Ex Air Gunner/Malayan Police service mans gongs!

[notned]

Hello Gents,

I have purchased this nice wee group to an ex Air Gunner from 104 SQN RAF

He served in the Malayan Police as a Police Leutenant no 677

Here are his medals mounted on a medalbar...very nice! excellent condition!

1939-45 Star

Atlantic Star, Missing??? according to his ribbon bar!

Africa Star...Missing a Clasp...according to his ribbon bar!

Defense Medal

War Medal

GSM with Malaya bar Stamped on the rim..677 P/LT T.A.CLARK F.OF.M.POL i think it means Police Leutenant T.A.CLARK F? officer Malayan Police

Whats the 'F' for???

More pics to follow!

Edited June 28, 2006 by notned

[notned]

Here is his Air Gunners Brevet wing

and his ribbon bar, now this is mounted on a proper bar with pins to both levels

And a pic of him in his flight gear during the war...

[notned]

Here is his Police ID card...

[notned]

and the inside ot eh Police ID card..

See him wearing the medal ribbon bar? before the GSM of course...

but the Atlantic is there! and the rosette on the africa star too!

[notned]

and now for an Interesting bit about his Service in Malaya...

apparently he was not a desk Jockey..and spent his time combing the jungle for rebels and other lawless buggers!

Personnally signed by the Malayan Inspector General!

Mohd Hamidi B.MD Yusof

[notned]

and this wee Newspaper clipping from 1949!

Aparently Mr Clark was in NINE air crashes!

Hows that for a survivor!

And nearly taken out by a V2 later in the war!

[notned]

and as a result of being shot down over the Western Desert, he got this!

Dated July 1942

Sounds like quite a Character!

Am in the process of finding out more about his wartime service

and getting to the bottom of the missing medals and the missing bar!

Enjoy!

comments encouraged!

Regards

Paul

[Mike Dwyer]

GSM with Malaya bar Stamped on the rim..677 P/LT T.A.CLARK F.OF.M.POL i think it means Police Leutenant T.A.CLARK F? officer Malayan Police

Whats the 'F' for???

More pics to follow!

Federation of Malyasia Police

[notned]

Federation of Malyasia Police

Thanks Mike!

Makes perfect sense!

So whadda you think?

Cheers

Paul

[Guest Rick Research]

I think this is AMAZING! Think what would have been lost from this group if the loose paperwork was tossed away!!!

After THAT sort of flying record, a nice "quiet" spell in a forgotten "peace time" jungle fighting guerillas must have seemed quite a "vacation!"

Can you track down any information on his later life? In the U.S., we have the Social Security Death Index, which shows when and where someone died, making it easier to find local newspaper obituaries and so on.

Or maybe he is still out there, working as a shark-wrestler or something else non-stressful!!!

This is a story I want to see the REST of!!!

In fact, surviving NINE crashes is worthy of seeing whether there was anybody else who BEAT that record!

SEVEN parachuting incidents would have earned him membership in the Caterpillar Club in the US Air Forces, a similar badge and certificate for "taking to the silk."

(As a side note, my Hamburg friend lived next door to a 27 victories German Luftwaffe NCO ace who never got anything higher than an EK1-- he was shot down or got back shot up and wrecked his fighter nine times and apparently had "points" deducted from his scores for the losses of his own planes. )

Marvelous stuff, and eagerly await the next installment on this story!

[Mike Dwyer]

Thanks Mike!

Makes perfect sense!

So whadda you think?

Cheers

Paul

I'm with Rick, it's absolutely fantastic!

This isn't really my field of interest, but any collecting that keeps articles belonging to one person together and helps to keep that person's deeds alive is a great thing!

Edited June 28, 2006 by Mike Dwyer

[notned]

Thankyou Rick and Mike!

Well i had to 'Dig' up the other bits...as the seller originally was selling just the medalbar and the ribbon bar only...i did some 'research' and found the sellers phone number, and gave them a call.

I came straight out and asked them if there was any other items belonging to the man....

and they said yes they had the photos and some paperwork and some badges, they did not elaborate, i suspect they did not really know how to describe these items, i saked if these items would come with the medals and expalined to them the virtues of keeping the 'group' together.

They said yes, so i said, YES i will buy this set.

Turns out the Gent concerned's wife was a friend of the sellers mother and when he died the medals were given to the seller...i have no idea why...

I have asked them to find out some more about him...so will have to wait and see...

I also have set the wheels in motion to find out about his wartime service...and have got my Grandad onto it.

He is the Secretary of the NZ Brevet Club here in CHCH and has access and contacts to all the Aircrew associations in the UK and himself was a former Wartime Air gunner too! ( 547 SQN RAF)

So will certainly fill you in with any new developments!

Glad you enjoyed it! makes these medals so much more Interesting when you have some paperwork, and paperwork like this is a bonus, as he was definately involved in many facets of war!

And had his fair share of mishaps!

I am very pleased with this group!

You may wonder why i am delving into this world of collecting...( a bit different from Imperial German) but i had to have it...It was a group...and had a story to tell...and a story that could be Researched!

Much more fun!

Cheers Gents,

Paul

[Guest Darrell]

Great stuff. Love the bar as well as the paper tidbits

[notned]

Thanks Darrell!

More developments,

I met a chap the other day, A David Gunby, who wrote the history of 40 SQN RAF.

He is currently working on another History which covers the Air group that encompassed 104SQN.

He promised to look up Mr Clark and see what he could find out about his service and about 104SQN service in the middle east.

So stay tuned! the wheels of research are grinding away!

Regards

Paul