An Important Bomber Command Caterpillar Club Medal group awarded to Flight Sergeant Mark Armitage Mead RAF

1939/45 Star

Aircrew Europe Star

Defence Medal

War Medal

 

Mounted as worn, later issues as shown by the large rings.

 

Condition GVF

 

Caterpillar Badge correctly engraved to the reverse F/SGT M.A. Mead. 

 

 

 

“Each time we boarded an aircraft for an operation over enemy territory, we were frightened. Some were shaking with fear, some were laughing and making pathetic jokes but we were all pretending that we hadn't a care in the world, we were brave young warriors doing a patriotic duty. Our insides were jelly”.

 

Marck Armitage Mead was a survivor of the Long March who’s captivity is brought to life in a rare and fascinating archive of original letters written from his captivity in German Captivity. 

 

Mead’s experiences were used in the film “The Long March to Freedom” which can be viewed on Amazon and DVD. This archive consists of Flight Sergeant Meads, Medals, Original Caterpillar Club Badge and card. A super archive of letters written from captivity, commencing in October 1942 and commencing in April 1945. A good selection of original wartime ephemera, including his Service and Release Book, National ID Card, Leave form, Clothing Book, Wartime Maps and his original Flying Training Manual (1940). 

 

Mead’s flying commenced with 12 Squadron, Bomber Command. Based at Binbrook, Lincolnshire, he was flying Wellington Bombers and took part in raids to Hamburg and the Ruhr. On May 31st Mead was to take part in what at that point was the largest operation in the history of flying. Flying Whitley P Peter 1341 Flight attached to 12 Squadron. 1000 bombers from all over England were to drop 1,400 tons of bombs on the City of Cologne. Mead describes the flak and shell explosions rocking the aircraft, tracer bullets creating colourful arcs all around them. This as well as his later experiences and ultimately his time as a POW is contained in the book “The branch book of service stories”. Published by the British Legion.

 

 

Transferring to 103 Squadron, Mead was to soon experience flying in one of the largest Bombers of the war, the Halifax. A crew of seven, and a weight of twenty four tons, twenty feet high with a wingspan of 33 yards.

 

On October 5th 1942 Mead was flying with Warrant Officer Edwards, an experienced pilot and very well respected, Mead's was to take his position in the second “dickey” seat beside Edwards. As the machine Q for Queenie approached the Belgian coast, they were met with deadly flak, this was to be constant for the next hour until, overt the intercom, the crew were to hear the dreaded words from the Rear Gunner, Fighter!, Fighter!, Below Port. But even before he had finished speaking the awful rattle of shells exploding within the aircraft, then a second burst, and a third. Within seconds flames were licking across the nacelles of the two port engines, and the pilot was struggling to control the plane which had gone into an unchecked dive. He spoke the emergency command quickly and clearly, Parachute, Parachute, Jump, Jump.

 

These were to be Warrant Officer Edwards last words he had held the aircraft level enough to give the crew enough time to save themselves. After trying for several days to evade capture, Mead was to spend the next two and a half years as a POW in Stalag V111B in Silesia. Before being forced march out of the camp and along with others from camps were forced to march towards the Reich, many dying in the process of starvation and hypothermia.