A Collection of Awards to the Royal Air Force Between the Wars (1919-1939), formed by Group Captain J E Barker 779
A fine Second War ‘1941’ Hurricane and Spitfire pilots’ D.F.C. group of six awarded to Squadron Leader B. J. Wicks, Royal Air Force, whose two years of war service included: during the Battle of France - 1 destroyed, a force landing behind enemy lines, evading capture for 12 days disguised as a Belgian refugee and evacuation from Dunkirk under British naval arrest; during the Battle of Britain - 2 destroyed and being shot down himself; and during the Siege of Malta - the command of 126 Squadron, 1 destroyed and 1 shared destroyed. He was shot down for a last time and killed over Malta, 12 October 1942, aged just 22 years old
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS,
G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1941, and additionally engraved ‘F/Lt. B. J. Wicks 56 Sqn R.A.F.’; 1939-45 STAR, copy clasp, Battle of Britain; AIR CREW EUROPE STAR; AFRICA STAR;DEFENCE ANDWARMEDALS, M.I.D. Oak Leaf, mounted for display, good very fine (6)
£1800-2200 D.F.C. London Gazette 6 June 1941:
‘This officer has served with the squadron since the war began. In May, 1940, during the intensive air operations in France, he was forced to land behind the German lines after he had destroyed one of their aircraft. Nevertheless, he succeeded in reaching this country in safety. He has destroyed at least three enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of others.
Flight Lieutenant Wicks, who recently assumed command of his flight, has shown excellent qualities of leadership and determination.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1941.
Bryan John Wicks was the son of the Reverend F. J. Wicks and was born at St. Marys, High Road, Felixstowe, in April 1920. He was educated at Seaford College, Sussex, and joined the Royal Air Force on a short service commission as Acting Pilot Officer in the General Duties Branch, 7 May 1938. Wicks was confirmed Pilot Officer in March the following year, and at the outbreak of the Second War as a pilot with 56 Squadron (Hurricanes), North Weald. The Squadron’s ‘B’ Flight, of which Wicks was a member, operated from Vitry-en-Artois during the Battle of France and the evacuation from Dunkirk.
Whilst on patrol over northern France, 22 May 1940, Wicks is recorded as having shot down an enemy aircraft before having to force land near the Belgian border. A. B. Austin’s Fighter Command describes what awaited Wicks:
‘The prize for the Escape of the Month, if there had been one, would probably have gone to the Flying Officer of 56 Squadron who a fortnight after he had disappeared over Belgium, returned to his Essex fighter station wearing an old and musty hat, too short stove-pipe trousers like a leggy schoolboy, a dirty grey jacket, and an old, ragged overcoat. For twelve days, he said, he had been plodding in this refugee disguise through Belgium towards the German lines around Dunkirk.
When his Hurricane was forced down in Belgium, he knew that he must either give himself up, or get rid of his uniform. His knowledge of French helped him to borrow clothes from a Belgian peasant, and he set off westwards. Only once during the twelve days did he ride - in a borrowed car filled with Belgian refugees. After a few miles, German soldiers held up the car, searched the refugees (but by some curious luck left the flying officer alone) and sent them on their way on foot. Had they searched him they would have found that, unlike the others, he had no identity card to prove that he was a genuine refugee.
Identity card or not, he must have looked genuine, for he said that German soldiers quite often gave him food as he plodded along the roads. His French, which was good enough to allow him to appear a Belgian to Frenchmen, and a Frenchman to Belgians, would not seem suspicious to the Germans. But to avoid making himself conspicuous, he attached himself to different batches of refugees moving towards the coast.
Now and then he would seek shelter in a farmhouse or cottage. If he could make sure that the farmer of peasant was friendly, he would tell them that he was English, in order that they might be fully aware of the risk they were running should the Germans find him in their house.
Towards the end of his journey, it became rather difficult to keep in a westerly direction without drawing attention to himself. The Belgian army had capitulated, and Belgian refugees were moving back into Belgium, but he managed to slip through to the outskirts of Dunkirk. There he faced his most difficult problem - how to pass through the German lines. Sentries were posted every few hundred yards. He hung about for more than a day, waiting his chance, but it did not seem possible to go near without being caught.
Oddly enough, the pilots of the Fighter Command, without knowing it, helped him make his final escape. As he lay watching the sentries, a noisy and spectacular air battle swept unusually low overhead. He could see Hurricanes and Spitfires, Messerschmitts and Heinkels circling, diving and dodging in furious dogfight, machine gun clatter, bomber engine roar and fighter whine answering each other. Suddenly it occurred to him that if he found all this so well worth watching, the sentries must be equally absorbed. He looked at them, and sure enough their heads were craned back and they were gazing at the sky.
Praying that his fellow pilots up there would keep at it, he began to crawl forward. The summer grass in the field where he had been lying was long and kept him fairly well hidden for nearly a mile. At the end of his crawl, he was stopped by a canal. On the other side of the canal were French soldiers. They sent over a boat to bring him across, and promptly arrested him.
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 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312 |
Page 313 |
Page 314 |
Page 315 |
Page 316 |
Page 317 |
Page 318 |
Page 319 |
Page 320 |
Page 321 |
Page 322 |
Page 323 |
Page 324 |
Page 325 |
Page 326 |
Page 327 |
Page 328 |
Page 329 |
Page 330 |
Page 331 |
Page 332 |
Page 333 |
Page 334 |
Page 335 |
Page 336 |
Page 337 |
Page 338 |
Page 339 |
Page 340 |
Page 341 |
Page 342 |
Page 343 |
Page 344 |
Page 345 |
Page 346 |
Page 347 |
Page 348 |
Page 349 |
Page 350 |
Page 351 |
Page 352 |
Page 353 |
Page 354 |
Page 355 |
Page 356 |
Page 357 |
Page 358 |
Page 359 |
Page 360 |
Page 361 |
Page 362 |
Page 363 |
Page 364 |
Page 365 |
Page 366 |
Page 367 |
Page 368 |
Page 369 |
Page 370 |
Page 371 |
Page 372 |
Page 373 |
Page 374 |
Page 375 |
Page 376 |
Page 377 |
Page 378 |
Page 379 |
Page 380
