Distinguished Flying Medal (GV1) an Operation ‘Colossus’ award as Sgt (W/T) in the crew of J.B. ‘Willie’ Tait, DSO & 3 Bars, D.F.C. & Bar. The first parachute operation for the British Army when 35 officers and men of X Troop , 11 S.A.S. were dropped by 6 Whitleys of 51 Sqdn. with hand picked crews on 11 Feb. 1941 to destroy the important aqueduct at Tragino , Southern Italy. Successfully demolished the SAS split into four groups for the 60 mile trek to a submarine pick up. None of the groups made it back but this raid set the marker for future raids. It won Tait his first DSO in his last op with 51 Sqdn. The recipient was lost on air ops some 2 weeks later.

Distinguished Flying Medal (GV1)

Sgt. J.A. Patterson, R.A.F.

D.F.M. L.G. 31/10/1941 ’Sergeant John Anderson Patterson (deceased), awarded with effect from 20th February, 1941′

‘For gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations.’

Mounted on original ribbon and wearing pin with photographic image of the recipient.

Operation ‘Colossus

Towards the end of 1940 at a meeting in London, a decision was taken based on information from a civil engineering firm (George Kent and Sons), that if an aqueduct in Italy could be destroyed it would severely damage the Italian war effort. The contractor had originally built this aqueduct near a place called Tragino near Naples in southern Italy. The water supply for three major ports crossed a valley here. Various options were looked at and finally a request to help went to Britain’s only parachute unit. This was the 11th Special Air Service Battalion who had been formed from No 2 Commando in the middle of 1940.

Volunteers were called for and the whole unit stepped forward. Command of the operation (later known as Colossus) was given to Major T Pritchard. After much training in the UK the volunteers, known as X Troop, moved to an advanced operating base in Malta. As well as the men from 11th SAS Battalion, two others went on the operation as interpreters. One was an RAF officer Flight lieutenant Lucky and other an Italian national Fortunato Picchi, although he was briefed as a Free French soldier by the name of Dupont.

Tait led the six Whitleys in and dropped the first ‘stick’ then orbited the drop zone until all the troops were on the ground.

Successfully demolished the SAS split into four groups for the 60 mile trek to a submarine pick up. None of the groups made it back . All four groups were taken prisoner over the next few days apart from  the  ‘French’ interpreter who was executed.

Ironically the pickup submarine ’Triumph’ had unknown to the SAS troops had been recalled to Malta and the attempted escape was doomed from the start. However the raid set the marker for future raids. It won Tait the first of his four DSO in his last op with 51 Sqdn.

Sgt. J.A. Patterson aged 22, was lost some two weeks later. On 27 February, 1941 during the return from a mission to Cologne and is common

From North East Memorials Project

John Anderson Patterson

On the Runnymede Memorial is the name of 550572 Sergeant John Anderson Patterson, D.F.M., serving with the 51 Squadron Royal Air Force, who died 27/02/1941.

In St. John’s Churchyard, Seaton Hirst is a family headstone which reads:

In loving memory of
Thomas
beloved husband of
Elizabeth Patterson
died 22nd Dec. 1941 aged 56 years

Also of John Anderson Patterson
killed in action 23rd Oct. 1941 aged 42 years. (Sic)

Also the above Elizabeth
died 25th June 1967.

He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Patterson. He was married to Kathleen Phillips Patterson, of Staveley, Derbyshire.

Sergeant Patterson was killed when Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V P4934 MH-A of 51 Squadron was lost on a mission to Cologne. The Whitley took off from R.A.F. Dishforth at 18.58 on February 26th 1941, but suffered engine and radio problems. It encountered heavy snow, and the pilot ordered the crew to bale out. Unfortunately only two of the crew managed to do so before the Whitley crashed into the North Sea off the Durham coast at 05.00 on the following day, killing the three remaining crew.

His D.F.M. was gazetted posthumously on October 31st 1941, and was reported in the Derbyshire Times on 14/11/1941:

D.F.M. AWARD

For Staveley Airman Presumed Dead
Mrs. Kitty Patterson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. D. P. Moncaster, of 11, Ringwood Avenue, Staveley, was officially notified on Thursday week of the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal to her husband, Sergt. J. A. Patterson, who was reported missing on an operational flight last February, and presumed dead. The award is for gallantry and devotion to duty, and Mrs. Patterson with her father, will shortly be visiting London to receive the decoration. Aged 22, Sergt. Patterson was a native of Ashington, Northumberland, which was also his wife’s birthplace, her parents moving to Creswell in 1927 and to Staveley five years later. Sergt. Patterson was a wireless operator, and was married on Dec. 16th 1940, ten weeks before being reported missing.

His award was for his part in Operation Colossus earlier in February 1941.’

A fine DFM . Certainly apart from the norm.