Australian Groups

Lot 2069    Session 7 (11.30am Wednesday)    Australian Groups

Estimate $3,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $6,500

GROUP OF SIX: Distinguished Flying Cross (GVIR); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star with France and Germany bar; Defence Medal 1939-45; British War Medal 1939-45; Australia Service Medal 1939-45. 409508 E.T.Cappi on fourth, fifth and sixth medals. First three medals unnamed, last three medals engraved. Extremely fine.

Ernst Thomson Cappi. F/O R.A.A.F. Enl.12Sep1941 Dis.22Feb1946. DFC.: C.G. 15Oct1943 for 'Flying Officer Cappi has completed a number of successful bombing raids. His first two flights were attacks on Berlin, during which he was able to demonstrate his efficiency and accurancy as navigator. On a number of sorties against the Ruhr area he has continued to display confident disregard of danger. This Officer's crew have obtained many fine photographs of target areas.' Extract from Assumption College Annual, 1943 'Boys who were at Assumption in 1927-1930 will be pleased to learn Ernie Cappi has been singled out for special mention and has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He left the service of the Commonwealth Wool and Produce Company in May, 1941and went into training camp at Victor Harbour, South Australia. After completing the course there, further training courses were taken at Mt Gambier, Port Pirie and Nhill from which he emerged with a commission. With a group of men who had done the same course, he left for England in August, 1942. After further training there he was posted to the Lancaster Bombing Squadron and was engaged in operational flights over France, Germany and Italy, from all of which he returned without a scratch. Said one daily paper: 'Probably the most dramatic night was spent by the crew of a Lancaster, piloted by E.T.Cappi, that did not reach the continent. The plane quickly became coated with ice and the pilot could not maintain altitude. Because of this, the bombs were dropped in the sea and the pilot turned for home. But the planes radio 'packed up'and so did the navigator, Pilot Officer Cappi. 'We brought Cappi round' said a Flt-Sgt, 'but lack of oxygen has the same effect as too much alcohol, and he didn't care whether he got back or not until we put in a lot of work on him. There we were flying around in the rain and thick cloud without the faintest idea of where we were. And the temperature was 30 below freezing point. At last we saw searchlights poke into the clouds. We had been up about seven hours and didn't know whether we were over Poland or Ireland. Our radio could send a message about a mile, so we came down to about three quarters of a mile above ground, hoped for the best and tapped out a message. Fortunatley the searchlight was near a drome, so we made out O.K.' Congratulations, Ernie on your decoration. May good luck and good judgement be yours to the end of your dangerous work'. Together with research, Observer cloth badge, cap badge, Pathfinder badge, sweetheart badge in gold, photographs, official letters including letter of Entitlement, newspaper clippings, photocopy of Record of Service, book 'Strike and Return'.