Jacket, Service Dress: Pilot Officer, Royal Air Force

Single-breasted Service Dress jacket of blue-grey wool barathea, featuring an open collar with notched lapels, front fastening of four buttons (removed), two pleated breast pockets of patch form with scalloped button flaps, a horizontal right waist ticket pocket of slash form, two large skirt pockets of bellows form with rectangular button flaps, an integral waistbelt of matching fabric stitched on at the rear waist that fastens at the front via a double-pronged open gilt buckle. All buttons have been removed. Sewn above the left breast pocket are the qualification 'wings' of a RAF pilot (this badge was sewn on after the incident, as the original badge was stolen while Courtney was convalescing from his wounds), while around either cuff is sewn the rank braid of Pilot Officer. At the back of the neck of the jacket are several holes and rips, caused by the shrapnel from an exploding German cannon shell (this occurred over Dunkirk on 29 May 1940).

This Service Dress jacket was worn by Pilot Officer Ronald Noel Hamilton 'Ron' Courtney of 151 Squadron, Fighter Command, when he was shot down over Dunkirk on 29 May 1940. Courtney was flying Hurricane I P3321 on the squadron's second high escort patrol of the day. After taking off from RAF Manston at 1900 hours, Courtney and the squadron formed up with 56 Squadron to provide escort to the Defiants of 264 Squadron, who were detailed to search for and shoot down enemy bombers in the Dunkirk-Calais area. When the squadron was attacked by Bf 109 fighters, Courtney's Hurricane was hit, with a cannon shell exploding on the armour plating behind the aircraft's seat. Courtney was wounded in the back of the neck by numerous shrapnel fragments, which likely passed through the seat's Sutton harness opening, as well as by a bullet which passed through his lower right leg, and was forced to bail out over the English Channel when his Hurricane's engine seized. Fortunately, he was picked up by HMS Shearwater (L39) and taken to Ramsgate Hospital, where he was treated for his wounds. Whilst in hospital, the pilot's qualification brevet (or 'wings') was removed and stolen from this jacket, with a replacement being sewn on at a later date. Courtney was released from hospital on 4th June 1940 and spent some time at the RAF Convalescent Home in Torquay, before returning to 151 Squadron in July 1940.

Ronald Noel Hamilton Courtney CBE DFC AFC was born 25 December 1919 in Bury St Edmunds and grew up in Letchworth, attending Letchworth Grammar School. In September 1937, Courtney was accepted for a commission in the Royal Air Force and undertook flying training at the Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School at Montrose and No. 8 FTS. Commissioned as a Pilot Officer in March 1938, he joined 151 Squadron, Fighter Command as a Hurricane pilot in October of the same year. On 13 May 1940, shortly after the German invasion of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg began, Courtney was temporarily attached to 607 Squadron, operating out of Vitry-en-Artois aerodrome. Courtney flew several sorties while in France, claiming one enemy aircraft shot down, but the speed of the German advance meant that the squadron first had to retreat to Norrent Fontes aerodrome on 18 May before evacuating to Britain two days later, a hectic period in which Courtney lost his first log book. After a short period of leave, Courtney returned to 151 Squadron on 27 May, and flew two offensive patrols over Dunkirk the following day alongside 56 Squadron and 264 Squadron. On 29 May, Courtney flew two more offensive patrols over Dunkirk with the squadron, but on the second of these his Hurricane (P3321) was hit by a Bf 109. Wounded in the back of the neck and right leg, Courtney attempted to guide the damaged Hurricane home, but when the engine seized he was forced to bail out over the English Channel. Courtney was picked up by HMS Shearwater and was treated at Ramsgate Hospital, after which he spent a month in the RAF Convalescent Home in Torquay. Courtney returned to 151 Squadron at North Weald in July 1940 and was given command of the Station Flight as he had not yet been declared fit for operational flying. As part of this he oversaw training flights for pilots that had recently joined the squadron (one of these pilots was Pilot Officer F C Harrold, whose collection is held by the IWM). In September 1940, Courtney was declared fit for operational flying and officially took part in the Battle of Britain, however as the squadron had since been sent to Digby, saw little action. In December, he was posted for service in the ‘East’ along with Flying Officer C D Whittingham and Sergeant Leonard Davies, but Courtney’s move did not materialise (Whittingham and Davies were posted to 261 Squadron in Malta). From January 1941 to February 1942, Courtney was given operational rest and served as a staff pilot with No. 3 School of General Reconnaissance, Squires Gate and No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit, Detling. After a brief period as a flight commander with 610 Squadron from April to August 1942, Courtney was posted to the Far East in September, first serving in a Fighter Operational Conversion Unit in India and then as Squadron Leader (Tactics) with Air Headquarters, Bengal and Headquarters 224 Group, Chittagong. In June 1943, Courtney was appointed commander of 261 Squadron, a Hurricane squadron based out of Chittagong and Chiringa in eastern India. The squadron was primarily involved in escort duties and ground attack sorties against Japanese targets in the Arakan. Courtney then took command of 113 Squadron in January 1944, which was reforming and converting to Hurricanes in Dimapur after suffering heavy casualties as a Blenheim squadron the previous year. After moving to Tulihal (and later Palel), just outside of Imphal, Courtney and 113 Squadron began flying ground attack sorties from March 1944, primarily in support of ground forces engaged against the Japanese offensive around Imphal and Kohima. For Courtney’s leadership of the squadron during the Imphal-Kohima battles he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in September 1944. After being promoted to Wing Commander, Courtney served as a Fighter Operations staff officer with HQ 221 Group, overseeing air defence and ground attack operations during the 14th Army’s offensive into Burma. He was then appointed Officer Commanding (Flying) of 910 Wing during the advance to Rangoon, serving in this capacity until the end of the war. From 1946 to 1949, Courtney commanded 130 Squadron (renumbered 72 Squadron in February 1947), a De Havilland Vampire fighter squadron, at RAF Odiham, and on 14 July 1948 flew one of six Vampire F3’s of 54 Squadron in the first jet crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. In the early 1950’s he served in Egypt, first as a liaison officer to the Egyptian Air Force and then as commander of 32 Squadron, after which he returned to England to serve at HQ 11 Group. He led the 1954 Battle of Britain flypast. In 1956, Courtney studied at the US Air Force Air War College and then took up an appointment as an exchange officer with the USAF’s Eastern Air Defence Force (EADF) in New York, eventually leading the EADF Tactical Evaluation Team. Promoted to Group Captain in 1959, he served as commander of RAF Leconfield from 1960 to 1962, after which he spent three years at HQ Far East Air Force, Singapore. His final appointment was at HQ Fighter Command, serving as Group Captain, Operations (Ground Environment), where his responsibilities included all Fighter Command radar stations as well as the Ballistic Missile Early Warning Station at RAF Fylingdales. Courtney was awarded a CBE in 1966 and retired from the Royal Air Force in January 1968.