bentley priory - Spink

THE BENTLEY PRIORY BATTLE OF BRITAIN TRUST APPEAL CHARITY AUCTION
3
The Historically Important C.B.E., Second War
‘Immediate’ D.S.O. and Two Bars, D.F.C. and Bar
Group of Nine to Beaufighter and Mosquito Pilot,
Group Captain John ‘Cat’s Eyes’ Cunningham,
Royal Air Force; The Highest Scoring Night
Fighter Ace of the Second World War, With 20
Confirmed Victories; An AI (Airborne
Interception) Pioneer, He Commanded Both 604
Squadron and 85 Squadron Before Being
Promoted Group Captain, Night Operations, HQ
No. 11 Group, Aged Just 26. A Night Fighter Ace
of Almost Unrivalled Ability and a Much Loved
Wartime Hero Amongst the Great British Public,
He Moved Seamlessly into the World of Civil
Aviation - Spending 32 Years Perfecting His Art
As Chief Test Pilot at de Havilland. Breaking Both
Height and Speed World Records He Also
Oversaw the Development From Prototype to
Production of the D.H. 106 Comet - The World’s
First Jet Airliner. Cunningham Gave His Life to
Aviation in Both Times of War and Peace, and
Became a Legend During the Golden Years of
British Aviation
a) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire,
2nd type, Civil Division, Commander’s (C.B.E.) neck
Badge, silver-gilt and enamel, with neck riband, in
Collingwood case of issue
b) Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt
and enamel, obverse centre slightly loose, reverse of
suspension bar officially dated ‘1941’, with Second
Award Bar, reverse officially dated ‘1942’, and Third
Award Bar, reverse officially dated ‘1944’, with
integral top-riband bar, in Garrard & Co. Ltd case of
issue, top additionally dated, ‘29.4.1941’
c) Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., reverse
officially dated ‘1941’, with Second Award Bar,
reverse officially dated ‘1941’, in Royal Mint case of
issue, top additionally dated, ‘9.1.1941’
d) 1939-1945 Star, with Battle of Britain Bar
e) Air Crew Europe Star
f) War Medal, M.I.D. Oak Leaf
g) Air Efficiency Award, G.VI.R. (Act. Sqn. Ldr. J.
Cunningham. A.A.F.)
h) United States of America, Silver Star, in case of
issue
i) Russia, Soviet Union, Order of the Patriotic War,
First Class, 2nd type breast badge, with screw back
suspension, silver, gold, and enamel, reverse officially
numbered ‘53161’, generally good very fine
with a large archive and associated career memorabilia,
including:
- The Segrave Trophy, obverse engraved ‘John
Cunningham’, reverse engraved, ‘Segrave Trophy
1978, For Services to Aviation’, in leather presentation
case
- Royal Aero Club, Britannia Trophy, obverse
engraved, ‘J. Cunningham 1948’
- Royal Aero Club, Britannia Trophy, engraved, ‘John
Cunningham D.S.O., O.B.E., D.F.C., D.L., 1958’
- Royal Aeronautical Society Medal For Advancement
of Aeronautical Science, white metal, edge engraved in
‘G/Capt. J. Cunningham, For Outstanding
Achievements as a Test Pilot, 1951’, in presentation
case
Group Captain J. Cunningham
- The Royal Aero Club Medal, silver-gilt, reverse
engraved ‘J. Cunningham D.S.O., O.B.E., D.F.C.,
1955’, in presentation case
- The John Derry and Anthony Richards Memorial
Medal For Experimental Flying, bronze, reverse
engraved, ‘John Cunningham, 1965’, in presentation
case
- Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, Sir Barnes
Wallis Medal, white metal, reverse engraved, ‘J.
Cunningham, 1997’, in Royal Mint presentation box
- (3) Geoffrey de Havilland Trophy Medals, white
metal, reverses engraved: ‘1948 John Cunningham
Vampire 3’; ‘John Cunningham, D.S.O., O.B.E.,
D.F.C., D.L., 1957’ and ‘Group Captain John
Cunningham C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., 1965’, all in
presentation boxes
- (3) Geoffrey de Havilland Trophy Medals, bronze,
all unnamed and in presentation boxes
- Air League Founders’ Medal, silver-gilt, reverse
engraved, ‘John Cunningham, 1979’, in Spink and
Son presentation case
- The Sir Peter Masefield Medal, gilt-metal, reverse
engraved, ‘John Cunningham 1996’, in presentation
case
- The Daily Mail Initiative Prize Medal Awarded to the
BEALINE Syndicate for the 1959 Bleriot Anniversary
Air Race, white metal, reverse engraved, ‘J.
Cunningham London-Paris-London 19 July 1959’, in
presentation case
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