AIR FORCE CROSS - Citations or Reasons for the Award
The daughter of a former RAF pilot now lives in the USA and she has asked me from afar if I can find why her father, now deceased, was awarded the Air Force Cross back in 1962 in the Queen's Birthday Honours. She never knew the reason her Dad got the gong even though she attended the Buckingham Palace award ceremony with him when aged just 12 yrs old.
I have found his name for the award in a search of the Supplement to the London Gazette - 2 June 1962 (Page 4340). He was Flt Lt Peter Ernest Nelson (195206) and prior to the award was flying either Victors at Gaydon and Cottesmore or possibly Canberras too on No 232 OCU. He later flew 216 Sqn Comets and VC10s at Brize prior to his retirement in 1984.
I understand it is/was possibly necessary for a CO to put a squadron pilot up for an award, but not a specific medal, at least some six months before the Queen's Birthday Honours in June each year.
With that date span in mind, does anyone know where one can find a citation or reason for the award being given. The period in question involving the incident generating the award would have been from June 1961 and November 1961 and if the 6 mth rule didn't apply then the dates would have been June'61 - May'62.
As I understand it, the Air Force Cross is awarded for 'acts of gallantry or bravery in the air when not in the face of the enemy'. It doesn't seem easy to find reasons for medals being awarded let alone the Citation itself.
Can anyone throw any light on the subject please?
Last edited by Jetset 88; 3rd Dec 2022 at 11:58.
Reason: 2 x typos (dates)