Nationally Important Gold Caterpillar Club Badge and Log Books of Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett CB, CBE, DSO, Royal Air Force, Commander of the Pathfinder Force During WW2, Caterpillar Club badge in gold with ruby eyes, reverse engraved ‘WC/CDR D C T BENNETT’. Brooch pin fitting to the reverse. Accompanying the badge are eight original Royal Air Force and Civilian Flying Log Books belonging to Bennett, the log books cover pre-war, wartime and post war period. The logs cover his time training with the RAF and also his time serving with the Imperial Airways. The most interesting from a wartime period is his civilian log book titled as ‘4’, this log has the entry on 27th April 1942, which states he was ‘Shot down low level attack on Tirpitz’ and the last entry in the log on 5th July 1942, ‘Appointed to Command Path Finder Force’. The logs are well filled out with many interesting details, including his involvement in the Berlin Airlift. eing sold by direct family descent of Air Vice Marshall Bennett. onald Bennett was born the youngest son of a grazier and business agent in Queensland, Australia. He attended Brisbane Grammar School. After some time working in his father’s business, he joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1930, qualifying at RAAF Point Crook as a pilot. He transferred to the RAF a year later. Starting with the flying Boats of no 210 Squadron. Bennett developed a passion for accurate flying and precise navigation that would never leave him. After a period as an instructor, he left the service in 1935, retaining a reserve commission, to join Imperial Airways. Over the next five years, Bennett specialised in long-distance flights, breaking a number of records and pioneering techniques which would later become commonplace, notably air to air refuelling. In July 1938 he piloted the Mercury part of the Short Mayo Composite flying-boat across the Atlantic; this flight earned him the Oswald Watt Gold Medal for that year.uring 1940 Bennett was involved in setting up the Atlantic Ferry Crossing, bringing many aircraft over from the USA to the UK. In 1941 he was recommissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a Squadron Leader. Promoted to Wing Commander, he was posted to command No77 Squadron, as part of Bomber Command. In April 1942, No. 77 Squadron was transferred to Coastal Command and Bennett was given command of No. 10 Squadron (Handley Page Halifax) and shortly afterwards led a raid on the German battleship Tirpitz. Shot down during that raid, he evaded capture and escaped to Sweden, from where he was able to return to Britain; he and his copilot were awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 16 June 1942. It was for this raid on the Tirpitz which resulted in the award of the Caterpillar Club badge. n July 1942, Bennett was appointed to command the new Pathfinder Force (PFF), an elite unit tasked with improving RAF Bomber Command’s navigation. At this stage of the war, Bomber Command had begun to make night-time raids deep into Germany, but had not yet been able to cause significant damage, largely because only about a quarter of the bomb loads were delivered “on target” — and this at a time when “on target” was defined as within three miles of the aim point. Bennett was called to Bomber Command HQ when he was on the point of leaving with his squadron for the Middle East. There he was informed by Sir Arthur Harris (Bomber Harris), that he was to lead a special force to make use of the new bombing and navigational aids then available and the more sophisticated ones that would follow. With effect from 5 July he was promoted to group captain. In 1943 Bennett was promoted with the upgrading of PFF to group status to air commodore, and then in December to acting air vice marshal, the youngest ever to hold that rank, giving him a rank similar to those of the other commanders of groups. He remained in command of the Pathfinder Force until the end of the war, overseeing its growth to an eventual 19 squadrons, a training flight and a meteorological flight, working relentlessly to improve its standards, and tirelessly campaigning for better equipment, in particular for more Mosquitos and Lancasters to replace the diverse assortment of often obsolete aircraft with which the force started.

Large Comprehensive Photograph Album of Official Photographs of Aircraft at Boscombe Down Airfield 1939-45, Compiled by Air Vice Marshall Bernard Francis McEntegart C.B, C.B.E, the album consists of 77 album pages, each with a official photograph of an aircraft from WW2. Including Lancaster bombers, Mosquito’s, Spitfires, Warwicks, Wellington bombers, Tempests, Typhoons, plus many more. The inside page of the album with inked details of aircraft. Front cover with the name of McEntegart when he was an Air Commadore, this inked out. A very comprehensive album with good official images of the majority of the aircraft used in WW2.

Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Combat Report of Flying Officer John Dundas DFC & Bar 609 Squadron, the printed and typed green combat report document dated 13th August 1940, detailing a combat by Dundas against a German Ju-87b over the English Channel, ‘Scramble for interception of large formation of JU87 a/c. Yellow and green sections attack main flight and we chase three enemy SW. Lead port enemy engaged by myself firing long bursts closing to 150 yds and scoring direct hits to flaps. Bandit down to 8,000 and trying to pull away from me. I go in again and take out rudder and elivators as enemy flips over. At this minute I am hit and SP indicator shows engine O/H. Unknown as to damage of who hit me possibly JU87 gunner. Note bandit in sea and one chute, Lulworth area. Decide on RTB due to over heat. T/gauge and glycol level out. Landing at base heavy but okay, down at 16.25 hrs.’ The document has ink signature of Dundas to the bottom of the document. Punch holes to the edge of the document. Fold lines but generally good condition. Accompanied by a WW2 German postcard photograph of Major Helmut Wick, who was Dundas last kill.John Charles Dundas DFC & Bar, was born in West Yorkshire in August 1915. He graduated from Christchurch college, Oxford. He became a journalist until joining the Royal Air Force in 1938. He joined 609 Squadron and was credited with shooting down 9 enemy aircraft before he was shot down and killed on 28th November 1940, after he had shot down Luftwaffe ace, Major Helmut Wick, believed Dundas was shot down by Wick’s wingman, straight after he scored the kill on Wick, both pilots aircrafts crashed into the English Channel and both pilots were declared lost. One of the Spitfires Dundas flew is on display at the Imperial War Museum.

WW2 Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F) B-Type Flying Helmet, being a mint 1942 dated example of the light brown leather B-Type style flying helmet without ear cups or fittings as used for training pilots and aircrew. Helmet has all the original goggle strap fittings and rear fixing strap with buckle. Original chinstrap and buckle fitting. Mint condition chamois lining to the interior with clear manufactures stamp and date 1942. These helmets were also said to have been used by some S.O.E agents dropped into enemy territory.