The unique Second War battle of the River Plate B.E.M. group of six awarded to Flight...

The unique Second War battle of the River Plate B.E.M. group of six awarded to Flight Sergeant B. J. Brooks, Royal Air Force, a member of H.M.S. Ajax’s aircraft catapult team, he helped launch her Fairey Seafox into action, the first occasion on which a Fleet Air Arm aircraft was employed to spot for ships’ guns in a sea battle British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (561442 Cpl. Bernard James Brooks, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Royal Air Force L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (561442 F/Sjt. B. J. Brooks. R.A.F.) mounted as worn, good very fine (6) £1,400-£1,800 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: J. J. Atkinson Collection, Noble’s Australia, April 2005. B.E.M. London Gazette 27 February 1940: ‘For services in H.M.S. Ajax at the Battle of the River Plate.’ The original recommendation states: ‘Corporal Brooks, a fitter lent for duty with the Fleet Air Arm, who has been serving in H.M.S. Ajax, carried out most efficient work in catapulting the aircraft during the Battle of the Plate. He also showed initiative and did valuable work with the Upper Deck Repair Party. He has been recommended for a distinction, both by the captain of his ship and by Rear-Admiral Harwood.’ Related official correspondence adds: ‘In the Battle of the River Plate a Royal Air Force Corporal, Bernard J. Brooks, No. 561442, seems to the Admiralty to have behaved in a manner which, had he had the luck to be a sailor, would have earned him the Distinguished Service Medal … There is no Navy, Army or Air Force distinction which the airman can be awarded for this action, and Sir Arthur Street and Air Marshal Portal would therefore be grateful if you could secure the consent of the Selection Committee to the award of the Military Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service. The King is holding an investiture on Friday for the naval personnel concerned and it is desirable that Brooks should be included.’ Bernard James Brooks was also mentioned in despatches for his ‘bravery and resource during operations in Madagascar’ (London Gazette 23 February 1943, refers). On that occasion, he was borne on the books of H.M.S. Kipanga, the naval base in Kenya, from which he was employed in support of Operation ‘Streamline Jane’, the operations undertaken at Majunga and Tanarive. Of earlier events at the battle of the River Plate in December 1939, Ajax’s role is well-known. With her consorts Exeter and Achilles, she fought a determined running battle with the Graf Spee, pursuing the enemy pocket battleship all the way to Montevideo. And crucial to the accuracy and effectiveness of Ajax’s gunfire - and that of her consorts - was the deployment one of her Fairey Seafox aircraft, both of Exeter’s Walrus aircraft having been put out of action by one Graf Spee’s 11-inch shells. Ajax too came under heavy fire, sustaining extensive damage and resultant casualties, and Brooks’s crucial role in launching the Fairey Seafox by catapult may well have been enacted under just such fire. But all went well, Lieutenant E. D. G. Lewin, R.N., the pilot, and Lieutenant R. E. N. Keraney, R.N., the observer, afterwards carrying out valuable ‘spotter’ duties. As it transpired, Brooks was to launch them into action on further occasions as the drama unfolded, including on the 17 December 1939, when they were able to signal that Graf Spee had been scuttled. As cited above, Brooks also undertook valuable work with the Upper Deck Repair Party. Such work was indeed vital, in case Graf Spee emerged for a second duel. Sold with copied research, including official correspondence relating to the award of his B.E.M.