British Groups

Lot 1433    SESSION 6 (9.30AM TUESDAY 31ST AUGUST)    British Groups

Estimate $5,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $11,000

PAIR: Air Force Cross (EIIR); South Atlantic Medal 1982 with rosette designating service in combat zone. Glen Tilsley Orion 1978 on first medal, Lt G J Tilsley AFC RN 829 Sqdn on second medal. First medal engraved, second medal impressed. Extremely fine.

Together with dog tags in aluminium (2, circular and hexagonal), named, 'A A Avn/G.J.Tilsley/239073/C of E'; pilot wings (3, bullion, metal and woven); pilot name badge for Glen Tilsley; other embroidered badges for Fleet Air Arm, 706 Naval Air squadron; 737 Naval Air Squadron; 814 Naval Air Squadron; 820 Naval Air Squadron; 824 Naval Air Squadron; Pilot wings badge named to Glen Tilsley; RAN bullion shoulder boards for Lieutenant Commander; R.A.A.F. Base, Fairbairn A.C.T. round patch; Army Air Corps pilot brevet; Army shoulder boards for Australian Army Aviation Captain; light blue officer's lanyard; Australian Army uniform flag patch; gilt and enamel lapel badge for HMS Illustrious; Australian Army Aviation collar badge; length of chain missing clips (used for wearing dog tags); RN Identity card; appointment document from the Governor-General of Australia commissioning Glen James Tilsley as an officer of the Australian Army; various photographs and documents; Royal Hong Kong Golf Club patch; photocopy of Royal Navy, Pilots Flying Log (very large number of pages); various newspaper clippings.

AFC: LG 28/11/1978, p14251 to Lieutenant Glen James Tilsley, Royal Navy.

Citation: 'On the evening of Wednesday 1st February 1978 at the height of a Force 10 storm the oil drilling rig Orion with a maintenance crew of 33 men on board broke away from its tow and began to drift towards Guernsey where it subsequently grounded on the rocks on the west coast of the island. In response to a call from Brixham Coastguard, Sea King 592 of 706 Naval Air Squadron was launched from the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose at 2255, followed by Sea King 594 shortly afterwards. Lieutenant Glen James Tilsley, Royal Navy. Lieutenant Robert George Davidson, Royal Navy. Lieutenants Tilsley and Davidson were the pilot and observer respectively of Sea King 592 which arrived on the scene to find the rig hard aground. The rig's four support legs were raised and towered more than 200 feet above sea level. Waves were breaking through and over the helicopter landing platform which was the only practicable winching area and which was almost at sea level. 592 approached the rig and established a hover over the platform close to the support legs and 80 feet above sea level.

In 60 knot winds, considerable turbulence and with only the rig lights for visual reference Lieutenant Tilsley held 592 in position whilst Lieutenant Davidson was lowered onto the rig's platform to effect the rescue using the double lift method. Davidson had to dispel the rig's crew's fear of the breaking waves and dense spray before he could start carrying out the rescue. In all he was winched down 11 times in the most appalling conditions to pick up 11 of the Orion's crew. Having landed the survivors safely at Guernsey Airport it was found that the other Sea King had experienced a primary hydraulics failure and had had to be shut down. Consequently 592 returned alone to the rig to attempt a further rescue.

On arrival it was discovered that the rig had yawed on the rocks through nearly 180 degrees and a cross wind hover with minimal visual references, was the only possible method of approaching the platform. In the same atrocious conditions and with very small clearances for the main and tail rotors, Lieutenant Tilsley again held 592 in position whilst Lieutenant Davidson was lowered, rescuing two more survivors before further movement of the rig made hovering impossible. During the second lift Lieutenant Tilsley experienced considerable difficulty in controlling the helicopter in the violent cross wind and at one point, with Lieutenant Davidson and a survivor swinging 60 feet below the aircraft in the rescue strop, he ran out of tail rotor control and lost all visual references. Only excellent crew co-operation saved the situation. At 0240 rescue attempts were abandoned for the night. At 0940 with weather conditions almost as bad as the previous night, Lieutenant Tilsley and his crew returned to the scene to recover the last survivors from the rig.

Throughout the rescue Lieutenant Tilsley displayed professional competence of the highest order. Moreover, as the senior aircrew officer of the two helicopters he accepted responsibility for the conduct of the entire mission, going virtually without sleep from the time he was scrambled until both helicopters returned to Culdrose some 15 hours later. He not only executed the rescue in daunting and extremely dangerous conditions but also kept himself personally at readiness throughout the rest of the night at Guernsey Airport, where he could supervise the safety of his aircraft and be available immediately if needed. His great courage, supreme flying skill and devotion to duty during this hazardous rescue were of a wholly exemplary nature. Lieutenant Davidson also displayed professional competence of the highest order. His great courage and devotion to duty in performing a total of 17 double lift rescues under appalling conditions were in the finest traditions of the Service.'

One news report in the Daily Express on 9 November 1978 stated:- A pilot who flew with his brave crew into "the jaws of Hell" was honoured yesterday as one of Britain's Men of the Year. Lieutenant Glen Tilsley, 31, was at the controls of a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter which took part in a breathtaking rescue of oil-rig men off the Guernsey coast in a storm last February. Flying in highly dangerous conditions he manoeuvred his machine in between the pitching legs of the rig to enable his winch crew to bring 17 men to safety. The young officer was in good company yesterday when he joined 10 other Men of the Year at a lunch in London given by the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation. One who was glad to shake his hand was lifeboat coxswain John Petit of Guernsey - himself one of the heroes of that night. He said: "We all had our hearts in our mouths."

Glen James Tilsley, born 27Oct1947 at Gillingham, Kent, UK; raised in Singapore until age of 7, lived at Isles of Scilly, attended Truro School, worked as private tennis and water ski instructor in Malta, Olympics standard athlete in long jump and triple jump however a broken leg put pay to Mexico Olympic ambitions; Enl.03May1970 in Royal Navy and appt'd Air Cadet; trained as helicopter pilot at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and awarded wings - completed basic helicopter flying training 26Nov1971, RNAS Culdrose as Sub Lt; flying with various squadrons until awarded AFC with 706 Squadron; 817 Squadron exchange helicopter training in Australia - Sea King Mk 50, HMAS Albatross then return to UK; to Falklands War July 1982 flying Wasp Has I - report assessment : Tilsley is a very experienced pilot with great natural ability and flair: He has been a First Class Flight Commander achieving high standards in all aspects of flying operations; Aug1984 as Lt Commander appointed Captain of newly commissioned Hong Kong patrol vessel, HMS Starling; served with various other squadrons until Nov1989 when he resigned from Royal Navy with a total of 4,412 hours flying helicopters; 1989-95 served as Captain in Australian Army Aviation; ended career with a total of 6,114 hours flying time.