The outstanding Second War Operation 'Judgement' D.S.C. group of ten to awarded to...

The outstanding Second War Operation ‘Judgement’ D.S.C. group of ten to awarded to Commander L. J. ‘Lance’ Kiggell, Royal Navy, late Royal Air Force

Following active service in the R.A.F. on the North-West Frontier in the late 1930s, he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm and survived the loss of the carrier H.M.S. Courageous in September 1939, when his colourful language saved the lives of a party of Royal Marines

But it was for his gallant role in the spectacular attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto in November 1941 that he was decorated, on which memorable occasion he flew his ‘stringbag’ through curtains of flak to deliver accurate illuminating flares

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1941’; India General Service 1936-39, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1936-37 (P/O. L. J. Kiggell. R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star, 1 clasp, Atlantic; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Korea 1950-53, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Cdr. L. J. Kiggell, D.S.C. R.N.); U.N. Korea; United States of America, Legion of Merit, Officer’s breast Badge, gilt and enamels, mounted court-style as worn, good very fine (10) £6,000-£8,000
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Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
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Provenance: Ex Spink, May 1998, when sold as part of ‘The Aviation Collection’.

D.S.C. London Gazette 20 May 1941: ‘For outstanding courage and skill in a brilliant and wholly successful attack by the Fleet Air Arm on the Italian Fleet at Taranto.’

The original recommendation states:

‘This officer is strongly recommended for valour and exemplary conduct in the successful attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto. He piloted his aircraft with great skill and coolness, dropped flares to illuminate the target for other aircraft and attacked the oil storage depot with dive bombing when the torpedo attack had been completed, all in the face of intense A.A. fire.’

U.S.A. Legion of Merit, Officer London Gazette 13 August 1952: ‘For gallant and distinguished services during the operations in Korea.’

Launcelot John ‘Lance’ Kiggell was born in Alnwick, Northumberland on 25 July 1916, and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force in April 1935. Having then served in No. 16 Army Co-operation Squadron at Old Sarum, he was posted to No. 28 Squadron in India, where he flew Hawker Audaxes on the North-West Frontier in a close support role.

In November 1937, however, he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm in the rank of Lieutenant, in which capacity he joined No. 811 Naval Air Squadron (N.A.S.), a Swordfish unit, aboard the carrier H.M.S. Courageous, shortly before the outbreak of hostilities.

Twice in the drink

He was likewise employed when the Courageous was torpedoed and sunk by the U-29 in the Western Approaches on 17 September 1939. On that memorable occasion, Charles Lamb, a fellow pilot, recalled Kiggell commenting on a group of Royal Marines as they struggled to keep upright ‘in neat assembly’ on the tilting deck: “Silly buggers!” said Kiggell, “They’ll stand there until someone gives them an order and if nobody does, they’ll all go down with the ship, still standing at that absurd angle!”

Moving towards the starboard ladder that led up to the seaplane platform, Kiggell and Lamb then approached the senior R.M. N.C.O. and ‘explained the Commander had given the order to abandon ship, and that his Royal Marine Captain had been blown into the sea and was no longer on board. The Corporal just gazed at [the aviator’s insignia on] our left sleeves... Somebody must have briefed him to avoid all Air Branch Officers like the plague. At this point Kiggell’s experience of coping with natives on the North-West Frontier came to the rescue. He took a firm pace forward and with his head thrown back and both arms rigid, he bellowed like a bull, his voice vying with the ship’s siren: “ROYAL MARINES - HUN! TURN FOR’ARD - DIS - MISS! ABANDON SHIP - OVER THE SIDE AT THE DOUBLE - EVERY MAN JACK OF YOU!” ’

In the following month, Kiggell was appointed Adjutant to another Swordfish unit, the recently formed 815 N.A.S. at Worthy Down, and in April and May he participated in several Coastal Command minelaying operations and raids on the Dutch coast.

Then in June 1940, he was embarked with the Squadron in Illustrious and, after a short period working up off Bermuda, sailed for the Mediterranean. Here, aside from attacks on targets in North Africa, he narrowly escaped a watery grave on 4 September 1940, when setting off on an anti-submarine patrol: due to a misunderstanding he took off downwind and flew over the bows into the sea, where his Observer was tragically drowned.

Operation ‘Judgement’

In November 1940, Kiggell was detailed for Operation ‘Judgement’ - the raid on Taranto - being assigned with Lamb to drop the flares that would illuminate the Italian fleet for the first wave of torpedo-carrying Swordfish. His Observer on that historic occasion was Lieutenant Dick Janvrin.

The participating aircraft were launched from Illustrious in two waves at 8.40 p.m. and 9.30 p.m., from a position near the Greek Island of Cephalonia, 170 miles from Taranto. And at the head of the first wave was Swordfish L4P piloted by Kiggell, with Janvrin. Though apparently a sitting target for the Italian gunners as they approached at a sedate 136 m.p.h., L4P released a string of aerial flares which illuminated the warships in stark silhouette as they ignited at 4,500 feet and drifted slowly downwards. The enemy battleships then opened fire, a hair-raising moment as recalled by Janvrin:

‘It looked as though they had unrolled a carpet of many colours over the water. Every quick firer had opened up, and it seemed impossible that any aircraft could fly through it without being shot down … as we waited overhead the battleships became dim outlines as our flares went out one by one … then we ourselves dive-bombed the oil refinery immediately below us, and went home.’ Within the hour, the pride of the Italian Fleet, the new battleship Littorio, two other battleships, a heavy cruiser and two destroyers had been critically damaged.

Kiggell was awarded the D.S.C.

Ongoing operations

In January 1941, 815 N.A.S. re-formed at Hal Far in North Africa and there followed an intensive period of anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols along the coast. On 28 March 1941, Kiggell and his fellow Swordfish pilots, operating from Maleme, joined Albacores from Formidable in the attack on the Italian fleet off Cape Matapan. Glimpsing an opportunity through a gap in the smoke screen, Kiggell unleashed a torpedo but was unable to claim any positive result.

The Squadron’s subsequent stopover in Crete was short-lived, Kiggell, Lamb and a third pilot being ordered to Dekheila on 22 May 1941. Lamb later recalled:

‘The Afrika Korps had reached Solium, east of Tobruk, and Rommel was moving eastwards at such a fast pace that we would not have been surprised to find that the whole of Egypt had fallen by the time we reached Dekheila ... That night across the Mediterranean seemed to be the longest three and a half hours I had experienced. Then, to my intense relief, the blue horizon gradually changed to a yellowy blur, and the sea became sand. As we crossed the coastline I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and grinned across at Kiggell; but he shook his head doubtfully and held up a downward ...