WW1 ROYAL FLYING CORPS MEDAL PAIR AWARDED TO FIGHTER PILOT ERIC OSWALD PERRY, 20 SQUADRON. ORIGINAL AND FULL SIZE. WAR MEDAL AND VICTORY MEDAL CORRECTLY NAMED TO LIEUT. LOCKET CONTAINING TWO PHOTOGRAPHS OF PERRY. BOOK, PUSHER ACES OF WORLD WAR I. LIEUTENANT PERRY IS MENTIONED ON A FEW OCCASIONS. COPY OF RFC SERVICE HISTORY AND MEDICAL BOARD PROCEEDINGS (LARGE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH). ERIC OSWALD PERRY BORN NOTTINGHAM 12th JANUARY 1898. JOINED THE 3/7Bn SHERWOOD FORESTERS, NOTTS AND DERBY REGIMENT, BEFORE JOINING THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS AS A PILOT 7th NOVEMBER 1915 (ONLY SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD). LONDON GAZETTE (8/6/1917) 8th FEBRUARY 1917 NEW FLYING OFFICER 2nd LIEUTENANT E O PERRY OF NOTTS AND DERBY REGIMENT. LONDON GAZETTE 7th JANUARY 1918, PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT. LIEUTENANT PERRY SERVED IN THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS FOR 3 YEARS 6 MONTHS. COPY OF MEDAL INDEX CARD SHOWING ENTITLEMENT TO WAR MEDAL, VICTORY MEDAL AND SILVER WAR BADGE. INFORMATION FROM 20 SQUADRON RECORD BOOK, NATIONAL ARCHIVES, KEW. FEBRUARY 24th 1917, LIEUT PERRY FIRST APPEARS ON FLYING ROSTER. OFFENSIVE PATROLS 1st, 17th, 24th March, BOMB RAIDS, 24th MARCH AND 3rd APRIL. WEATHER WAS VERY POOR DURING MARCH AND APRIL. 6th APRIL, PERRY FLYING WITH PTE ALLUM IN A6370 (WITH OTHER FE2D`s) TO BOMB GERMAN AMMUNITION AND SUPPLY DUMP AT LEDEGHEM. AS THEY WERE GETTING INTO LINE FOR A BOMBING RUN A HALBERSTADT SCOUT SUDDENLY APPEARED ABOVE AND IN FRONT OF THEM. PARRY AND ALLUM OPENED FIRE AS THE HALBERSTADT DIVED ACROSS THIER FRONT AND TRIED TO GET ROUND ONTO THEIR TAIL. PERRY OUTMANOEUVRED THE HALBERSTADT AND KEPT CLOSE BEHIND STILL FIRING. AS THE HALBERSTADT TRIED TO DIVE AWAY IT WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE GROUND STILL DIVING. THIS WAS OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED AS HIS FIRST OF HIS TWO AIR COMBAT VICTORIES. IT IS BELIEVED THE GERMAN PILOT SURVIVED. AT 06.14 SEVEN F. E, `S SET OUT TO ESCORT SEVEN OF 45 SQUADRON`S SOPWITH 11/2 STRUTTERS ON A PHOTO-RECONNAISSANCE MISSION NORTH OF YPRES. ON THE RETURN LEG THE TWO FORMATIONS WERE INTERCEPTED BY A LARGE NUMBER OF ALBATROS SCOUTS. PERRY AND SAYERS WERE FLYING IN A6403. AS THE SOPWITHS MADE THEIR ESCAPE WITH VITAL PHOTOGRAPHS THE F. `S TURNED AND ATTACKED THE GERMANS. PERRY IS CREDITED WITH AN ALBATROS GOING DOWN IN FLAMES. THIS WAS PROBABLY JASTA 18`S LIEUTENANT FRITZ KLEINDIENST. PERRY HAD TO MADE A FORCED LANDING NEAR YPRES DUE TO BULLET DAMAGE TO ENGINE. 20 SQUADRON CARRIED OUT TWO SUCCESSFUL RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS. DURING ONE OF THESE MISSIONS PERRY AND ALLUM WERE SHOT DOWN CRASHING NEAR SANCTUARY WOOD. BOTH WERE INJURED, PERRY WAS SHOT IN THE THIGH BY A MACHINE GUN BULLET WHICH ALSO DAMAGED HIS KNEE, HE NEVER FLEW AGAIN. THE INJURY TO HIS LEG RESULTED IN HIS DAMAGED LEG BEING 2 1/2 SHORTER THAN HIS GOOD LEG. A SPECIAL BOOT WAS MADE FOR HIS DAMAGED LEG. SADLY IN 1937 PERRY FELL DOWN THE STAIRS OF A BUS AND DIED OF HIS INJURIES. THE MEDALS ARE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION WITH NO DAMAGE. The item “WW1 ROYAL FLYING CORPS MEDALS, PILOT ERIC PERRY, 20 SQUADRON, 2 KILLS, WOUNDED 1917″ is in sale since Monday, March 18, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectables\Militaria\World War I (1914-1918)\Medals/ Ribbons”. The seller is “celtic_1966″ and is located in Gloucester. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
- Country/ Organization: Great Britain
- Issued/ Not-Issued: Issued
- Type: Medals & Ribbons
- Conflict: World War I (1914-1918)
- Service: Air Force
- Era: 1914-1945
