Flt Lt John Mungo-Park DFC Battle of Britain ace original leather flying boots. A little history

Flt Lt John Mungo-Park DFC Battle of Britain ace original leather flying boots. A little history behind the Mungo-Park boots. They were given to the vendor by an ex 609 Squadron Spitfire pilot, Sgt HF Wade (please see scan from 605 Squadron book). He was stationed at Biggin Hill which they shared with John Mungo-Park's Squadron, No 74 Sqn. After Mungo-Park was sadly killed in June 1941, Wade was given Mungo-Park's spare flying boots. They don't look like they have been used a great deal and are in superb condition and Mungo-Parks name is written in ink inside the leather tabs on both boots. I met (he was always known as Peter) Peter Wade in the 1980's as he lived locally to me in Solihull in the West Midlands and we became great friends. Just before Peter's passing he gave me the flying boots. John Mungo-Park (25 March 1918 27 June 1941) was a World War II Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and ace squadron leader. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1940, and again posthumously in 1941. Both DFCs cited "courage". Mungo-Park joined the Royal Air Force on a short service commission in June 1937 and was made acting Pilot Officer on 9 August. He was confirmed as a Pilot Officer on 31 May 1938[8] and was posted to the Anti Aircraft Co-operation Unit of the Fleet Air Arm at Lee on Solent and then in August 1938 to HMS Argus flying Fairey Swordfish. The day after war was declared, 4 September 1939, Mungo-Park transferred to 74 Squadron flying Spitfires from RAF Hornchurch, commanded by Sailor Malan. He was promoted to Flying Officer 31 December 1939. On 24 May 1940, while 74 Sqn were providing cover for the British retreat from France and the Dunkirk evacuation, Mungo-Park was wounded and his Spitfire damaged during an engagement with a Henschel Hs 126 but he managed to recross the Channel and land at RAF Rochford. On 10 July the squadron was engaged a large formation of Dornier Do-17s and their escort of Bf 109s and Bf 110s. Mungo claimed one Dornier which he saw `turn lazily on its back and dive into the sea`. On 11 August he was involved in four major air battles. During the first of these Mungo scored one Bf 109 destroyed and one damaged. In the day’s third combat, over a convoy 'Booty' off Clacton, Mungo attacked two Bf 110s in quick succession and saw the first crash into the sea and the second go down pouring black smoke. He was awarded one 'destroyed' and 'one probable'. One further victory followed in the day’s fourth air battle over Hawkinge, when his section was vectored onto a formation of Ju87s and Bf 109s off Margate. He led the attack on the 109s and his five second burst into one of the fighters caused it to burst into flames and plunge into the sea. On 13 August 74 Squadron were vectored over the Thames Estuary onto an unescorted formation of Dornier 17s. Mungo claimed one destroyed amongst a squadron total of fourteen enemy aircraft claimed destroyed or probably destroyed. On 20 October he claimed the Bf 109E-7B Werk # 2059 "Brown 8" flown by Uffz. Franz Maierl (3.(J)/LG 2) who crashed at Chapel Farm, Lenham Heath, Kent. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 15 November 1940. The citation said: Acting Flight Lieutenant John Colin MUNGO-PARK (40008), No. 74 Squadron. In October, 1940, this officer was on patrol with his squadron at 30,000 feet when a formation of enemy aircraft were sighted. Flight Lieutenant Mungo-Park attacked a Messerschmitt 109 but had to break off the engagement as his windscreen became iced up. He cleaned this and again attacked the enemy aircraft and caused it to crash into the sea. He has personally destroyed eight hostile aircraft and has at all times displayed great courage and coolness in action. John Mungo-Park by Cuthbert Orde, December 1940. Now recognized as one of the cream of the Allied fighter pilots, he was one of the fraction of The Few selected by Fighter Command to have a portrait drawn by Cuthbert Orde, sitting for it in December 1940. On 14 November 1940 74 Squadron claimed a total of 13 Ju 87s in a mass dogfight over Dover, Mungo-Park personally claiming two. On 30 November he and Flt Lt H M Stephen of 74 Squadron jointly claimed a Bf 109 (of Uffz. Wagelin 5./JG 53) that was deemed the 600th victory claimed by Squadrons flying from RAF Biggin Hill. Exactly a year since his last promotion, on 31 December 1940, he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant. On 10 March 1941 Sailor Malan was promoted, and Mungo-Park became acting Squadron Leader. On 16 June 1941 while on a sweep ( "Circus 14") over the Channel he shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 109s, but in the fight his plane was damaged. He turned for home but his engine seized as he crossed the coast. Nonetheless, Mungo-Park managed to stay airborne, gliding his Spitfire back to RAF Hawkinge.[6] For this display of skill, as well as his continued leadership and growing tally of kills, he was told he was to receive a bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross. On the evening of 27 June 1941, flying Spitfire Vb X4668, Mungo-Park was part of an escort for a bombing raid over northern France coded 'Circus 25'. They were attacked by two formations of Bf 109s, led by Rolf Pingel of I./JG 26 (who had been spared by Bob Doe during the Battle of Britain[14][15]) and Wilhelm Balthasar of JG 2. He was shot down and killed when his plane crashed just north of Dunkirk, a couple of miles over the Belgian border. He is buried in Adinkerke Military Cemetery,[16] about 60 miles north of his father. In a twist of fate, Wilhelm Balthasar died in an air crash less than a week later and was buried in a Flanders cemetery alongside his father who had been killed in the First World War. Mungo-Park's second DFC was awarded posthumously on 11 July 1941 with the citation: Acting Squadron Leader John Colin MUNGO-PARK, D.F.C. (40008), No. 74 Squadron. This officer has performed excellent work in his many engagements against the enemy and has destroyed at least twelve of their aircraft. In June, 1941, he was attacked by six Messerschmitt 109's while over the French coast. He succeeded in shooting down two of these and, although his own aircraft was badly damaged, Squadron Leader Mungo-Park flew back to this country making a skilful forced landing. His courage and leadership have contributed materially to the successes achieved by his squadron. Mungo-Park had claimed 11 aircraft destroyed ( and 2shared), 5 'probables, and 4 damaged. Good condition