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THE BENTLEY PRIORY BATTLE OF BRITAIN TRUST APPEAL CHARITY AUCTION the leg, 6.5.1941, when his Hurricane was shot up by a Me.109: ‘Myself Badly Shot Up, 3 109s Shot Down’ (Recipient’s Log Book refers), he went on to claim a shared Z.1007bis on the 25th July with Sergeant Forth, the latter stating in his combat report that he saw pieces fall away from the enemy aircraft after Thompson attacked it, while another squadron pilot saw the aircraft fall burning into the sea 20 miles off Malta. Having then claimed a Macchi 200 confirmed on the 26th July, he shared in a S-79 on the 27th July, and ended the year with a probable Me.109 on the 29th December: ‘Mix up with 6 Me.109s. I confirmed destroyed. Shot up by A.A. and landed on one wheel’ (ibid). Promoted Flying Officer, 24.8.1941, Thompson had a more serious encounter with the enemy at the start of 1942, when, on the 25th January, after having damaged a Ju.88, he was jumped by three Me.109s: ‘Wing was split up at 18,000 feet by 12 Me.109s. On my own at 15,000 feet. Spotted 4 Ju.88s over Hal Far. Attacked and probably destroyed one. Was attacked by 3 Me.109s. Engine Packed up at 3,000 feet. Tried to force land but caught fire at 500 feet and baled out. Hit ground with a hell of a bump!!!’ (ibid). Admitted to Tarfa Hospital with shrapnel wounds, where, on the 30th January, he learnt of the award of his D.F.C., he was discharged at the beginning of February and evacuated to Egypt. Group Captain P.D. Thompson, by Cuthbert Orde The Battle of Britain Commissioned Pilot Officer, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 24.8.1940, Thompson was posted to No. 32 Squadron (Hurricanes), based at Acklington, in September 1940, where he undertook his first operational sorties, before moving south to No. 605 Squadron (Hurricanes) at Croydon early in the following month, where he first came into contact with the Luftwaffe. Under the command of Squadron Leader C. R. “Gerry” Edge, D.F.C., No. 605 Squadron patrolled on a daily basis over Kent and Surrey at the height of the Battle. On the 20th October Thompson damaging a Me.109 southeast of Ashford, before returning to base with a badly shot up propeller. He next damaged two more Me.109s in combats over Faversham and Folkestone on the 1st and 13th November, and gained a Do. 17 probable off Orfedness, 26.3.1941. Embarking for Malta in H.M.S. Ark Royal in the following month, his flying log book recorded a tally of ‘three and a half destroyed, three probables and three damaged’ at this time. Malta 1941-42 Piloting one of 24 Hurricanes that took off from Ark Royal, 27.4.1941, to provide desperately needed additional fighter cover for Valletta harbour, Thompson was posted to No. 261 Squadron after his arrival at Hal Far but, a few days later, he transferred to No. 185 Squadron (Hurricanes) under Squadron Leader P. W. “Boy” Mould, the commencement of a protracted period of active service in which he flew well in excess of 150 sorties, the majority in the immediate defence of the island, but others, too, on offensive sweeps against Sicily and Italy. Slightly wounded by a shell splinter in Third and Fourth Operational Tours Having served as an instructor at an Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.), Thompson embarked on a lengthy period as a test pilot on Kittyhawks and Tomahawks in Ismailia, following which, in March 1943, he returned to an operational footing as a Flight Commander with No. 601 Squadron (Spitfires) in the Western Desert, and completed at least another 30 operational sorties - largely as escort to Kittyhawk and Bostons units, before sustaining burns on crashing on take-off on the 26th April: ‘Crashed taking off at Mellaha!! A trifle burnt.’ (ibid). Returning to the Squadron three months later, now based at Lentini West in Italy, his first flight back was a ‘Shopping expedition to Malta’ (ibid), before completing another 50 operational sorties by the end of the year, many of which were long range straffes, and on the 3rd November he was credited with destroying a brace of S-79s on the ground at Ancona airfield: ‘Ancona Aerodromeself 2 SM.79s Destroyed’ (ibid). Returning to the United Kingdom, Thompson attended a course at the Fighter Leader School at Milfield and on one occasion a week after D-Day flew a Spitfire IX as escort in a strike by 220 Lancasters on Le Havre: ‘Terrific Bombing’ (ibid). In July 1944, with nearly 600 hours operational flying under his wing, Thompson was appointed to the command of No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron (Mustangs), operating out of Brenzett, a command that required him keeping the Maharajah of Mysore abreast of the unit’s activities, the latter having paid for 18 Spitfires when No. 129 Squadron was formed. This, his fourth operational tour, commenced with a flurry of “Diver Patrols” (anti-V-weapon sorties), in which he claimed three as destroyed and two more as shared. He also flew “Ranger” operations over occupied France: ‘Paris looked just the same!!’ (ibid), and in support of the Arnhem operations in September: ‘Escort 1st Airborne Army. Anti- Flak for Gliders but Hun Gunners kept very quiet. Thousands of A/C- Magnificent!!...Dropping supplies to Paratroopers at Arnhem. Filthy weather...Bombing Arnhem. Big dog fight with 50+ Fw.190s and Me.109s’ (ibid). Thompson married Miss Marie-Kathleen Allman, 2.12.1944, and after a brief honeymoon in Sussex was back to escorting Lancasters on bombing raids over Germany, as the Allied advance into North-West Europe continued apace, right up until his participation in the Rhine crossing in March 1945, by which stage he had added over 60 more sorties to his wartime tally, had amassed over 760 hours of operational flying, and been mentioned in despatches. WWW.SPINK.COM
September 6, 2012 - LONDON Biggin Hill and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Awarded the Air Efficiency Award, 24.1.1946, Thompson was granted a regular commission in the Royal Air Force after the War and was advanced to substantive Squadron Leader, 1.1.1949, commanding No. 81 Squadron from January 1949 to September 1951. On advancement to Wing Commander, 1.7.1956, he was appointed Station Commander of RAF Biggin Hill, probably the most famous Battle of Britain aerodrome of all. Here, appropriately enough for a veteran of the Battle, he envisaged and formed the nucleus of what became the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, part of which was collected when, on the 11th July, 1957, he flew in the farewell flight, along with Group Captains Johnnie Johnson and Jamie Rankin, from Duxford to Biggin Hill, the last three Spitfires in first line RAF service. As he wrote many years later, ‘I did have a hand in collecting the aircraft that in due time formed the nucleus of what is now the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’ (Foreword to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight brochure 1999 refers). Today, based at RAF Coningsby, the flight operates six aircraft types, and is famous the world over. Thompson’s last appointment was as Air Attaché at the British Embassy in Lima, Peru, and, having learned Spanish as part of this assignment, he settled with his family in Menorca on his retirement with the rank of Group Captain, 7.9.1975. He died on the 2nd March 2003, aged 82. 75
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DATE SALE NO. Thursday 6 September
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4.3 Bidding as Principal When makin
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5.13.1.3 as soon as possible follow
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£25 © Copyright 2012 STAMPS COINS
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