Books 603
Combined Operations 1940-1942, an HMSO publication prepared for the Combined Operations Command by the Ministry of Information, 144pp, paper covers, contains an original signature and inscription by Sergeant Jack Terry D.C. M., 11th (Scottish) Commando; together with another copy of the same; a copy of The Eighth Army September 1941 to January 1943, an HMSO publication prepared for the War Office by the Ministry of Information, 103pp, paper covers; and a copy of “It Can Be Revealed”, more about British Railways in Peace and War, a 1945 work of the British railway system during the Second World War, 64pp, fully illustrated with index, well worn with covers loose (4)
£80-£120 Provenance: Acquired by the present vendor from Sergeant Jack Terry, D.C.M., when the latter was living in Nottingham in the 1980s.
Jack Terry was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his part in the ‘Rommel Raid’ of November 1941 raid, in which his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel G. C. T. Keyes, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. His citation for the D.C.M. states: ‘At Sidi Rafa after capsizing in his boat during the landing from the submarine and after an exacting march over 18 miles of mountainous country in drenching rain, Sergeant Terry in company with two officers, forced an entrance to the German HQ at Sidi Rafa. He covered the two officers while they investigated the ground floor and prevented enemy interference by firing his tommy gun at guards who attempted to descend from the 1st floor. He afterwards entered a room and though fired at from the dark interior, he emptied two magazines into it. When the Commander of his detachment was killed, he conducted his party successfully back to the beach. On retirement from the beach, after ordering his party to disperse and take to the hills in compliance with instructions, Sergeant Terry remained behind under heavy fire, and waited for his Commanding Officer who had hurt his knee. He remained in his company behind the enemy lines for 41 days until they were able to rejoin our own advancing troops.’
604
An original Great War Pilot’s Flying Log Book (Army Book 425 type), appertaining to Lieutenant J. M. Brown, Royal Air Force, late Royal Flying Corps and Honourable Artillery Company, covering the period 13 November 1917 to 2 December 1918, commencing with early training flights at Thetford and continuing with many later training flights from Duxford Aerodrome mostly on RE6s, RE8s and DH9s, good condition
£100-£140
John Maberly Brown was born on 29 July 1896 at Islington, London and attested for the Honourable Artillery Company on 2 December 1915. He served overseas in the 2nd Battalion with the British Expeditionary Force during the Great War from 1 October 1916 and was promoted to the rank of Corporal before he was discharged to a commission in the Royal Flying Corps on 28 August 1917. Having graduated from the the Military Wing on 17 March 1918, he continued in training at aerodromes in England until the War’s end, recording flights in his log book often multiple times daily. He was transferred to the unemployed list on 13 October 1919.
Sold together with other documentation including the recipient’s R.F.C. Training Transfer Card, dated 28 September 1917; National Registration Identity Card, stamped 17 May 1943; Royal Flying Corps Officers Graduation Certificate, C.F.S. Upavon, dated 17 March 1918; and a photograph of the recipient in uniform together with two other R.F.C. airmen standing beside a Sopwith Pup.
605
An original Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book appertaining to Flight Lieutenant R. H. Orlebar, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who saw much action in Spitfires with 145 Squadron during the Italian Campaign in 1944, covering the period July 1941 to August 1957: extremely well annotated and together with numerous assorted inserts and a quantity of additional ephemera including photographs, letters, cards, medical reports, newspaper cuttings, the spine a little frayed; covers and contents in good condition
£200-£300
Rupert Hale Orlebar was born in 1920 at Steyning Sussex and joined the Royal Air Force in November 1940. He commenced his pilot training in July 1941 in Texas, U.S.A., and, having been commissioned Pilot Officer on 6 December 1941, was selected to continue training on Spitfires at No. 53 O.T.U., based at Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan from March 1942. The following month Orlebar was involved in a mid-air collision at 1000ft. His log book noting ‘undignified descent on golf-course - 4 months in hospital after collision - most awkward.’ Upon recovery, he completed his training and went operational at No. 504 Squadron, Ibsley, on 29 January 1943. Flying the Spifire Mark V he partook in a variety of sorties over the next six months, his logbook noting, inter alia, sweeps over France, convoy patrols and a shipping strike on barges. On 3 May he states ‘Escort to 12 Venturas to Amsterdam docks. Attacked off Dutch coast by 190s. Phew!!!’ After a posting to R.A.F. Setif in North Africa in July 1943 he received promotion to Flight Lieutenant in December and then joined No. 145 Squadron flying the Spitfire Mark VIII ‘a lovely aircraft...oceans of power’ in Italy on the front line of the Italian Campaign in March 1944. Here Orlebar’s logbook takes on a diary like form, often containing lengthy paragraphs to describe the day’s events and usually including details of kills and incidents relating also to other pilots in the squadron. His first month in Italy consists of sweep patrols over the Anzio Invasion and Cassino Battle Areas with much action and a forced landing due to engine failure at Lago being noted early on. Involved in a kill on 24 March 1944, Orlebar’s log book entry - not atypical - reads: ‘24 March 1944 - Sweep-Patrol Cassino Battle Area. Blooded! Jimmy Minto, Mac McDonald, and ‘Blackie’ each got a destroyed this morning! Terrific show. Took off 15.45hrs in Green section, Hughie Wells leading 2/10 cloud, very good visibility. We were bottom section of 4, at 12000 ft. 2 stray huns cam down - Jock Sterling destroyed one - a 109. Jock Sutherland, Tommy Thomp and Hughie Wells shared the other - I had a shot at it from about 300 yards giving 3 rings deflection - didn’t see the strikes, but it started smoking and crashed. Pilot baled out.’
After a six week course at the Advanced Bombing and Gunnery School at El-Ballah, Egypt, Orlebar returned to Italy to rejoin 145 Squadron, now a fighter-bomber squadron, at Lago, Italy on 27 May and proceeded over the remainder of the year to undertake a variety of sorties including bombing rail targets and gun positions, bomber escort, bombline patrol, scrambles, fighter sweeps, armed reconnaissance and strafing. Detailed logbook entries continue to describe each day’s activities, e.g.: ‘29 March - Sweep Patrol Anzio Invasion Area. W/O Jerry McCully (Canada) destroyed a long nosed 190, and F/O ‘Brook’ Harrington got a probable and a damaged (long-nosed 190s) this morning before breakfast off Anzio these were both later confirmed as ‘destroyed’ by ships - very fine.’ ‘3 April - Sweep Patrol Anzio Invasion Area. Good weather and thin layers of cloud 5/10 - Bandits reported north of Frosinone - Blue Section saw their smoke trails - Jock Sutherland and Tommy Thompson closed to engage them, two short nosed 190s - they were at 20000 ft, the huns at 22000. Enemy aircraft dived steeply - Tommy followed his and shot him down ‘on the deck’ - Jock lost his - I was yellow 2 to Hughie Wells. ‘2 August - Bombing Road-Rail junction and strafing goods train on Bologna-Pesaro R/R - Weather good but towering masses of cumulus up to 14000 ft south of Bologna and over the hills. C.O.’s bomb failed to release on his bombing dive, coming off and exploding underneath him when he was strafing, blowing a hole in his wing. I was only a hundred yards behind him! - My bomb also hung up and was eventually jettisoned. Strafed train but it was empty and would not burn - no flak.’
Orlebar’s wartime operations tail off sharply after 21 November 1944. Aside from a series of internal flights in Italy in the summer of 1945 and a single solo flight in a Messerchmidt 108 in 1946, the only further entries in the logbook are local flights in light trainers in 1957.
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