The medals, war diary and historic aerial photographs of the...

Hammer

£3,800

The medals, war diary and historic aerial photographs of the "Tirpitz" of Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Dunworth DSC, RN, comprising:

Medals
Distinguished Service Cross, lower limb dated 1942, hallmarked 1941, 1939-1945 Star, Atlantic Star, Arctic Star, Defence Medal and War Medal.
Pair, British War Medal and Victory Medal 82613 Pte G Morley RAMC.

Diary
Walker's Pocket Diary for 1942, with occasional lengthy descriptive entries mid February - mid June, inscribed on endpaper S/L(A) G Dunworth DSC RNVR 38 Rochdale Road Blackley Manchester 9.

In early 1942 the German battleship "Tirpitz" was deployed to Norway and stationed near Trondheim. There it again became the high priority target of the Royal Navy, such was the grave danger the battleship posed to Arctic Convoys. A search force of six Fairey Albacore bi-plane torpedo bombers from HMS "Victorious" was dispatched to locate the Tirpitz early on March 9 following intercepted Enigma messages that the German battleship was moving to attack Convoys QP8 and PQ12. As Observer on one of the aircraft, Dunworth, an accomplished photographer, captured images of the German battleship accompanied by the destroyer Z14 Freidrich Ihn taking avoiding action at sea. They are a unique record not only of the perilous lives of Albacore crews but also one of the most famous battleships in the history of naval warfare. Dunworth's diary included in the lot record the events of that morning: "05:00 Flap for Emergency Reconnaissance... took off at 06.30 with L/A Davies and S/L Birch. Just over an hour later the pilot reported an "island" about 25-30 miles ahead. It was the "Tirpitz" escorted by one destroyer. Remained shadowing and reporting along with another of our aircraft who sighted about the same time. She was a tremendous size and amazingly fast and seemed to be as manoeuvrable as a destroyer. At 08:40 tracer suddenly flashed by the window and then a long burst in the back cockpit. I saw water bottles and fire extinguishers smash up and then a lot of blood all over the place. Fighter had got unobserved under our tail and closed right in before firing. Warned pilot and conned him into cloud and safety before second burst could get us. Luckily remained conscious [and] was able to navigate back despite blood over my instruments and charts (it froze solid with cold and had to be scraped off). My chart board shot up... Reached fleet and landed at 09:30. Put on stretcher and taken down torpedo lift to emergency dressing station."  

Dunworth goes on to give an account of the attack by twelve Albacores that immediately followed his mission, and the losses "...Plane was on fire as it pulled out of dive but Ray kept it under control and dropped his fish [torpedo] before crashing. He was my normal driver [pilot] a good pal and a first class pilot".  

The albums contain many other images of Royal Navy and enemy aircraft, including the Bismarck turning away from an air attack and on fire after aerial torpedo attack.

Photographs
1941-1948. Seven albums of approximately 770 photographs, many unique and almost all unpublished, mostly taken by Geoffrey Dunworth and captioned, almost all mounted on corners only, including aerial reconnaissance photographs of the Tirpitz, Royal Navy convoys and ships, aircraft in flight, formation, crashes on land and sea, formal and informal groups of his Fleet Air Arm shipmates, King George VI boarding HMS "Victorious" August 1941, rescued crew of a German U-boat boarding the same, scenes ashore at naval and other overseas locations from Iceland to Australia and few scenes on home leave.

Other items
Comprising Zenith deck watch, No 3286551, 1942 in "Staybrite" screw-back case, maker's name, number and Broad Arrow on dial and movement, Fleet Air Arm cloth insignia and tunic buttons, miscellaneous medals, including replicas, signalling telescope by Aitchison London, No 7383, sheathed in stitched brown leather with lens caps, a crudely chiselled Indian steel jambiya, Pilot's Notes General 4th edition ring bound card covers 1949 (G Dunworth Lieut DSC RN), notes on a copied typescript of a Short Radar Course 1949, foolscap, English Electric Company Ltd Canberra B Mk II Schedule of Flight Test Requirements 3, 1953, blue wrappers, foolscap, cloth covered aircraft navigator's folder, two privately printed Christmas cards and a letter from the popular author, conservationist and WWII and G Dunworth's wartime friend, John Moore (1907-1967)  


Provenance: The recipient Lieutenant Commander G Dunworth DSC, RN; thence by descent to the present vendor.