Hero pilot’s medals under the hammer

Kyt · Jul 25, 2008

Only £2000 estimate? With that story it should do atleast double that,

Hero pilot’s medals under the hammer - JournalLive

MEDALS won in a boy’s-own story of wartime heroism are up for sale in an auction this weekend.

Bomber pilot John Topham survived crash-landing in France before being rescued by the Resistance and buried alive to survive capture by the Gestapo.

Flt-Lt Topham was freed from his grave and was then forced to shoot dead an SS officer – who then took the pilot’s place in the tomb.

The details of his remarkable wartime story emerged as his Distinguished Flying Cross, other medals and memorabilia were put up for auction by Newcastle specialist medals and coins firm Corbitts at the Swallow Hotel in Gateshead from 11am on Saturday.

The collection is expected to fetch more than £2,000. Flt-Lt Topham, who was living in Bedlington in Northumberland when he enlisted, was a Lancaster bomber pilot with 514 squadron.

He was attacking a German flying bomb site in Normandy in August, 1944, when his Lancaster was crippled after being struck by a bomb from a higher-flying aircraft.

Flt-Lt Topham skillfully crash-landed the bomber near the town of Beaumont, suffering a broken leg, and was found by members of the French resistance.

He was hidden in a schoolhouse where he spent two months, but as the Germans prepared to occupy the building he was smuggled into the home of a M Duval.

With SS troops conducting house-to-house searches, the 6ft 2in pilot was hidden in a four-foot deep grave dug in the back garden.

He was given a length of rubber tubing through which he could breathe and the grave was decked with flowers. SS officers, who were told that the burial was that of a British pilot who had been shot down and killed, saluted the grave.

Flt-Lt Topham was told he would only have to spend half an hour in the grave while the search went on.

But the Germans posted two sentries nearby and he was entombed for 36 hours before he could be freed. Corbitts managing director David McMonagle said: “He had no way of knowing if Mr Duval had been arrested or shot and if he would be left in the grave.”

But Flt-Lt Topham’s ordeal was not over. As he recovered in the house, an SS officer was seen to return.

The pilot refused to go back into the grave and was instead given a loaded pistol. As the German entered the room, Flt-Lt Topham shot him dead and he was buried in the garden grave.

The pilot was later liberated by advancing Allied forces.

The citation for his DFC comments on the “amazing hardships” endured by Flt-Lt Topham, who had flown on 26 sorties before coming down in France.

He returned to his pre-war job as a constable with Newcastle police, before rejoining the RAF transport command.

He eventually settled in Chapel House in Newcastle, but was killed in 1975 aged 58 after being knocked down by a lorry in Stanhope Street.
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and from the auction website

Corbitt Stamps Ltd - Auction 30 - Lot 161

WWII DFC group of six to Flight Lieutenant J B Topham, RAFVR, a Lancaster pilot with No 514 Squadron who survived being brought down in German occupied territory & who successfully evaded capture.

DFC Geo VI - 1945 additionally engraved 178865 J B TOPHAM 514 Sqn, 1939-45 Star, Aircrew Europe Star, clasp France & Germany, defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 & GSM (EIIR) Clasp Malaya (Flt Lt ...RAF).

Sold with DFC presentation case, Buckingham Palace forwarding slip for the DFC, Commissioning parchment, AOC-in-C Transport Command commendation, photograph & press cuttings etc.

DFC London Gazette 6 February 1945 - A/FO John Backhouse TOPHAM (178865) RAFVR 514 Sqn: 'In air operations, this officer has displayed courage, fortitude & devotion to duty of a high order'. The gazetted citation, which was for public consumption was deliberately guarded but the following recommendation has been extracted from National Archives file AIR 2/9648: 'Flying Officer Topham has taken part in twenty six successful operational sorties as pilot & captain of Lancaster aircraft. These sorties include a wide variety of attacks on heavily defended German targets & important targets in enemy occupied territory. He is a most determined pilot & has set a praiseworthy example by his keenness to take part in operations. During a daylight attack on BOIS-DE-CASSAN, his aircraft was struck by falling bombs from one of our own aircraft & was so extensively damaged that Flying Officer Tophamm had no alternative other than to make a crash landing in enemy occupied territory. The landing was very skilfully executed & the crew escaped injury, except Flying Officer Topham whose legs were injured. In spite of his injuries he managed to get away from the aircraft & evade capture & after a considerable period of waiting during which he endured amazing hardships, he made contact with a resistance Organisation & was cared for by them until our advancing armies captured the place where he was hiding. Flying Officer Topham is strongly recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition of his great courage & his excellent operational record'. The raid on Bois-De-Casson, a flying-bomb supply depot, took place on 3 August 1944. Six of Topham's crew (Lancaster LL716) were taken prisoner, with only himself & the mid-upper air gunner (F Sgt F W Dennehy) evading capture. Topham always believed that he alone survived being captured. The above recommendation refers to 'amazing hardships' & one of these was to be buried in a makeshift grave for some 36 hours, breathing through a narrow tube. Contact was made with the advancing Allied Forces on 1 September 1944 & the full story emerged. His Station Commander at RAF Waterbeach, on seeing the intelligence debrief, lost little time in recommending Topham for IMMEDIATE DFC.

Topham was born on 9 December 1916. A pre war constable with the Newcastle City Police, he enlisted in the RAFVR on 25 April 1940 declaring his home as being Bedlington. He was commissioned on 20 June 1944 & left the Service on cessation of hostilities. He returned to the Newcastle City Police but in June 1950 re-enlisted into the RAF, gaining promotion to Flight Lieutenant on 12 December 1958. He served until 15 November 1966, seeing service in the Far East, with his last few years being employed on ground duties as an aircraft controller. He died prematurely at the age of 58, being killed in a traffic accident in Stanhope Street, Newcastle in 1975. All medals in VF/EF condition. An excellent, emotive group to a gallant pilot.
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Antipodean Andy · Aug 12, 2008

Any word on what the sale price was? Hope they go on public display but that's probably hoping a bit too much!

Kyt · Aug 13, 2008

Don't know who bought them but they went for £2600

liverpool annie · Aug 14, 2008

Kyt said: ↑

Don't know who bought them but they went for £2600
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I wonder who sold them ? family or collector ?

Annie

Kyt · Aug 14, 2008

I'm hoping it was the family inasfar as at least they will benefit rather than someone just making a quick buck.

liverpool annie · Aug 14, 2008

Kyt said: ↑

I'm hoping it was the family inasfar as at least they will benefit rather than someone just making a quick buck.
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It really bothers me to hear of medals being sold ( silly I know ...... but ! ) when you think about what our soldiers went through to deserve them ..... and then families get rid of them to fund a Carribean cruise or something .... makes me very aggitated ( lets say !! ):eyebrows:

Annie

Kyt · Aug 14, 2008

Ah, welcome to the anti-selling club. I'm with you completely about the issue of selling medals and have ranted about it many times on the forum.

liverpool annie · Aug 14, 2008

Kyt said: ↑

Ah, welcome to the anti-selling club. I'm with you completely about the issue of selling medals and have ranted about it many times on the forum.
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I have to say though - that if I had the money ............. I would feel very honoured to catch up with the medals that belonged to "my boys" on my Honour Rolls .... I would make sure they were well looked after !!

Kyt · Aug 14, 2008

It's not just a case of giving the medals a good home - I too buy them if they were up for sale and I had the money (I'd rather they weren't up for sale in the first place). But it is also becoming rather a dodgy area on places like evilbay with so many frauds and con artists selling fakes etc.

There is a set on there at the moment which have reached the £2000 mark which I wouldn't touch with a barge pole (even if I had the money) because the seller has provided no documentary evidence or pictures of the engraved name/mumber etc.

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