The well documented Second World War Bomber Command Europe, Mediterranean Malta and North Africa ’Double Tour’ 53 Operational Sortie Wellington Bomber Wireless Operator/Air Gunner’s 1945 Distinguished Flying Cross, flying log book and family medal group awarded to Flight Lieutenant J.C. Biggs, D.F.C., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who came from West Wimbledon, London, and for his first tour when with 104 Squadron, completed 33 operational sorties over France, the Mediterranean including Greece, Italy, and Libya, during which he attacked both Benghazi, Tripoli and Naples on multiple occasions between October 1941 and May 1942. He then went on to fly his second tour with 10 Squadron over Germany between November 1944 and late February 1945, completing a further 20 sorties. His award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted in September 1945, and shortly afterwards he qualified as a Signals Leader. His father fought in the Royal Horse Artillery out on the Western Front with the British Expeditionary Force from 1914 onwards, and also worked as a Postman for the General Post Office in London.
Group of 6: Distinguished Flying Cross, GVI GRI 1st type cypher, reverse dated: 1945, complete with original ribbon and issue pin, and housed in its Royal Mint fitted presentation case; 1939-1945 Star; Africa Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal; War Medal. Together with the Air Council campaign medal award slip, and Air Ministry card box of issue, this addressed to: ‘F/Lt. J.C. Biggs, 12, Trewince Road, West Wimbledon, S.W.20.’ Last five mounted for display.
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Together with the following quantity of original documentation and ephemera:
Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for his award of the Distinguished Flying Cross, this bearing typed details to: ‘Flight Lieutenant John O. Biggs, D.F.C.’
Royal Air Force Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book, cover inscribed: ‘Biggs. J.O.’ and inside opening page inscribed ‘522 Biggs J’, covering the period from 18 April 1941 through 3 August 1945.
Royal Air Force Service and Release Book for an Officer, inscribed to: ‘F/LT J.O. Biggs, 146096’, dated 5 December 1945.
Recipient’s single dog tag, stamped: ‘J.O. BIGGS. OFFR METH 146096 RAF.V.R.’
National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 enrolment card, as issued to J.O. Biggs, of 19 Trewince Road, West Wimbledon, S.W.20.
Royal Air Force Flying Clothing Card issued to Biggs, dated 7 April 1943.
Original photograph of the recipient in uniform wearing his Air Signallers brevet, he qualified for this on 31 October 1945, and shown prior to his putting up the ribbon for his D.F.C.
Recipient’s pair of wartime issue shoulder boards for a Flight Lieutenant.
A brass and silver plated ashtray, this being a presentation piece, and engraved: ‘Presented To F/Lt. J.O. Biggs D.F.C. From Officer’s Mess R.A.F. Moreton-in-Marsh’.
Recipient’s Air Ministry ‘A.M. 23/230’ whistle, this complete with leather strap, as once attached to his flying gear.
Royal Air Force Active Service Edition of the Holy Bible.
Methodist Church On Active Service for God and King duel booklets for Hymns and Prayers and My Faith, these contained in their titled wallet. Also an accompany Prayer Book.
Le Courrier de l'Air edition of 5 July 1944, 4 pages. This being a French-language propaganda pamphlet, as dropped from the air to the French areas which were still occupied by the Germans. Also supplements No.3 and 19 of the same.
A photograph, once the property of Biggs, showing an operations room at R.A.F. Moreton-in-Marsh. This image he supplied for the book on the history of 104 Squadron.
A wartime typed poem on 104 Squadron.
Also items relating to the recipient’s father:
Group of 4: 1914 Star; (26752 DVR. C.A. BIGGS. R.H.A.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (26752 DVR. C.A. BIGGS, R.A.); Imperial Service Medal, GVI 1st type bust; (CHARLES ALFRED BIGGS.), these together with a tunic medal ribbon bar for the first three awards, and all housed in a Queen Mary’s 1914 Christmas Tin.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
John Oliver Biggs was born on 19 November 1914, the son of Charles Alfred Biggs, a Driver (No.26752) in the Royal Horse Artillery, who was then on service out on the Western Front owing to the First World War. His father also worked for the General Post Office as a Postman in the London Postal Region, and was awarded the Imperial Service Medal in the London Gazette for 18 February 1938.
On the outbreak of the Second World War, John Oliver Biggs, who was then living in West Wimbledon, London, was called to attend a medical board, being medically examined at Hounslow on 25 June 1940, and graded A1. Selected for service with the Royal Air Force, as an Air Craftman 1st Class (No.1284522) he was posted to No.2 Signals School at Yatesbury, where he underwent some flying training in Dominie aircraft, and passed out as a Wireless Operator in Morse Code on 19 May 1941, and having been selected for further Air Crew training, was then posted to No.7 Bombing and Gunnery School at Stormy Down to attend a air gunnery course, and passed this course on 4 July 1941, being promoted to Sergeant, being rated an ‘average’ air gunner, having gained further flying experience in both Whitley and Battle aircraft.
Biggs was selected for flying duties with Bomber Command, and was then posted to join No.22 Operational Training Unit at Wellesbourne, where he gained experience in both Wellington and Anson aircraft, though predominantly the former when flying with ‘D’ Flight. He completed this aspect of his training on 28 August 1941, and was immediately posted operational to join No.104 Squadron at R.A.F. Driffield, as a part of ‘B’ Flight, flying in Wellington aircraft, as part of the crew piloted by a Sergeant Forster.
September 1941 saw local familiarisation, and it was not until the night of 1 October that they flew their first mission, a sortied to Boulogne where they ‘bombed target’. This was followed on 3 October by a sortie to Dunkirk and they again, as his log book records: ‘bombed target’. Having completed these two sorties, the squadron was then posted out to Malta and the operations in the Mediterranean. Biggs and his crew would then operate with the squadron detachment operating from R.A.F. Luqa. Some 15 aircraft from 104 Squadron formed this detachment at Luqa, they being assigned targets in Libya, Sicily and Egypt.
Biggs was now flying as a Wireless Operator / Air Gunner in the crew piloted by a Pilot Officer Grey, and they flew from Stanton Harcourt to Malt at night on 19 October, during which he noted it was a ‘very good trip indeed’. On the night of 21 October they bombed Naples, when Biggs noted ‘target bombed large fires - left burning - light flak’. On the night of 22 October they flew a nuisance raid to Tripoli, and then on the night of 24 October flew in another raid to Tripoli, another ’nuisance raid’ he also noted ‘light flak and searchlights ineffective’. On the night of 31 October his aircraft carried 4,000 lbs of bombs during a raid to Naples, with ‘target bombed. Fighters seen and fired at by R/Gunner’.
On the night 2 November he bombed the airfield a Castel Benito and noted that his aircraft also ‘machine gunned aircraft on the ground’. Shortly after their return, that same night they took off and conducted a ‘sea search’, with ‘no sign of dinghy’. On the night of 5 November they dropped 4,000 lbs of bombs on Castel Benito, when he noted a ‘direct hit on target’ and ’trip very satisfactory’. On the night of 7 November he bombed Brindisi, noting a ‘direct hit on railway station’ and ‘fires left burning’. On the night of 8 November he dropped 4,000 lbs of bombed on Naples, this being achieved despite 10/10 clouds over the target, and his aircraft ‘dropped bomb in town area’. He was back over Naples on the night of 11 November, this time noting ’target bombed fires started’. Scheduled to bomb Naples again on the night of 14 November, owing to 10/10 clouds over target, they opted to press on to bomb Catania as an alternate target, with ‘fires started’. Back over Naples on the night of 17 November, his aircraft suffered an engine failure over the target, and ‘returned on one engine’. He was back over Libya with a raid on Benghazi on the night of 23 November, with the ‘target bombed’ and ‘fires started’. Then on 27 November, Naples was once again the target, which was bombed with ‘fires started’.
There was more of the same during December. On the night of 5 December he bombed Naples, noting ‘fires started - defences week’. Then on the night of 7 December he bombed Tripoli again with 4,000 lbs of bombs, noting ‘direct hit - large fires’ and ‘left burning’. On the night of 9 December, he bombed the motor transport depot at Tripoli, and bombed through the gaps in 8/10th cloud, and the results were not seen. On the night of 11 December he bombed Patras in Greece through 7/10th cloud, with hits not observed. On the night of 15 December he bombed Taranto with 4,000 lbs of bombs, and ‘bombed target’ despite a smoke screen in the harbour. On the night of 21 December he bombed Castel Benito and the airfield there, noting ‘aircraft left burning on ground’. At night on 23 December he bombed the barracks at Misurata with ‘target found - bombed - large fires burning’ and a ‘very successful raid’. His final sortie for the year was on the night of 28 December, when he bombed Tripoli again despite light flak which was ‘not very accurate’.
104 Squadron’s time in Malta came to an end, and he flew with it from Malta to Kabrit in Egypt on 3 January 1942. After a couple of aircraft delivery flights, he was back on operations with a night rai to Benghazi on 22 February, having flown to an advanced landing ground, LG.09 to then fly the mission, and finding the target despite good opposition. He bombed Benghazi again on the night of 26 February, once again flying via L.G.09, and bombed the target. Benghazi was again the target on the night of 13 March, when he ‘bombed jetty’ and noted ‘flak and searchlights very accurate’. On the night of 4 April he bombed Berka Main, finding the target, his aircraft’s bombing results were not seen owing to they being ‘clamped by searchlights’ and ‘flak also very accurate’. On the night of 11 April he bombed the runway was the airfield at Heraklion in Crete, and noted the ‘flak very accurate’ and this was his ‘Captains last trip’ with Pilot Officer Grey’s tour coming to an end.
His new pilot was a Sergeant Ward, and on the night of 9 May, having flown to Landing Ground L.G.106, they then bombed Benghazi and the ‘central mole’ there with ‘hits observed’. Via L.G.106 he was back over Benghazi on the night of 13 May, when he ‘bombed ship’ and noted ‘bombs burst very near’ and ‘must have damaged ship’. On the night of 22 May he flew again out to Malta, and from there on the night of 28 May, bombed Messsina, with another bombing mission to Messina being flown on the nigh of 31 May. This completed his first operational tour of duty, he having completed all of his 33 operational sorties.
Biggs did not fly again until he was posted to join No.1446 Flight in November 1942 when back in England, and once again operating in Wellington’s, this being a part of No.311 Flying Training Unit. He was there when he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer (No.146096) into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and its General Duties Branch on 26 April 1943. His unit switched to Anson’s round about mid-October 1943. Biggs was then posted for Signals air training duties to join No.21 Operational Training Unit in December 1943 at Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, flying in both Anson and Wellington aircraft. As of April 1944 he was with this unit flying as part of ‘C’ Flight.
In October 1944 Biggs returned to operations with No.10 Squadron at R.A.F. Melbourne near to Pocklington in Yorkshire, and flying in the Halifax four-engined bombers. He would fly with various pilots initially. As part of the crew of a Flying Officer Daffey, he flew a raid on Dusseldorf on the night of 2 November 1944, noting ‘target seen’. In daylight on 16 November with the crew of a Flying Officer Gibbs, he flew a raid to Julich, and then when still with Gibbs, he flew in a daylight raid to Munster on 18 November. At night on 19 November he flew in a sortie to Essen, now as part of the crew of a Flight Lieutenant Bridgett, whom he would remain with for the rest of his second tour. He flew in a night sortie to Duisberg on 30 November. Then on the night of 2 December he flew in a raid on Hagen, and on the night of 6 December he flew in a raid to Osnabruck.
On the night of 12 December he was back over Essen, and on the night of 17 December flew in a sortie to Duisburg, before completing night sorties to Koblenz on 29 December and Cologne on 30 December. On the night of 16 January he flew in a raid to Magdeburg, but did not complete this operation and turned back early. On the night of 28 January he flew in a sortie to Stuttgart. On the night 3 February he flew in a mining mission, and on the night of 7 February he flew in a raid on Goch, before coming Wanne Eickel on the night of 9 February. On the night of 17 February he bombed Wesel, and then on the night of 21 February bombed Worms. This was followed by daylight sorties to Essen on 23 February, and Kamen on 24 February, this marked the end of his second operational sortie, during which he had flown 20 missions as part of ‘B’ Flight.
He did not fly again until May 1945 when he joined No.21 Operational Training Units detachment the satellite airfield at Enstone, once again flying in Wellington bombers. He remained with this unit until he flew in his last service flight on 3 August 1945. Biggs was a Flight Lieutenant when his award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was published in the London Gazette for 21 September 1943, this having been recommended through his time with No.10 Squadron, he having completed 53 operational sorties by the end of his second tour. Further to this, having attended No.14 Radio School, he qualified as a Signals Leader on 7 November 1945, with effect from 31 October 1945.
