WW2 D.F.C. and M.I.D. Medal Group of Eight – Wing Commander H. W. H. ‘Bill’ Fisher, Royal Air Force

A superb second world war DFC and MID group of eight awarded to Wing Commander Hurtle William Hamilton ‘Bill’ Fisher, an Australian in the Royal Air Force. 

Distinguished Flying Cross (1941) unnamed as issued 
1939-45 Star unnamed as issued 
Air Crew Europe Star (Clasp – Atlantic) unnamed as issued 
WW2 Defence Medal unnamed as issued 
1939-45 War Medal (with MID oak leaf emblem) unnamed as issued 
1953 Elizabeth II Coronation Medal unnamed as issued 
Jordan Order of Istiqlal, Commander’s Neck Badge hallmarked for London, 1949 
Iraq Order of El Rafidain, Military Division, Breast Badge 5th Class 

D.F.C. – London Gazette November 1941.
The original recommendation states:

  ‘Flight Lieutenant Fisher has completed 185 hours’ operational flying, involving 27 sorties. During the course of these operations a wide variety of targets have been attacked, including Berlin three times, Bremen four times, Brest four times, Magdeburg and many others. Flight Lieutenant Fisher has also successfully carried out a number of special mining operations.

This officer, who is an Australian, has always set an outstanding example of courage and determination in the face of the enemy. Flight Lieutenant Fisher is undeterred by the heaviest anti-aircraft fire or the most intense searchlight activity. On the night of 17-18 March 1941, he was detailed to attack an objective in Bremen. In spite of the intense searchlight activity and accurate light and heavy flak, the attack was made from 8,000 feet. On the return journey the Navigator was taken ill and was unable to navigate, but the aircraft was brought safely back to its base.

On the night of 9-10 April 1941 – and again on the night of 17-18 April – Flight Lieutenant Fisher attacked Berlin. On both occasions attacks were made from 11,000 feet after dummy runs had been made. On the second occasion Flight Lieutenant Fisher’s aircraft was badly damaged by intense anti-aircraft fire, hits being sustained in the tanks, tail boom and W./T. equipment; in spite of this damage the target was accurately bombed with a 2,000 lb. bomb.

Many of Flight Lieutenant Fisher’s operational flights were made during the winter months, in very bad weather conditions, and he was on several occasions one of the few to find the target. For instance, on the night of 7-8 December 1940, he was detailed to attack the aerodrome at Vannes and his was the only aircraft from the Squadron which attacked the objective owing to unfavourable weather conditions. Eight 250 lb. bombs were dropped on the hangars and buildings from 2,000 feet, after four dummy runs had been made. The aircraft was brought safely back to its based in spite of the most severe icing conditions and static, which rendered the wireless useless.

On the night of 21-22 March 1941, Flight Lieutenant Fisher was returning from a mining operation when he was attacked by an enemy night fighter. His skilful handling of the situation not only enabled him to extricate his aircraft undamaged but also enables his gunners to destroy the enemy aircraft, its destruction subsequently being confirmed. On several other occasions he has been attacked by enemy night fighters but has always escaped undamaged.

On night 10-11 June 1941, Flight Lieutenant Fisher was detailed to attack Brest. Although intense anti-aircraft fire and searchlight activity were encountered – the aircraft being hit several times – two dummy runs were made and he remained in the target area for 25 minutes. On many occasions this Officer has spent considerable periods in the target area in order to ensure positive identification, and he has frequently made a number of dummy runs over heavily defended targets in order to ensure accuracy of aim.

Flight Lieutenant Fisher, who is a Deputy Flight Commander, has always set a most outstanding and invaluable example of leadership and devotion to duty.’

Bill Fisher was born near Perth, Western Australia.

He gained a pre-war commission in the R.A.F. on the back of friendly assistance from Group Captain Frank McNamara, V.C., the latter believing his young charge ‘would achieve’. McNamara was not to be disappointed for, ‘undeterred by the heaviest of anti-aircraft fire or the most intense searchlight activity’, Fisher gained a fearsome reputation for making numerous – hair-raising – dummy runs over his targets in order to meet the highest standards of accuracy, the whole in outdated Hampdens.

As a result, his aircraft was badly shot-up on a number of occasions, a case in point being an attack on the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen at Brest in June 1941: in the face of heavy flak, he remained over the target area for 25 minutes and carried out two dummy runs before finally attacking. He had earlier deployed similar tactics over Berlin and, when ordered to attack an aerodrome in France in poor weather in December 1940, dropped to 2,000 feet and carried out five dummy runs.

His piloting skills were again evident on a gardening trip to Bordeaux in March 1941 when, having dropped a well-placed ‘Forget-Me-Not’ in the harbour, his Hampden was engaged by an enemy night fighter. His skilful manoeuvring and pilot-to-gunner communication resulted in the enemy fighter’s demise.

Awarded the D.F.C. for this gallant first tour of operations in No. 49 Squadron, Fisher wrote an ‘Operational Handbook’ for No. 5 Group and returned to the fray with command of No. 57 Squadron in the period August 1943 to April 1944.

Post-war, he was appointed C.O. of the Arab Legion Air Force in Jordan, in which capacity he was charged with flying home the body of King Abdullah, following his assassination in Jerusalem in July 1951

The groups comes with a quantity of original documentation and photographs including his flying log books, letter from Group Captain Frank McNamara, V.C., wishing the recipient a happy and successful career in the R.A.F., commission warrant for the rank of Acting Pilot Officer, MID certificate, certficate for the Coronation medal, permission to wear warrant for the recipient’s Hashemite Kingdom Order of Istiqlal, 3rd Class, ‘in recognition of valuable services rendered by you while seconded to the Arab legion Air Force’, dated 23 May 1953, together with related Foreign Office forwarding letter along with lots more original letters, correspondence and photographs.