POW's 1914-15 Star to Pte W.G.L. Bodley 5th M.R., BWM and Vi...

Hammer

£280

POW's 1914-15 Star to Pte W.G.L. Bodley 5th M.R., BWM and Victory Medal with MID oakleaf to 2 Lieut W.G.L. Bodley R.A.F., WW2 1939-1945 Star un-named, BWM and Africa Service Medal to 251408 W.G.L. Bodley, very fine to extremely fine, with matching set of swing mounted miniatures. William George Lewis Bodley was mentioned in Maj Gen Hoskins despatches for East Africa dated 30/5/17 and published in London Gazette dated 7th March 1918 while serving as 115 Sgt in the South African Field Artillery. He was appointed Temp 2nd Lieut in RFC 19/9/17, confirmed in rank as 2nd Lieut (Observer Officer) 21/5/18, relinquished his commission caused by wounds 6/3/20.
He joined 110 Sqn 2/8/18 and the Sqn moved to Bettoncourt, France 31/8/18. The Sqn flying DH9A bombers began operations against Germany with a raid on Boulay 14/9/18 and Bodley was flying with his pilot Capt Andrew Glover Inglis but this raid was aborted. On 15 Sept they attacked Buhl airfield successfully. On 25 Sept, 12 aircraft attacked Frankfurt and were involved in 5½ hours of combat with various formations of German fighters during which the Sqn had 6 planes shot down, the Sqn claimed 2 enemy fighters, 1 a Fokker D.VII was claimed by Inglis and Bodley. Combat record records "Fokker with 6 others came up on the formation from the right. This particular machine stalled up at leader of formation, then fell away, but he came up on a climbing turn with the rear of the formation. He then stalled again, upon which 2nd Lieut Bodley fired a burst and EA went down obviously out of control."
On 5th October, a 13 aircraft raid on Cologne was undertaken with 4 Sqn aircraft being lost including Bodley & Inglis who landed their aircraft intact and were taken POW. He was repatriated 28/1/19. The aircraft Bodley was flying in, F1010, is now on display in the RAF Museum, Hendon, after lengthy negotiations with the Polish authorities in the 1970s and is thought to be the only surviving DH9A in existence. With copied RAF service papers, LGs and RAF Hendon notes on aircraft. (See lots 7 and 10 for father and grandfather's medals) (R)