Ulster DFM

[Beaufort121]

Does anyone have any info about the incident for which the only Distinguished Flying Medal was awarded during The Troubles in Northern Ireland? According to the London Gazette, it was awarded in Oct 1993.

Note: I don't think it can be connected to the relatively well-known 'Battle of Derry Road' incident, as this took place just a couple of weeks before the DFM was awarded.

Thanks.

[Heathrow Harry]

Gazetted 1th Oct 1993

Distinguished Flying Medal
D.F.M.

24200014 Staff Sergeant Trevor William SULLIVAN,
Army Air Corps


otherwise nothing on Google

[Sloppy Link]

Try the AAC Museum. The last DFM to be awarded and then it was Bliars Crosses for all.....and the first DFC went to....an Army NCO (he may have been RA at the time).

SL

Edit; TTN, you are quite correct, I have not edited my original post else yours wouldn't make sense!

[Tankertrashnav]

Bliars Crosses? It was in 1993 that the Major administration brought in the reform to the honours system, one part of which was the end of the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal and its naval and military equivalents. Odd that it was a Conservative government which introduced the idea of all ranks equality for orders and decorations. Personally I always thought that the DFM was a very handsome medal (as was the AFM) and had the additional feature of being named with the recipient's details.

[Tom Joad]

Is this the right one? If so then, agreed, it is rather smart in design.

Tom

http://dorchesters.com/image/cache/data/medals/full-size/distinguished-flying-medal-300x300.jpg

[MOSTAFA]

Beaufort, like most of the Operational Awards for Gallantry awarded in Northern Ireland, the citations remain classified and for very obvious reasons.

[teeteringhead]

Was it not at the same time as the RAF's only NI DFC??

[Tankertrashnav]

Yes Tom that's the one, the only difference is that the one being discussed will bear the crowned head of The Queen.

There are very few oval medals in the British Honours ands Awards system, the only others being the Air Force medal and various versions of the Territorial Efficiency Medal and its successors and the RAF equivalent, the Air Efficiency Award. Originally the stripes on the ribbon were horizontal, but this was altered not long after the medal came into being in 1918 (same for the DFC).

Interestly, the army stopped awarding the equivalent Military Cross and Military Medal for service in Northern Ireland quite early in the 1970s, and subsequently actions which would previously merited these awards were recognised with the Queen's Gallantry Medal. The reason was political, and was probably to downplay "the troubles" and not recognise them as a war as such, although to those out there the difference would probably have been hard to discern at times!

[Cows getting bigger]

Was it not at the same time as the RAF's only NI DFC??

Don't think so. The Puma DFC was in September 1994.

[zic]

Having asked a few mates from around that era who served at 5 Regt - it appears that in 1992 whilst flying a Lynx in Fermanagh he responed to a "come-on" at a Border Crossing Point and was engaged by a PIRA gun team with at least 2 x GPMG0 and associated small arms. Having successfully evaded the ambush, he went back in and he (well his door gunner really) responded in kind and engaged said gun team. What the results of said re-engagement were are unknown

[Beaufort121]

Thanks for the replies. There's a report in the Daily Telegraph of Jan 8th 1993 mentioning that running gun battle between a Lynx and gunmen on the ground (which would fit in with the awarding of the DFM ten months later), but it doesn't provide much detail, unfortunately.

[diginagain]

FRB tasking did have its moments...

[zic]

The Jul 91 Wessex crews would agree following their close encounter with a MANPAD....... :O

[jayteeto]

I didn't realise Bill got a medal for that encounter, I thought he got a reprimand from his boss! (Joke)

[Beaufort121]

Speaking of the July 1991 SAM attack on the RAF Wessex, does anyone know if the pilot was decorated for evading the missile? Newspaper reports from the time are rather contradictory, some stating the missile failed to lock on and 'whistled harmlessly past', others that the pilot skilfully evaded the SA-7 missile.