Sold by Order of a Direct Descendant As Learoyd waited calmly he saw the first Hampden begin its run over the canal: Squadron Leader Jamie Pitcairn-Hill, D.F.C., of 83 Squadron in Hampden P4402. Along each bank of the canal were rows of deadly mobile flak guns, well-sited, and presenting any potential attacker with no choice but to run the narrow gauntlet of anti-aircraft fire during his actual bombing attack. Knowing these odds against survival, Pitcairn-Hill led the way in - threading his way through a curtain of shells and tracer bullets, and in the face of blinding searchlights focussed directly on the approach lane. Levelling out at 100 feet above the silver water canal, he suffered numerous hits but refused to evade the punishment, maintaining a rock-steady bombing run and releasing his bomb canisters with precision, before banking away from the danger zone and limping home to England … For Valour - The Air VCs, by Chaz Bowyer, refers. An outstanding Second World War D.F.M. group of seven awarded to Wing Commander, late Sergeant G. R. Roscoe, Royal Air Force, who somehow survived the famous low-level attack on a viaduct of the Dortmund-Ems canal on the night of 12-13 August 1940, an action in which Squadron Leader R. A. B. Babe Learoyd won a popular award of the V.C. For his own part, Roscoe served a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner in Squadron Leader Jamie Pitcairn-Hills crew, their Hampden of No. 83 Squadron, as cited above, being charged with the unenvious task of leading the attack. On finally getting back to R.A.F. Scampton, ground crew were horrified by the aircrafts state: It looked as though someone had taken a giant shotgun to it, such were the number of holes and gashes in the fuselage and wings. Roscoe - who suffered head wounds and was admitted to hospital - was no stranger to the perilous nature of air operations, having previously flown around 30 sorties with No. 83 Squadron and, in the opening months of the war, as a member of Guy Gibsons crew Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (545616. Sgt. G. R. Roscoe. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star, clasp, Bomber Command; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Malaya (Flt. Lt. G. R. Roscoe. R.A.F.); General Service 1962-2007, 2 clasps, Borneo, Malay Peninsula (Wg. Cdr. G. R. Roscoe. R.A.F.), mounted as worn, very fine (7)
