Orders, Decorations & Medals - Other Properties - Bri

Lot 3670    SESSION 13 (2.30PM THURSDAY 2ND APRIL)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Other Properties - Briti

Estimate $750
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $900

GROUP OF EIGHT TO RAF POW: British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19; India General Service Medal (GVR Kaisar-i-Hind), - clasp - Waziristan 1919-21; 1939-45 Star; Africa Star, - clasp - 8th Army; Defence Medal 1939-45; War Medal 1939-45; Coronation Medal 1953. Lieut. R.A.Vosper. R.A.F. on first two medals, Flying Officer R.A.Vosper. R.A.F. on third medal, all other medals unnamed as issued. Named medals impressed. The 8th Army clasp loose, otherwise toned very fine.

Ex Spink & Son Ltd 22 April 1977.

Roy Atcherley Vosper, born 04Oct1898 at Brighton, Sussex, England (father - Harry O'Donoghue Vosper, mother - Rose Goldup Atcherley); served RFC 17May1917-01Apr1918, RAF 01Apr1918-12Sep1926 and trf to Reserves; relinquished commission 12Sep1930 but retained rank of Flight Lt; WWII: awarded an emergency commission as 2 Lieut 26Nov1942; posted to O.E.T.A. (Occupied Enemy Territory Administration) Tripolitania as political officer 15Dec1942; returned to UK and posted to L.D.R.D. (London District Reception Depot) 02Jan1945; appt Staff Officer 1st Grade (C.A.) B.M.A. (British Military Administration) Tripolitania 09Mar1945; returned to UK and posted to L.D.A.C. (Leader Development and Assessment Course) 12Sep1947; to be S.O.1 (CA) Adm Districts, B.M.A., Tripolitania 25Oct1947; appt Chief Sec B.M.A. Tripolitania with A/rank of Colonel; relinquished commission 27Oct1948 and granted Hon rank of Lt-Col.

After Roy Atcherley Vosper, a distant cousin to the famous flying twins Richard and David Atcherley, completed his schooling at Plymouth College he worked as a junior clerk for Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd and was also training with the Plymouth Officer Training Corps. He was posted to the Army Reserve as a private and joined the Inns of Court OTC on 29 December 1916. He applied for admission to an Officer Cadet Unit with the Royal Sussex Regiment and then on 9 April 1917 he decided to try out for the Royal Flying Corps and was accepted and attached to the School of Military Aeronautics at Reading. Effective from 29 September his rank was confirmed as 2nd Lieutenant and on 6 January 1918 he embarked with RFC's 58 Squadron to join Britain's Expeditionary Force in Europe. On 1 April 1918 the RFC and RNAS became the RAF and Roy was appointed to this new force eventually becoming a full Lieutenant.

On July 1918 while conducting a night bombing raid with 149 Squadron over occupied France he and his observer Lieutenant A.Smith failed to return and were reported missing. Unfortunately they had been shot down and captured by the Germans at south-west Armentieres but this was not officially confirmed until 21 September 1918. He was in POW camps at Karlsruhe, Landshut in Bavaria and Kamstigall near Pillau. At war's end he and other British officers were repatriated to Leith in Scotland arriving on 13 December 1918.

Roy Vosper remained with the RAF after the war and served in India and was injured with 31 Squadron while ferrying a Bristol Fighter from Cawnpore to Peshawar. After leaving the RAF he worked with the Colonial Administrative Service in Nigeria. One of his unpublished reports issued in April 1940 was titled 'Intelligence Report on Benin City District, Benin Division, Benin Province'. Most of his WWII and later military service was in Tripolitania. In 1948 after he relinquished his commission he returned to his civil service work in West Africa. Roy Atcherley Vosper died on 13 August 1964 at St Helier on the Island of Jersey at age 65.

Together with research, original purchase invoice, Army Record documents, Death Certificate, various gazette pages showing appointments.