Campaign Groups and Pairs 441
A Second War campaign group of four awarded to Flight Lieutenant L. Liversidge, Royal Air Force, a Spitfire pilot who from 1943 completed 117 operational sorties with No. 185 Squadron, both in the skies over Malta and in a ground attack role during the Italian Campaign, before going on to pursue a lengthy post-war flying career
1939-45 Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, together with the recipient’s related miniature awards, R.A.F. officer’s cloth cap badge, pilot’s wings and riband bar, slight contact marks otherwise good very fine (4)
£800-£1,000
Law Liversidge, who was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1922, joined the Royal Air Force in April 1940. Selected for pilot training in the summer of 1941, Leading Aircraftman Liversidge was embarked for Canada where he attended courses on Tiger Moths and Oxfords until returning to England in the spring of 1942.
Subsequently posted to No. 4 G.T.S. at Kidlington for single-seat fighter training, he then converted to Spitfires at No. 61 Operational Training Unit (R.A.F. Rednal), March to May 1943, and went operational in July with a posting to No. 185 Squadron, a Spitfire unit based on Malta, from where he flew the Mark Vc and Mark IX on a number of convoy and island combat air patrols in December 43 and January 1944.
Part of his squadron having moved to Grottaglie in the Taranto area of Italy in February 1944, Liversidge flew a memorable shipping recce on 15 March from Brindisi to the Bay of Kotor off Montenegro, noting in his log book, ‘One troop transport and one staff car destroyed, one bus damaged.’; a two hour rhubarb was logged later the same day. From April to July, he flew numerous less eventful scrambles and patrols but in August, with 185 squadron re-uniting at Perugia as a fighter-bomber unit in support of the Allied advance, his log book springs into life with regular bombing raids and enemy contacts, notably:
‘20 August - Bombed railway yard and bridge. All bombs on target. Much Flak. 23 August - Two 109s approached but beat it when Bal and I turned in to meet them. Geoff Cross killed today. 26 August - No transport about so bombed railway line N.W. of Remini.’
September continues in a similar vein with bridges and gun positions being bombed amid flak, cars and motor transports being destroyed and comrades-in-arms occasionally perishing.
Liversidge recorded no flights in October - he was commissioned Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 14 October 1944 - but he was back in action the following month, bombing Nebelwerfers on 3 November and two days later he flew a close support sortie described as, ‘fireworks for the hun - bombed and strafed Forli airfield.’ More bombing of Nebelwerfers and strafing of enemy occupied villages followed later in the month.
The New Year saw the Squadron move to Pontedera, near Pisa, from where Liversidge undertook eight sorties against German ground targets in January, including on the 15th ‘two direct hits on gun pits - one farm house clobbered’ and although warming to his work with a strafing and bombing run on Castiglione on 17 January, he experienced some uncomfortable moments later in the month, noting on the 28th, ‘engine very rough after bombing - much twitch’ and on the 29th ‘upward roll accidentally after strafing. Much flak.’ In February Liversidge records further sorties or ‘Rover Joes’ among which, one is described as, ‘Direct hit on H.Q. - P.O.W. later stated: 1 General and at least 30 other troops killed.’ He also notes the loss of two squadron pilots (baled out to become P.O.W.s) and a third baled out but returned. March and April see more of the same frenetic activity, in which he destroys many ground targets, takes an occasional hit from flak and loses fellow pilots - ‘Chutney flew into house’, ‘Rosie burst into flame’. His final combat patrol on 2 May is a recce in the Bolzano Area - he notes in his log book, ‘Saw many M.T. but were not allowed to attack. Did not know that war in Italy was already over.’ Flying Officer Liversidge remained in Italy for the rest of the war, transferring to 87 Squadron (Spitfires) in August 1945 and logging his last squadron flight on 15 January 1946. He completed over 470 hours on Spitfires and 117 operational sorties during the war.
Remaining on the active list, he resumed his flying career in 1949, taking a course at the Flying Refresher School, R.A.F. Finningly before embarking on a career as a Flying Instructor at an assortment of Flying Training Schools, in which capacity he remained employed, teaching on Harvards, Meteors and Vampires, for the next 6 years. He was posted in September 1955 to 614 Squadron (Vampires and Meteors), transferred in 1959 to R.A.F. Guttersloh, Germany (Hunter VII) and then having returned to England in January 1962, he joined the Flying Training Command Communications Squadron based at R.A.F. White Waltham, flying the Anson. Finally relinquishing his commission in 1968, he embarked on a career in civil aviation with British Airways and flew Vanguards and BAC 111s on European and domestic routes, on one occasion being congratulated for a successful approach at Tegel on 30 October 1975, when his Super 1-11 aircraft was successfully landed in Category Two weather conditions, with visual contact established at 100ft on the radio altimeter in a visibility of 800 metres. He retired in 1978.
Sold with the recipient’s original R.A.F. Flying Log Books (3), covering the periods August 1941 to August 1962; September 1962 to January 1967 (and July 1975 to August 1978); and April 1967 to July 1975, a complete record of a lengthy and diverse flying career, the war years assiduously annotated; a good quantity of photographs - subjects spanning the recipient’s career - including seven images of the recipient and 185 Squadron in Malta during the winter of 1943/1944; two commission documents - Pilot Officer (20 October 1944) and Flight Lieutenant (21 April 1953); scroll commemorating a successful landing in adverse weather at Tegel in 1975; other career related documentation and ephemera; a framed caricature drawing of the recipient by Pat Rooney, dated 1959, 270mm x 390mm; a wooden shield bearing the Central Flying School coat of arms, 175mm x 260mm; October 1941 copy of Fighter Pilot by Paul Richey, inscribed inside the front cover by Sergeant Liversidge.
442
Four: Flying Officer R. T. Mirtle, Royal Air Force
1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (Fg. Off. R. T. Mirtle. R.A.F.) last in named card box of issue, extremely fine (4)
£80-£120
Robert Turner Mirtle attested for the Royal Air Force and served with them in the ranks during the Second World War, before being commissioned Pilot Officer in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch on 6 September 1945. Promoted Flying Officer on 1 May 1946, he transferred to the Catering Branch on 1 January 1947, and relinquished his commission on 27 July 1954.
443
Six: Sergeant W. Sturton, Royal Air Force
1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (1372669 Cpl. W. Sturton R.A.F.); Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue (1372669 Sgt. W. Sturton. R.A.F.) mounted court-style for display, good very fine (6)
£100-£140
www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 24% (+VAT where applicable)
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
