From a journal article authored by myself and Mario Mariachi posted at the BMF Forum:
There was at least one other British Serviceman who qualified for the Campaign Medal under the terms set out by the Royal Warrant. That is, his service in Vietnam occurred “between the 24th December 1962 and the 28th May 1964” and that he made at least “one operational sortie.” “The usual concession is made regarding termination of service from death wounds or an award of a gallantry decoration” In this case, his service was terminated, when he was tragically killed.
In an intriguing footnote in 'Street without Joy’ the usually reliable Bernard Fall states that: ‘There also existed in Viet-Nam since 1962 a British Military Advisory Mission under T. K. G. Thompson, particularly concerned with the Strategic Hamlets. A British colonel was killed flying in a U.S. helicopter in 1964.” (90) No members of BRIAM or Noone’s British Training Team are known to be casualties. Fall’s ‘British Colonel’ was most likely to have been Royal Air force Wing Commander Alan Lee MVO.
In the 1949 New Years honours Alan Lee was appointed to the Royal Victorian Order in the fifth Division.(91) This possibly indicates that he may have been working in some capacity in the Royal household. An appointment as a MVO was usual on completion of this task.
In May 1950 Lee was promoted to Flying Officer and trained as one of the RAF’s first helicopter pilots. He was posted to Far East Force Casualty Evacuation flight in Malaya flying Westland ‘Dragonfly’ Helicopters in May 1950.(92) Lee’s pioneering work with primitive helicopters on operational service in the ‘Emergency’ did not go unnoticed. He was Mentioned in Despatches in recognition of his distinguished service in Malaya in August 1952. Promoted to Squadron Leader in July 1956, Lee was by this time one of the UK’s most experienced and able helicopter pilots.(93)
The original, under powered and unreliable machines that Lee had first used in Malaya were giving way to better, more useful aircraft and the helicopter would soon start to deliver on its enormous potential. The problem of underpowered machines looked to be solved with the advent of new lighter, vastly more powerful gas turbine engines. The machine showing the most promise for future development in the early 1960’s was the Bell UH-1 Iroquois or ‘Huey’.(94)
The responsibility for weapons trials was the responsibility of the US Advanced Research Projects Agency(ARPA). The Huey gunship weapons trials project was being run on behalf of ARPA by the RAND Corporation. The RAND Corporation had been split from the Douglas Aircraft Company shortly after WW2. Most of their investigative and consultancy work was done on behalf of the USAF.(95) The British defence establishment had a natural interest in cooperating with their NATO ally in technological developments. In January 1964 Wing Commander Allen Lee was working with RAND on the XH-1A Huey Gunship program. The XH-1A was used for grenade launcher, rocket and machine gun tests, in combat field trials and based on the UH-1B airframe. In the early 1960’s ARPA were working on several research projects and trialling them under combat conditions in South Vietnam. One of these projects resulted in the M-16 Rifle and another eventually resulted in the Huey Gunship. Wing Commander Allen Lee was part of the ARPA team that developed the Huey into a ‘weapon’. While Lee was learning all he could about gunship operations, the British were also attempting to stimulate ARPA’s interest in the hovercraft that British firm, Saunders Roe, were developing for military use.(96)
Lee’s Huey UH-1B tail number 62-01880 suffered a tail rotor failure after a strafing run on Viet Cong positions on the South China Sea coastline in Kien Hoa Province. It is not known whether the cause of the tail rotor failure was due to enemy ground fire in reply, or merely a mechanical mishap. In any event, 62-01880 crashed into the South China Sea
Although three of the crew were rescued, conditions were extremely difficult. Wing Commander Allen Lee, the US pilot Bryford Metoyer and the Crew Chief PFC John L. Straley perished. An attempt to rescue the trio in the water was made but Metoyer disappeared and Lee slipped from the grasp of the rescue helicopter crew and, he too disappeared. It is assumed that they were taken by sharks.(97)
We argue that, under the terms of the Royal Warrant establishing the award of the 1962 General Service Medal with South Vietnam Clasp, that Wing Commander Lee undoubtedly qualified for it."
If any of the resident experts here can correct or add anything to this account Mario and I would be very pleased to hear from you.
Best regards
Mick.