orders, decorations, campaign medals and militaria - Spink

orders, deCoratioNs, CampaigN medaLs aNd miLitaria
Second Lieutenant C. Taylor (front row, far right)
470
Three: Second Lieutenant C. Taylor, Royal Naval
Air Service and Royal Air Force
British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut. C. Taylor.
R.A.F.); France, Croix de Guerre, 1914-1918, very
fine, with Commission appointing Cyril Taylor,
Second Lieutenant, Royal Air Force, dated 1.4.1918,
this framed and glazed (3)
£100-140
Second Lieutenant Cyril Taylor, born 1899; commissioned
Temporary Probationary Observer Officer, Royal Naval Air
Service, 27.10.1917; after training posted as an Observer to
202 Squadron (D.H. 4’s), Dunkirk, 17.4.1918; the squadron
was mainly tasked with bombing and reconnaissance on
targets in Belgium, and on 3.6.1918, when flying with
Lieutenant A.L. Godfrey in D.H. 4 N.5997, ‘When 10 miles
off Ostend, flying at 3,000 feet, observed 7 enemy seaplanes
2,000 feet below. On sighting E.A. went down to see what
they were, then dived on the leading machine, firing but
missed it, so turned to allow Observer to fire. Repeated this
four times; after last dive one two-seater was seen to crash
into the sea nose first, about 3 miles off Ostend, but did not
turn over. Pilot fired a total of 200 rounds, and Observer 150
rounds’; and on 18.6.1918, when flying with Lieutenant
Round in the same aircraft, ‘Observed 5 E.A. off Ostend at
17,000 feet which were attacked, Pilot fired about 35 rounds.
1 E.A. single seater seen to go down about 4,000 feet when
he was still absolutely out of control. Attention then had to
be paid to two other E.A., so his descent could not be
watched further. Observer’s gun jammed before any rounds
were fired’; discharged March 1919.
Croix de Guerre unconfirmed.
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