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Auction: 8016 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 282

A ´Military´ M.B.E. Group of Five to Whitley Pilot, Flight Lieutenant J.A Cant, Royal Air Force, Shot Down Over Holland and Taken P.O.W., 1941, He Participated in the Creation of 9 Escape Tunnels with Wing Commander ´Hetty´ Hyde During His Time in the Camp at Warburg, Before Being Imprisoned in the Infamous Stalag Luft III at Sagan a) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 2nd type, Military Division, Member´s (M.B.E.) breast Badge, silver, with Royal Mint case of issue b) 1939-1945 Star c) Air Crew Europe Star d) War Medal e) Royal Air Force Long Service & G.C., G.VI.R., ´Ind: Imp:´ (Flt. Lt. J.A. Cant. R.A.F.), very fine, mounted as originally worn, with the following contemporary related documents &c.: - Four Inoculation and Vaccination Certificates, all named and dated to the recipient, and held in named certificate holder - Air Ministry Letter to the recipient concerning premature retirement, dated 11.11.1957 - Copy of The Wooden Horse, by E. Williams, with an ink inscription, ´Proudly to my son-in-law F/Lt. John Cant M.B.E. a P.O.W. at Stalag Luft III - one of the Wooden Horse Boys. G.´, on the inside cover - Copy of Son of Halton, The Memoirs of an Ex-Brat, by Wing Commander C.T. Kimber, D.F.C., with an ink inscription to the recipient signed by the author and dated 29.10.1977 (lot) Estimate £ 600-800 M.B.E. London Gazette 1.1.1958 Flight Lieutenant John Arthur Cant (44174), Royal Air Force. Flight Lieutenant John Arthur Cant, M.B.E. (1912-1996); native of Weston-Super-Mere; joined the Royal Air Force as a ´´Halton Brat´´, 10.1.1928; commissioned Pilot Officer 2.5.1940; served during the Second World War as a Pilot with 78 Squadron (Whitleys), Middleton St. George, County Durham; whilst serving with latter as Pilot of Whitley V Z6823, on an operational sortie to Cologne, 16/17.8.1941, his plane crashed over Holland, ´´T/O 2256 Middleton St. George. Crashed 0315 at Velddriel (Gelderland), 6km SE of Zaltbommel, Holland´´ (Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, refers), of the crew of five, two were killed and three (including Cant) were taken prisoner of war; Cant was interrogated at Amsterdam before being transferred to Dulag Luft, Frankfurt, where he was once again interrogated before being imprisoned in the following camps: Oflag (X) C, Lubeck, 24.8.1941-9.10.1941; Oflag VI B, Warburg, 10.10.1941-2.9.1942; Oflag XXI B, Schubin, 3.9.1942-18.4.1943; Stalag Luft III, Sagan, 18.4.1943-28.1.1945 and Marlag Nord, Tarmstedt, 5.2.1945-10.4.1945; his P.O.W. debrief gives the following under escapes attempted, ´´9 tunnels with W/CMR Hyde in charge at Warburg. 1 successful and 6 officers escaped but were recaptured´´; Flight Lieutenant 1.9.1945; retired 17.11.1959.

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£850