A Collection of Medals to Second World War Royal Air Force Casualties 744


Three: Sergeant (Navigator) T. W. Sykes, 103 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was killed in action when his Lancaster was shot down over Beauchery-St.-Martin whilst on a bombing raid to Mailly-le-Camp, on 3-4 May 1944


1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Air Council enclosure and medal ticket, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘W. Sykes Esq., 24 Cartwright Road, Northampton.’, extremely fine (3)


£300-£400


Terence William Sykes served during the Second World War as a Navigator with 103 Squadron, joining with his crew directly from 11 Base on 13 April 1944, and was killed in action on his first operational sortie when Lancaster ND411, piloted by Pilot Officer J. E. Holden, was shot down and crashed over Beauchery-St-Martin, whilst on a bombing raid to the German military base at Mailly-Le- Camp, on 3-4 May 1944. All the crew were killed.


The Bomber Command War Diaries by Martin Middlebrook states: ‘Late on 3 May 1944, 346 Lancasters of 1 and 5 Groups along with pathfinder Mosquitoes attacked the large German military base at Mailly-Le-Camp. The control of this raid in the target area failed to operate according to plan. The initial low level markers were accurate and well backed up by Lancaster marker aircraft. The Marker leader (Wing Commander G. L. Cheshire) ordered the main force to come in and bomb but the main force Controller (Wing Commander L. C. Deane) could not transmit the order to do so to the waiting Lancasters because his VHF set was being drowned by an American Forces Broadcast and his transmitter was wrongly tuned. German fighters arrived during the delay and bomber casualties were heavy. The main attack eventually started when Deputy Controller (Squadron Leader E. N. M. Sparks) took over. Approximately 1500 tons of bombs were dropped with great accuracy. 114 barrack buildings, 47 transport sheds and some ammunition buildings in the camp were hit; 102 vehicles including 37 tanks were destroyed 218 German soldiers were killed and 156 were injured. Most of the casualties were Panzer NCO’s. There were no French casualties but some were killed when Lancaster ND411 was shot down and crashed on their house.’


This was Sykes’ aircraft which was homeward after the raid but North of its tracked course. There has been some dispute over French soldier deaths held in the barracks.


The Australian Government publication, Invasion to Victory April 1944 to May 1945, states: ‘The people of Beauchery-St-Martin, a little village to the South East of Paris, also had good reason to remember the night of 4-5 May 1944. Rachel De Boisgelin, the American born wife of a local landowner, was woken up by the noise: “Many of us living near were awakened by a tremendous roar of motors, by firing and then the sky was lighted up for miles around by explosions. But at that time the Germans were masters here and anyone who stepped out of a house before five in the morning risked being shot. By the noise and the glow in the sky, when the planes came down the Germans knew what had happened and they were looking at everything before anyone else. It gives me grief to tell these painful details but the planes caught fire which made identification of those who were in them extremely difficult” RAAF Flight Sergeant Clifford Gay was in one of the planes, Lancaster ND411 of 103 Squadron. Two Lancasters came down very near to each other and of the 15 crew only one survived. The remains of the others were placed in five coffins and were buried by the villagers in a collective grave in the Beauchery Communal Cemetery.’


A local teacher, Simone Rustang wrote to the sister of Sergeant James Moore, the flight engineer in Sykes’ aircraft: ‘Never has our village seen such a big crowd - 1800 to 2000 people. At that lovely time of the year there were plenty of lilacs and lilies of the valley also tulips and rarer flowers. The five coffins disappeared under the tulips and whilst they were all being taken to their last resting place in this peaceful corner of the cemetery where the grass often grows, we were thinking of their families who might be thinking of them alive somewhere in Europe.’


Sykes is buried alongside his crew in Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France. His medals were sent to his father, William Sykes. Sold with copied research.


745


Four: Flight Lieutenant (Air Bomber) H. L. Ashman, 7 Squadron, Pathfinder Force, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who was killed in action when his Lancaster was shot down and crashed at Schopoven whilst on a bombing raid to Aachen, on 24-25 May 1944, and was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches


1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf, with named Air Council enclosure and medal tickets, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. M. Ashman, 50 Northborough Road, Norbury, London SW16’; together with the recipient’s Memorial Scroll (Flight Lieutenant H. L. Ashman Royal Air Force), in similarly addressed envelope of issue, extremely fine (4)


£400-£500 M.I.D. London Gazette 8 June 1944.


Herbert Leonard Ashman was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, in March 1914 and was granted an emergency Commission as Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 24 August 1941. Promoted Flight Lieutenant on 28 August 1942, he served during the Second World War as an Air Bomber with 7 Squadron, as part of the Pathfinder Force, being posted to the Squadron from 17 O.T.U. on 24 April 1944. During May the crew took part in raids on Montdidier, Mantes-Le-Jolie, Nantes, Louvain, Le Mans, Duisberg, and Dortmund- in the main these were French targets being softened up prior to the D-Day landings.


Ashman was killed in action when Lancaster JB313, piloted by Flight Lieutenant G. C. Crew, D.F.C., was detailed to attack Aachen, and crashed at Schophoven, 5km south east of Jülich, on 24-25 May 1944. All the crew were killed. Ashman was Mentioned in Despatches in the Birthday Honours’ list in June 1944, some 14 days after his death in combat.


Ashman is buried along with his crew in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany. His medals were sent to his widow, Mrs. Mabel Ashman.


Sold with the recipient’s original Mentioned in Despatches Certificate, named to ‘Flight Lieutenant H. L. Ashman, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve’ and dated 8 June 1944; a photograph of the crew’s original grave; and copied research.


www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 20% (+VAT where applicable)


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