February 2004 Medal Newsletter

30 April 2004 Auction

We are pleased to announce details of a splendid Victoria Cross group to be sold in our April auction. The Cross was awarded to 905192 Sergeant (later Warrant Officer) Norman Cyril Jackson, 106 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. His citation (London Gazette 26 October 1945) states:

'This airman was the flight engineer in a Lancaster detailed to attack Schweinfurt on the night of 26th April 1944. Bombs were dropped successfully and the aircraft was climbing out of the target area. Suddenly it was attacked by a fighter at about 20,000 feet. The captain took evading action at once, but the enemy secured many hits. A fire started near a petrol tank on the upper surface of the starboard wing, between the fuselage and the inner engine. Sergeant Jackson was thrown to the floor during the engagement. Wounds which he received from shell splinters in the right leg and shoulder were probably sustained at that time. Recovering himself, he remarked that he could deal with the fire on the wing and obtained his captain's permission to try to put out the flames. Pushing a hand fire-extinguisher into the top of his life-saving jacket and clipping on his parachute pack, Sergeant Jackson jettisoned the escape hatch above the pilot's head. He then started to climb out of the cockpit and back along the top of the fuselage to the starboard wing. Before he could leave the fuselage his parachute pack opened and the whole canopy and rigging lines spilled into the cockpit. Undeterred, Sergeant Jackson continued. The pilot, bomb aimer and navigator gathered the parachute together and held on to the rigging lines, paying them out as the airman crawled aft. Eventually he slipped and, falling from the fuselage to the starboard wing, grasped an air intake on the leading edge of the wing. He succeeded in clinging on but lost the extinguisher, which was blown away. By this time, the fire had spread rapidly and Sergeant Jackson was involved. His face, hands and clothing were severely burnt. Unable to retain his hold, he was swept through the flames and over the trailing edge of the wing, dragging his parachute behind. When last seen it was only partly inflated and was burning in a number of places. Realising the fire could not be controlled, the captain gave the order to abandon aircraft. Four of the remaining members of the crew landed safely. The captain and rear gunner have not been accounted for. Sergeant Jackson was unable to control his descent and landed heavily. He sustained a broken ankle, and his right eye was closed through burns and his hands were useless. These injuries, together with the wounds received earlier, reduced him to a pitiable state. At daybreak he crawled to the nearest village, where he was taken prisoner. He bore the intense pain and discomfort of the journey to Dulag Luft with magnificent fortitude. After 10 months in hospital he made a good recovery, though his hands require further treatment and are of only limited use. This airman's attempt to extinguish the fire and save the aircraft and crew from falling into enemy hands was an act of outstanding gallantry. To venture outside, when travelling at 200 miles an hour, at an incredible height and in intense cold, was an almost incredible feat. Had he succeeded in subduing the flames, there was little or no prospect of his regaining the cockpit. The spilling of his parachute and the risk of grave damage to its canopy reduced his chances of survival to a minimum. By his ready willingness to face these dangers he set an example of self-sacrifice which will ever be remembered'.

Warrant Officer N C. Jackson VC with Group Captain G.L. Cheshire, VC DSO DFC
after a Buckingham Palace investiture on 13 Noveber 1945.

Photo via Chaz Bowyer

Sergeant Jackson's Victoria Cross with World War II Medals and Stars is estimated at £120,000-140,000. Further 2004 dates for our orders, decorations and medals auctions are 22 July and 4 November. For more information, or if you are interested in consigning orders, decorations and medals our April 2004 auction, please contact: JOHN HAYWARD: 020 7563 4049 or RICHARD BISHOP: 0207 563 4053

Catalogues
To take out an annual subscription for our auction catalogues, or to purchase catalogues individually, please contact Client Services on 020 7563 4089, or email catalogues@spink.com.

Spink Representatives Out and About
Our representative in North America is William 'Bill' F. Brown Jr who can be contacted at:
PO Box 2221
Lompoc
CA 93438 2221
USA
tel 805 740-9714
fax 805 740 9704
email: wbrown@utech.net

Our representative in Australasia is Mike Downey who can be contacted at:
PO Box 274
Double Bay
NSW 1360
Australia
tel 0408 215 404
email: mikerayd@yahoo.com

Spink Auction Service
For those who prefer to engage an agent to bid on their behalf at the major auctions in London of Orders, Decorations and Medals, Spink offers this as a free service. A representative from the Medal Department attends all major auctions and will be pleased to act on your behalf. The procedure for retaining Spink in this capacity is very straightforward, just contact John Hayward on 020 7563 4049.

Selling Medals at Spink
Although sale at auction of orders. medals and decorations is very successful, some clients still lean towards sale by private treaty. We at Spink are very interested in the straight purchase of both collections and individual items and will be pleased to discuss such arrangements.


Buying Medals on the Spink Website
We continue to offer more items for sale via our Website sales list. New items are added frequently, usually every two weeks. Please consult the site regularly so that you do not miss new items as the Website list is proving very popular .

Please note that items cannot be reserved and will remain on the site available for purchase until a firm sale has been completed.

•Click here to browse a selection of medals online

BRITISH BATTLES AND MEDALS
Seventh Edition

The Editorial Team is now working relentlessly to complete the manuscript for the next edition of this important medallic reference work. Our thanks to the many collectors who have supplied corrections, addenda and suggestions. We have had a wide variety of interesting contributions which will add significantly to the comprehensiveness and accuracy of this book. Further information about British Battles and Medals and its publication will follow in due course.

NEW REFERENCE WORKS FOR MEDAL COLLECTORS

The Spink Book Department has published a 96 page catalogue of books on coins and medals, which can all be ordered through the Department. The bulk of the material listed in the catalogue are in-print books which are considered to be standard works for collectors, dealers, museum curators and those interested in any aspect of numismatic study. The catalogue is £3 including postage. If you would like a copy then contact:

Philip Skingley
Spink and Son Ltd
Book Department
69 Southampton Row
London WC1B 4ET

email: etran@spink.com
fax: +44 (0) 20 7563 4068

Please include credit card details to cover the £3 charge.

This month a new work of reference for medal collector is:

THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING MEDAL: A Record of Courage 1918-1996
by I.T. Tavender. Savannah Publications, London, 2004. 624 pages. Papercase £32.00

Since the institution of the Distinguished Flying Medal in 1918, 6920 Medals, 62 First Bars and one Second Bar have been awarded to Non-Commissioned Officers and Airmen of the Royal, Dominion and Allied Air Forces for acts of courage in the air in the face of the enemy. This unique work is divided into five main sections:

1. First World War period 1918-1919
2. Between the Wars Period
3. Second World War Period 1939-47
4. Post Second World War Period 1949-1982
5. Roll of Honour 1939-47

Each of the four sections contains its own register of Distinguished Flying Medal recipients arranged alphabetically. Full names are given together with other details of those who lost their lives in action, as a result of wounds received or from accidents whilst on active service 1939-47.

CASUALTY ROLL FOR THE ZULU AND BASUTO WARS: South Africa 1877-79
compiled by I.T. Tavender. Savannah Publications, London, 2004.56 pages. Papercase £9.00

This classic work has long been out of print. Previously available only in hardback, it has now been republished as a softcover edition. This roll is the most comprehensive published reference to the Colonial and Imperial battle casualties sustained during the Zulu and Basuto Wars in South Africa 1877-79. Compiled from official despatches, medal and muster rolls, soldiers' discharge papers and a variety of books and newspapers, considerable attention has been given to the cross checking of entries from all these sources to minimise the inevitable errors, omissions and duplications. Divided into two sections - Colonial and Imperial - each entry is listed alphabetically by regiment and rank, with the nature, date and location of casualty. Casualties to the Royal Navy are listed similarly but alphabetically by ship.

Spink Contact Address
Spink & Son Ltd,
69 Southampton Row,
Bloomsbury,
London
WC1B 4ET

Tel: +44 (0)20 7563 4000
Fax: +44 (0)20 7563 4066
E-mail: info@spink.com