Lot 79
Brought Down over Souchez by Oswald Boelke
"Behind The Wire" - Medal and Militaria Sale | M25001
Auction: 17 September 2025 at 14:00 BST
Description
The Outstanding CB, CBE, DSO, Mid Order of St. Anne group of 9 awarded to Air Commadore John Glanville Hearson who received Aero Club Certificate No 1137 in April 1915 was a Flight Commander in No 5 Squadron in France in May 1915, Commanding Officer No 5 Squadron in December 1915 who shot down a Hostile Machine in a fight before being forced down by Hauptman Oswald Boelke of JG2, (the Bullet lodged in the fuel line from Boelke’s guns is with the collection!) and Officer Commanding 15th (Corps) Wing Reserve Army. In 1920 he was Commandant of the Royal Air Force Depot and in 1922 SESO HQ Iraq Command, later becoming AOC Balloon Command during World War Two comprising, Companion of the Bath (Military), Commander of The British Empire (Military), Distinguished Service Order GVR, all unnamed as issued, 1914-15 Star, (Capt. J.G. Hearson. R.F.C.), 1914-1920 British War and Victory Medals, with Mention in Despatches emblem, (Lt. Col. J.G. Hearson. R.F.C.), General Service Medal 1918-62, GVR, one clasp, Kurdistan, (G/C. J.G. Hearson. R.A.F.)Coronation Medal 1937, unnamed as issued, Imperial Russia, Order of St Anne. Unnamed as issued, CB and CBE in cases of issue remainder mounted for wear, lightly toned very fine (9)
CB The London Gazette 1st January 1919
CBE The London Gazette 3rd June 1924
DSO The London Gazette 14th January 1916
MiD The London Gazette 10th June 1924 For Mesopotamia
Russia - Order of St Anne September 1916
John (Judge) Glanville-Hearson was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 31 July 1902.He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps after obtaining Aero Club Licence no 1137 on the 11th of March 1915, He flew he flew an aircraft to France on the 18th of May 1915 joining No5 Squadron RFC (Artillery Observation) at St Omer. He became a Flight Commander of No. 5 Squadron in the Middle of June and Commanding Officer 5 Squadron on the 22nd of December 1915. His Memoir states for this period:
“ One day, in company with another machine of the Squadron, I had the satisfaction of encountering a Hun machine over the lines which, between us, we shot down, though not before he had made a nasty mess of one of our planes. My satisfaction was short lived, for two days later, while taking photographs over Lenze, I was shot down by a Hun. I had with me an Observer on that occasion an Officer, a good little chap probably, but he had never been over the lines before. We met a Hun, at whom I repeatedly flew, trying to make my Observer realise his duty, but completely without effect – he just sat there. Eventually we got hit in the petrol supply pipe and an ignition wire which cut out one of the eight cylinders, and there was nothing to do but make for our lines with an engine of little value and a Hun on our tail. I managed to scrape in over the French sector at Souchez and land without a serious crash. I was so angry all I could say to my Observer on landing was “Well I hope you can speak French!””
He reached the rank of Brigadier General in 1917, He Transferred to the Royal Air Force on the 1st of April 1918 and was Officer Commanding 15th (Corp) Wing 5th Reserve Army. When the War ended he was the first Director of Training Royal Air Force. On the 28th of July 1922, after a time as an Air Attaché in Paris, promoted to Air Commodore on 30 June 1923 and was posted to be SESO HQ Iraq Command and in October 1923 became Chief Staff Officer HQ Iraq Command. 1927 AOC Air Defence Group, August 1927 AOC No1 Air Defence Group, 1937 AOC No 30 (Ballon Barrage) Group, 1939-45 AOC Ballon Command. He died 1964.
Sold with 213 Page Memoir written by John (Judge) Glanville-Hearson entitled “Balloons and Biplanes: Journey’s Through Two World Wars”,
Copy Aero Club Certificate, Bullet in Leather Pouch with a note “Bullet from Oswald Boelke that lodged in JGH fuel pipe which forced him down” (Page 81 of his Biography). Two Photograph Albums, 10 Loose Photographs and an original Copy of the Asir Force List September 1939.
Copy London Gazette entries, Copy Medal Index Card copy Air Force List entries and copy of Obituary.
