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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: Salty on Friday 03 November 17 16:11 GMT (UK)
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Can anyone help with pointing me in the right direction to find out about recipients of the DFM please.
I have tried the site Traces of War but that is far from complete and only seems to deal with up to WW11.
I have one that appears to have been awarded during the Korean War as the medal has the Queens head on.
Thanks
Salty
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I don't know of a consolidated list (someone might) but each individual award was published in the London Gazette. A trawl of 1950-1953 awards shows up only 29 DFM awards including some Australian ones. Does that help?
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/notice?end-publish-date=1953-01-01&text=distinguished+flying+medal&start-publish-date=1950-01-01&location-distance-1=1&service=all-notices&categorycode-all=all&numberOfLocationSearches=1&results-page-size=10
MaxD
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Thank you MaxD I will do a trawl and see if the name is there.
Salty
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A genuine named DFM with the Queen Elizabeth obverse is very rare indeed as stated above. There are several books which list the 6000 recipients of the DFM from 1918-date, possibly the most useful for your purposes would be by Ian Tavender who was a serious researcher and collector. Copies are usually available on Amazon.
If the recipient named on the edge of the medal can be proven to be deceased (over 25 years) then you will be able to apply to the Ministry of Defence for a copy of his records of service and that will give you the squadrons he served with and may also include the citation giving details of the act(s) of bravery.
It may be worth writing to the RAF Museum Hendon and enquiring if they hold any details of the serviceman, they very often do for recipients of gallantry awards, especially 1939 onwards.
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Thank you Pete and Max.
I have gone through the Gazette several times and am unable to find the name I was looking for. It is for a friend whose father was in the RAF and even he (Friend) was not certain whether the medal was awarded to his dad or not. I do not believe there is a name engraved but I will certainly check that now. I thought that from WW11 on they did not do that.
Many thanks again.
Salty
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Post or PM the name you have and I will check my sources.
Ross
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DFM's were always awarded named to British and most allied airmen.
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Post or PM the name you have and I will check my sources.
Ross
Have PMd you.