hour flight was uneventful, other than each of us listening to our engine note with considerable concentration. About 100 miles out we sighted a destroyer, a small speck with a white wake some 10,000 feet below us. It lay directly in our path and the Wimpey made no effort to avoid it. The next moment this fly speck erupted and the barrage burst about 2,000 feet below us. The Wimpey made a dignified concession and altered course to starboard by at least five degrees. The next burst was about 500 feet below us and slightly behind. It was quite astonishing how much muck came out of that little ship. We never did find out whether it was Royal Navy or Italian.
The rest of the flight was uneventful until we got a few miles from Malta. When we sighted Pantelleria away to port we commenced a light weave. Then we sighted the haze over Malta and shortly after the island, dun coloured and bare looking. As we approached the Grand Harbour Barrage opened up accompanied by more isolated groups of A.A. fire and we realised we had arrived in the middle of a raid. Rigid R./T. silence had been maintained throughout the flight to that point. We were almost over Fifla when we sighted a formation of Me. 109s slightly below us flying around the island cliffs (These were probably in fact Italian MC 200s, for no Messerschmitt Bf. 109s had yet reached the Mediterranean area.) They sighted us and attacked. There was no alternative but for us to attack even though we had no ammo. I am not sure of who did what at this stage. We went into them almost head on and they scattered then followed a short dogfight. Two Hurris stayed with the Wimpey which went hell for leather for Luqa and made it safely.
I think there were fifteen e./a. It was highly unusual for German pilots to attack from an inferior position, but it is possible our head-on attack threw them off balance. The melee was sharp and intense with our continuing pressing the attack, but when they broke we left them to it. It was pointless pursuing them with no ammo., and fuel was getting low. We landed at Hal Far where, according to my diary, we were met by A.V.M. Maynard - the first and only time I saw the man - who was intrigued by our un-R.A.F. appearance. This included some six days’ growth of beard and six days’ accumulation of sand where the grit would be most irritating. Water in the desert was reserved for tea, not washing! From Hal Far we moved to Takali where we joined the remnants of 261 Squadron. Subsequently, Whittingham suggested to the A.O.C. that we merited a Mention in Despatches for our flight and fight, but he knocked it back.’
The same source also refers to a diary kept by Whittingham while in Malta:
‘I drove “Lucky” [his pony and trap] to Valetta this morning. An air raid took place when we got there. The people rushing to the shelters upset “Lucky” a bit. We stopped with him. The A.A. guns did not worry him much, nor did a bit of shrapnel that whistled down near him. What with continual air raids (seven times a day) and the presence of 109s about the place it is a logical conclusion that our chances of survival are not very high. But one simply must not think about this; at any rate, I am enjoying myself while it lasts. February 18 - now that the risk of death is so much more increased I’ve been doing a spot of philosophising. My attitude is that somebody has to do the job and if I get bumped off, I have experienced much more than the average bloke.February 23 - I am to be made a Flight Lieutenant and given command of ‘B’ Flight. This will please mother.’
Whittingham was to remain actively engaged in Malta until being posted to North Africa in the summer of 1941, a period that witnessed him enjoy several successful combats. Thus a share in severely damaging an S-79 bomber and a CR. 42 claimed as destroyed on 1 February - most probably that piloted by Sergeant Magg. Andrea Baudone of 156 Gruppo.
www.dnw.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253