Beschreibung:

The Property of Squadron Leader N. F. Duke, D.S.O., O.B.E., D.F.C., A.F.C. The historic archive, career memorabilia and Second World War fighter ace’s D.S.O., D.F.C. and 2 Bars, Czech M.C., post-war test pilot’s O.B.E., A.F.C., Queen’s Commendation group of twelve awarded to Squadron Leader Neville Duke, late Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and Royal Air Force, the famous record-breaking Chief Test Pilot at Hawkers: his wartime score of 27 confirmed victories and two shared placed him equal to the likes of “Ginger” Lacey and “Bob” Stanford Tuck - and second only to “Johnnie” Johnson The Honours and Awards: Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., 1st issue, the reverse of the suspension bar officially dated ‘1943’; The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., with Second and Third Awards Bars, the reverse of the Cross officially dated ‘1942’, the Second Award Bar ‘1943’ and the Third Award Bar ‘1944’; Air Force Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1948’; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Africa Star, clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals; Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air, silver badge, hallmarks for Birmingham 1954; Czech Military Cross, mounted as worn, good very fine or better (12) The Duke Archive: (a) The warrant for Duke’s D.S.O., dated 9 April 1943, and signed by the King and Archibald Sinclair, framed and glazed. (b) The warrant for Duke’s O.B.E., dated 1 January 1953, and signed by the Queen and Queen Mary, framed and glazed. (c) The certificate for Duke’s Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air, dated 27 September 1955, in the name of ‘Neville Frederick Duke, D.S.O., O.B.E., D.F.C., A.F.C., Chief Test Pilot, Hawker Aircraft Ltd.’, framed and glazed; together with related investiture letter from the Minister of Supply, dated 25 November 1955. (d) The bestowal document for Duke’s award of the Czech Military Cross, dated 1946 (‘No. 32. 119’), framed and glazed. (e) Duke’s flying log books covering the continuous period August 1940 to November 1995, commencing with a privately bound volume containing his first four flying log books, gilt spine title ‘Pilot’s Flying Log Book - Neville F. Duke - Vol. 1’, and with privately printed Record of Service (Appointments, aircraft types flown, airfields flown from, victories, etc.), the entries incorporating continuous acitivity from his first flight in a Tiger Moth on 20 Augsut 1940 through to his last flight in the R.A.F. on 21 June 1948, the operational entries for the U.K., North Africa and Italy often of an unusually detailed nature, and with frequent inserts, some pasted-down, including newspaper and magazine cuttings, photographs and the telegram reporting him “Missing” after he was shot down on 5 December 1941; ‘Volume II’ of an identical format with similar gilt spine inscription, and containing another four flying log books, commencing with his first flight for Hawkers on 19 July 1948 and ending with a flight for Aircraft Services on 20 March 1958, and consequently comprising a highly important record of his test pilot work, not least on the Hunter programme (and, of course, his assorted record flights), together with several inserts, some pasted-down, including deck-landing training assessment certificate, dated 5 February 1949 (‘Very safe and accurate’) and Royal Aero Club letter regarding 100 kilometre closed circuit course record, dated 19 September 1953, and a quantity of wartime carbon copy, or handwritten copies, of his numerous combat reports, these contained in rear cover pocket; four R.A.F. Form 414 flying log books, covering the periods April 1958 to September 1961, September 1961 to July 1963, July 1963 to March 1965 and March 1965 to May 1967, and largely therefore flights in Dove aircraft while employed by the Dowty Group; and three further R.A.F. Form 414 flying log books, of larger format, covering the period