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Auction: 25112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 215

The British War Medal awarded to Flight Sergeant T. Turnbull, South African Royal Flying Corps, the winner of a rare D.C.M. to the unit in East Africa

British War Medal 1914-20 (Z-31 F/Sgt: T. Turnbull S.A.R.F.C.), good very fine

[D.C.M.] London Gazette 1 February 1917, the original citation, published on 3 March 1917 states:

'For conspicuous devotion to duty. He has performed consistent good work throughout and has kept all his machines in serviceable condition under most trying circumstances.'

Thomas Turnbull was born at Newcastle in 1886 and emigrated to South Africa, enlisting at Cape Town with the nascent South African Aviation Corps on 31 August 1915. Entering the war in German South West Africa on 24 March 1915 as a Corporal he served there until No. 26 Squadron was posted to East Africa in December 1915, with Turnbull arriving at Mombasa in January 1916.

There Turnbull was promoted Flight Sergeant on 22 May 1916, he was in Morogoro, near Dar-es-Salaam on 17 January 1917 where he was reported sick. The Squadron's role at the time was largely reconnaissance, trying to track the columns of German Askari, resisting the British advance. By 1918 the need for these aircraft had largely abated and they returned South Africa on 8 February 1918, embarking for Britain on 6 June. However, they were never deployed to France, instead remaining in Britain for the rest of the war; sold together with copied research.

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Sold for
£300

Starting price
£95