The Extremely Rare and Possibly Unique WW2 MBE (Military) and Dunkirk Evacuation Military Medal (M.M) Medal Group of Acting Group Captain Leslie Ralph Flower of the Royal Air Force, An Unusual Example of an Army Gallantry Award to a Member of the RAF For Service at Sea
The Extremely Rare and Possibly Unique WW2 MBE (Military) and Dunkirk Evacuation Military Medal (M.M) Medal Group of Acting Group Captain Leslie Ralph Flower of the Royal Air Force, An Unusual Example of an Army Gallantry Award to a Member of the RAF For Service at Sea, group consists of M.B.E. 2nd type Military, Military Medal GVI “517225 CPL L. R. FLOWER R.A.F.”, 1939-45 star, Atlantic star, Defence medal, War medal 1939-45 (last 4 unnamed as issued), General Service medal 1918-62 ERII with clasp Malaya “FLT LT. L. R. FLOWER R.A.F”. - Group mounted as worn by the recipient. This group is sold with the following related items, Original bestowal document for the award of the MBE, named to Pilot Officer Leslie Ralph Flower MM RAF and dated 2nd June 1943. Also with case for MBE. Recipients Dunkirk medal in card box of issue. A framed picture (59 x 69.5cm) with caricatures of the members of the officer’s mess RAF Felixstowe, dated October 1949. An engraved silver (h/m Birmingham 1970) presentation cigarette box. The engraving on the lid depicts the Long Range Recovery and Search Craft of the type introduced by Group Captain Flower during his time as Director RAF Marine Craft. The engraving on the front depicts the Seaplane Tender which Group Captain Flower took to Dunkirk in 1940. The inscription on the inside of the lid reads ‘Presented to Group Captain L R Flower MBE MM RAF by the Officers and Airmen of the Marine Branch November 1970’. A cased model, by Brian Williams, of RAF High Speed Launch 127 deploying in support of Operation Jubilee (Dieppe raid 19th August 1942). Flying Officer Flower was Master of this craft during the operation. Presentation plaque with crest for RAF Mount Batten, presented to Group Captain Flower on his retirement from the service. Plaque inscribed ‘Presented to Gp Capt L R Flower MBE, MM RAF from the Officers and Men of RAF Mount Batten November 1970’. 2 printed folders of supporting information providing details of Group Captain Flowers service career and including an extremely detailed account of his involvement in the Dunkirk evacuation written by the Group Captain himself. Memory stick containing an audio file of an interview given by Grp Cpt Flower to Radio Solent on the 50th anniversary of Dunkirk. M.B.E Military – London Gazette 2nd June 1943. Information from the vendor indicates that this award relates to his time at RAF Carsewall when he led the rescue of a number of flying boats that had broken free of their moorings during a storm, thus keeping the unit operational. Military Medal – London Gazette 1st January 1941 ‘The King has been graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallant conduct’, The original citation for the Military medal reads; “One Pinnace and 5 Seaplane Tenders left Calshot at 0430 hours on Thursday, 30th May, and proceeded to Dunkirk to assist in the evacuation of the B.E.F. They were towed by a tug but owing to rough weather the tow had to be cast off and the boats were ordered to proceed under their power. They were then engaged on the very difficult task of ferrying soldiers from the beach to larger vessels lying off the shore. During this operation, although not individually attacked, they were constantly under shell fire and subject to raids. Under difficult circumstances of a lee shore and heavy swell it has been reported that some 500 men were taken off and saved. In the process two Seaplane Tenders were lost, one through over-crowding and the second through damage to propellers and subsequent grounding. On Sunday, the 2nd June, two Seaplane Tenders were required to perform a special duty. The crews were selected from volunteers. During the passage to Dunkirk the two boats were first bombed and then repeatedly machine -gunned by three enemy aircraft. In the attacks Seaplane Tender No.243 was sunk and of the officers, crew and passengers, only one was saved. Seaplane Tender No.276, of which Corporal Flower was in charge, was ordered by the Senior Naval Officer present to carry on to Dunkirk in execution of orders. During the whole of the operations in which the Seaplane Tenders were involved, the coxswains and crews showed a strong sense of discipline and duty. In this, the work of Corporal Flower and his crew is specially mentioned. After being subjected to bombing and machine gun fire, in which his starboard engine throttle controls were shot away, Corporal Flower, when ordered to do so, carried on to Dunkirk, completed his task and returned to Dover with only one engine serviceable. It is considered that the resourcefulness of Corporal Flower and his crew contributed to saving Seaplane Tender No. 276 and the personnel on board when attacked. Thus, a machine gun mounting was improvised out of a towing bollard, engine starting handle, tubing and rope. From this they were able to maintain a high rate of fire with their Lewis Gun. Corporal Flower, during the operation of the 30th May and 2nd June, carried out his duties in a most commendable way and is therefore strongly recommended for the award of the Empire Gallantry Medal or the British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service.’ Leslie Ralph Flower was born in Wanstead, London, on 19th December 1915 and was educated a Loughton School. On leaving school he joined the Ellerman Line as a Navigating Officer Apprentice but following a chance meeting with an RAF Marine Branch detachment in Alexandria he decided on a career change that led him to enlist in the RAF on 22nd March 1934. On completing his training, he was posted to No2 Squadron at Manston as AC2, in March 1935 he was remustered and posted to RAF Calshot as Motor Boat Crew. Pre-war he saw service in Malta and on the outbreak of war he was a Corporal Coxswain back at RAF Calshot. At this point in the war je describes Calshot as being a bit of a backwater and filling his time with anti-sabotage patrols and other general duties until he was approached on the 29th May and asked ‘Are you doing anything this evening?’ Answering in the negative he then found himself 1 of 5 Seaplane Tender Coxswains being briefed for a special mission. The 5 Seaplane Tenders each with a crew of 3, accompanied by a Pinnace and a High Speed Launch left Calshot at 04.30 hrs on 30/5/40 for Dover arriving late the same evening (the Pinnace had to turn back during the trip due to propellor damage and little is known of the role of the High Speed Launch). They were then given their orders to head to Dunkirk the following day with the task of ferry soldiers off the beaches to the bigger ships offshore. They explained to the RN authorities that due to their design the Tenders were unsuitable for beach work as their unprotected propellors and shallow keel would result in damage every time they touched ground but they were told operational limitations must be disregarded because of the overriding need to evacuate troops. The 5 tenders set off at first light on 31/5/40, the plan being to tow them to a point 2 miles from shore at which point they would proceed under their own power, due to poor weather conditions they were actually released 13 miles from shore. On the first run in they lost 2 craft due to taking the ground, the remaining craft carried on the operation collecting some 500 soldiers from the beach during the day. 2 of the tenders sustained cumulative underwater damage to a point that they became virtually unmanageable and had to return to Dover as best they could. Tender ST291 with Coxswain Flower was one of these craft and the engine packed up completely some 20 miles off the French coast and had to be towed back to Dover. In all 3 of the Tenders returned to Dover and on 1st June it was indicated that there was no further requirement for the RAF craft but they still worked on the craft to make two of them serviceable by early Sunday morning, 2nd June. Just before lunch on the Sunday they were advise that the craft would be required to convey Naval Berthing Parties to Dunkirk Harbour to facilitate the evacuation of the rear guard troops. Volunteers were called for and obtained. Extra fuel was loaded, and a couple of Lewis guns ‘borrowed’ and at 14.30hrs the 2 craft each with a crew of 4 as well as a 12 man Naval Berthing Party each set off for Dunkirk. Corporal Flower was Coxswain of ST276. At 17.00hrs they were some 8 miles off the French coast and the 2 craft closed each other for final discussions and briefing at a reduced speed. Without warning they were suddenly attacked by 3 Ju87’s which dropped 3 sticks of bombs and then machine gunned the 2 craft. Rapidly concluding their discussions the craft took avoiding action and the aircraft continued their attack. A further bombing attack resulted in a near miss on ST243 which resulted in the craft splitting along the keel from stem to stern, taking on water it gradually lost way and sank. The remaining craft, ST276, was subjected to another 5 low level machine gun attacks, the second of which put the starboard engine and some of the wheelhouse controls out of action. By continuous, but restricted, manoeuvring coupled with returning steady and accurate fire from their Lewis gun they managed to stay afloat. As soon as the aircraft left, they returned to the site of the sinking of ST243 with a view to picking up those in the water, the senior Naval Officer had embarked on ST243 and was now in the water with the rest of the Berthing Party and crew, he ordered ST276 to abandon the rescue and continue with their original mission to Dunkirk as with 1 engine out of action and with 12 extra passengers the craft would not be able to complete its mission a discussion followed and reluctantly ST276 set off for Dunkirk leaving the survivors in the water. Arriving at Dunkirk at 17.00hrs the Berthing Party disembarked and Cpl Flower asked for further instruction from the Senior Naval Officer at the harbour who was controlling the final evacuation of the rear guard, he was instructed to scuttle the craft and return on one of the destroyers. Flower contested the orders as far as was possible and a compromise was agreed whereby a RNR officer was detailed to come aboard the craft and craft was to make its own way to Dover. They left Dunkirk at sundown and headed out along the coast to where ST243 had been lost but by this time it was dark and they were unable to locate any of those left behind. Eventually that set off for Dover arriving back at 07.30hrs. They later found out that only 1 man, LAC Kernohan, had been rescued from the stricken ST243. Commissioned as Pilot Officer in April 1942, he was posted to RAF Carsewall as an instructor in the following August. On the 19thAugust he was Master of RAF High Speed Launch 127 supporting Operation Jubilee, the raid on Dieppe. During the operation 47 Mayday calls were received and a total of 16 ditched aircrew were recovered. The RAF lost 3 of the 14 High Speed Launches supporting the operation. Promoted to Acting Flight Lieutenant in February 1944 he served in various Air Sea Rescue Marine Craft Units and in early 1945 had been selected to command 1 of 40 Fairmile D Long Range Rescue Craft being readied for passage to the Far East for use in the Pacific campaign, the vessel was a Gibraltar when VJ Day was announced and it was ordered to return to the UK. August 1950 saw promotion to Acting Squadron Leader, with service at Calshot, HQ No 19 Group, HQ Coastal Command and attended Staff College at Bracknell. Following this has posted to Air HQ in Ceylon and in August 1954 he moved to Malaya serving at Butterworth. Returning to the UK in June 1955 he was promoted to Wing Commander in January 1958 and was posted to the Deputy Directorate Marine Craft. In November 1960 he was posted to command No238 Marine Unit at Calshot which then moved to Mont Batten the following April. In April 1964 he was promoted to Acting Group Captain and posted to the Air Ministry as Deputy Director of Marine Craft. During this time he was responsible for the replacement of the wooden hulled launches with modern steel craft capable of long range rescue and recovery duties. He retired from the service in December 1970 and died on 7th June 1994. The proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. Categories: Medals