13th Mar, 2024 10:30
Militaria and Medals
A fantastic second world war cased Distinguished Flying cross (DFC) gallantry medal and miniature medal awarded to flying officer William Walter Cave (86706) 502 squadron costal command for actions against German U-boat U-563 together with a large quantity of ephemera, photographs, personal snapshots, Ordinance survey and Air ministry maps of the British Isles and UK, Air ministry Top secret aerial photographs taken of German U-boats, French, Italian, Dutch, British merchant ships. AM gimble compass for aircraft (possibly for a Halifax bomber).
Born in Leicester and orphaned at a relatively early age, he was educated at Slater Street school in the middle of Leicester. The school still exists and he is recorded in the school log book of the period (1941/2) as having come to speak to the pupils after he won his DFC. Slater Street was in an industrial Canalside area of Leicester in what at that time would have been a pretty deprived area.
He left school at 13 or 14 and worked in the hosiery trade which was the dominant industry in Leicester at the time. However he was a talented footballer and joined Doncaster Rovers in 1935. However, he never got into the first team and appears to have come back to Leicester and returned to the hosiery industry working as a sales representative. Later, he appears to have set up his own small business supplying the hosiery industry locally.
During this time, he encountered and was befriended by a couple called the Bazeleys. They were childless and he appears to have been unofficially adopted by them: but not formally. He refers to Mr Bazeley as “pop” in the correspondence that comes with the medal. Mr Bazeley was, amongst other things a motor agent and there is one of his bill heads in the paperwork.
At some stage unknown, Bill got married and there are some pictures of his wife in the material with the medal. There were no children. After Bill was lost over the Atlantic in 1943, she eventually married a paratrooper, in early 1945 apparently.
William Walter Cave was gazetted on the 6th January 1942 for his gallant actions – London gazette supplement reads:
“Flying officer William Walter Cave (86706) Royal Airforce Volunteer reserve, No.502 squadron Costal command. This officer was captain of a Whitley bomber aircraft engaged on an anti-submarine patrol. He observed some 3 miles on his starboard bow, an outward-bound U boat on the surface of the sea. Flying Officer Cave skilfully manoeuvred to attack and released his complete load of explosives in a stick just Infront and alongside the approaching U-Boat. The vessel was completely engulfed in the ensuing explosions but remained long enough on the surface to allow for 6 front and rear machine gun attacks to be directed on the conning tower. During the second of these attacks an occupant of the enemy submarine (the commander of U563 -Kapitänleutnant knights cross recipient Klaus Heinrich Bargsten) tried to reach the rear gun near the conning tower but was driven to take refuge and wounded in the shoulder. Finally, the U-boat submerged, and a huge gush of oil rose to the surface and spread over an area 300 yards in about 30 seconds but then disappeared amidst the oil. In spite of temporary breakdown of inter-communication, Flying officer Cave had drilled his crew to such perfection that he was able to inflict the most effective damage on the enemy. The attack carried out with great skill by this officer, whose leadership and devotion to duty were of the highest order.”
The U-boat in question was U-563 at the Bay of Biscay, outbound from Brest, France. U-563 reached Lorient on the 3rd December, but was so severely damaged she had to return to Germany to be rebuilt.
William Cave then became squadron leader of No.59 squadron and on the 7th of May 1943 he flew his final mission, tasked with a convoy escort of the Queen Mary, took off at 11:20hrs RAF St. Eval, escorting convoy TA41B. his Liberator V Fl971 was ordered to divert to Aldergrove because of bad weather. The Liberator acknowledged the diversion at 17:13 hours but failed to arrive and supposedly crashed. No wreckage was found. All the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial.
Sold for £1,600
A fantastic second world war cased Distinguished Flying cross (DFC) gallantry medal and miniature medal awarded to flying officer William Walter Cave (86706) 502 squadron costal command for actions against German U-boat U-563 together with a large quantity of ephemera, photographs, personal snapshots, Ordinance survey and Air ministry maps of the British Isles and UK, Air ministry Top secret aerial photographs taken of German U-boats, French, Italian, Dutch, British merchant ships. AM gimble compass for aircraft (possibly for a Halifax bomber).
Born in Leicester and orphaned at a relatively early age, he was educated at Slater Street school in the middle of Leicester. The school still exists and he is recorded in the school log book of the period (1941/2) as having come to speak to the pupils after he won his DFC. Slater Street was in an industrial Canalside area of Leicester in what at that time would have been a pretty deprived area.
He left school at 13 or 14 and worked in the hosiery trade which was the dominant industry in Leicester at the time. However he was a talented footballer and joined Doncaster Rovers in 1935. However, he never got into the first team and appears to have come back to Leicester and returned to the hosiery industry working as a sales representative. Later, he appears to have set up his own small business supplying the hosiery industry locally.
During this time, he encountered and was befriended by a couple called the Bazeleys. They were childless and he appears to have been unofficially adopted by them: but not formally. He refers to Mr Bazeley as “pop” in the correspondence that comes with the medal. Mr Bazeley was, amongst other things a motor agent and there is one of his bill heads in the paperwork.
At some stage unknown, Bill got married and there are some pictures of his wife in the material with the medal. There were no children. After Bill was lost over the Atlantic in 1943, she eventually married a paratrooper, in early 1945 apparently.
William Walter Cave was gazetted on the 6th January 1942 for his gallant actions – London gazette supplement reads:
“Flying officer William Walter Cave (86706) Royal Airforce Volunteer reserve, No.502 squadron Costal command. This officer was captain of a Whitley bomber aircraft engaged on an anti-submarine patrol. He observed some 3 miles on his starboard bow, an outward-bound U boat on the surface of the sea. Flying Officer Cave skilfully manoeuvred to attack and released his complete load of explosives in a stick just Infront and alongside the approaching U-Boat. The vessel was completely engulfed in the ensuing explosions but remained long enough on the surface to allow for 6 front and rear machine gun attacks to be directed on the conning tower. During the second of these attacks an occupant of the enemy submarine (the commander of U563 -Kapitänleutnant knights cross recipient Klaus Heinrich Bargsten) tried to reach the rear gun near the conning tower but was driven to take refuge and wounded in the shoulder. Finally, the U-boat submerged, and a huge gush of oil rose to the surface and spread over an area 300 yards in about 30 seconds but then disappeared amidst the oil. In spite of temporary breakdown of inter-communication, Flying officer Cave had drilled his crew to such perfection that he was able to inflict the most effective damage on the enemy. The attack carried out with great skill by this officer, whose leadership and devotion to duty were of the highest order.”
The U-boat in question was U-563 at the Bay of Biscay, outbound from Brest, France. U-563 reached Lorient on the 3rd December, but was so severely damaged she had to return to Germany to be rebuilt.
William Cave then became squadron leader of No.59 squadron and on the 7th of May 1943 he flew his final mission, tasked with a convoy escort of the Queen Mary, took off at 11:20hrs RAF St. Eval, escorting convoy TA41B. his Liberator V Fl971 was ordered to divert to Aldergrove because of bad weather. The Liberator acknowledged the diversion at 17:13 hours but failed to arrive and supposedly crashed. No wreckage was found. All the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial.
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