THE OUTSTANDING AND RARE GREAT WAR ROYAL FLYING CORPS SERGEANT PILOT'S IMMEDIATE DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL AWARDED TO SERGEANT F. HOPPER, 20 SQUADRON, ROYAL FLYING CORPS, FOR HIS GALLANTRY WHEN, AFTER HIS FORMATION WAS ATTACKED BY FIVE ENEMY PLANES, AND THOUGH WOUNDED, HIS ENGINE OUT OF ACTION AND HIS CONTROLS SHOT AWAY, HOPPER SUCCEEDED IN EVADING HIS ATTACKERS AND IN LANDING HIS PLANE WITHOUT FURTHER INJURY TO HIMSELF OR ANY INJURY TO HIS OBSERVER.
BY THE TIME OF THIS ENGAGEMENT HOPPER HAD ALREADY SHOT DOWN ONE ENEMY PLANE, AND HE SUBSEQUENTLY SHOT DOWN AT LEAST TWO OTHERS.
ONLY 92 DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDALS TO THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS DURING WW1, AND ONLY 33 FOR FLYING DUTIES, AND OF THESE 33 FLYING DUTIES DCMs ONLY 10 AWARDED TO SERGEANT PILOTS.
Distinguished Conduct Medal, George V (officially named, impressed in plain block capital letters and numbers: 2015 SJT: F. HOPPER. 20 / SQN: R.F.C.). Attractively toned, Extremely Fine, virtually as struck, with a length of original ribbon, and contained in a silk and velvet lined fitted leather case.
Medal accompanied by 2 page copied service record, along with an extensive and historically important file of original photographs and documents, including the following -
An original autographed portrait photograph of Sergeant Hopper in leather flying coat, by Edward Sharp, Westminster Bridge, London.
Hopper's original Central Flying School Pilot's Certificate, Upavon, 27 June 1917.
Army Book 136 (manuscript diary of events), with flying entries commencing on 4 June 1917 (Carlton Aerodrome, No. 69 Australian Squadron), and ending one month later, whilst with the same unit, together with private diary entries at the back, these covering in detail the recipient's active service. in France, 8 September to 3 November 1917.
Army Book 425, Pilot's Flying Log Book, with entries commencing 4th June 1917, having been copied from the Army Book 136 referred to above, and ending in France on 6th November 1917.
Hopper's original R.A.F. Certificate of Service and Discharge, with promotional, wound, award and other service details.
R.A.F. Records Office letter forwarding Hopper's D.C.M. dated 9 May, 1919, together with letter of congratulations from the Sergeant's Mess, School of Aerial Gunnery, R.F.C. Hythe, dated 17 January, 1918 (the sender obviously aware of the award well in advance of it actually being gazetted) along with 3 family telegrams regarding the award of the DCM.
FRANCIS HOPPER was born in the parish of Tullidge, Burnley, Lancashire in 1892. He is recorded in the 1911 census as an 18 year old, unmarried, Cloth Looker, resident at 52 Plumbe Street, Burnley, Lancashire, with his parents Edmund and Ada Hopper and elder brother James. Following the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, and being Interested in "various technical devices", Hopper volunteered for service with the Royal Flying Corps, enlisting into the Royal Flying Corps on 2/9/1914 with the rank of Air Mechanic 1st Class. At the time of enlistment Hopper was 22 years of age, gave his home address as 47 Woodgrave Road, Burnley, Lancashire and gave his trade as that of Fitter.
Hopper first saw service with the Royal Flying Corps as a 1st Class Air Mechanic in France, entering that theatre of operations on 15/1/1915. Hopper was eventually selected for training at the Central Flying School, Upavon and obtained his Flying Certificate there on 27 June 1917, qualifying as a 'First Class Flyer'. Over the course of the next few months he was constantly employed on photo reconnaissance and offensive patrols with No. 20 Squadron, based at St. Marie Cappel flying Bristol F2b's, and, as his hastily written pocket diary records, times were busy and dangerous. On the 6 October 1917, he had 'a fine scrap ... but there were too many of them, 30 at least, and only three of us. A few days later he went up in the morning but 'the Hun' hit his aircraft in nearly fifty places, shooting away the 'right outside struts and spars in bottom of the plane and aileron' and hitting his engine in three places. They also hit his head but he "got back okay." In fact such was the accuracy of the enemy's fire that Hopper was twice compelled to make forced landings, once coming to a standstill in a British gun emplacement. Refreshed by a stiff drink, he was happy to be given the opportunity of firing one of their field guns. Then on the 6 December he was permanently grounded after being seriously wounded in the arm, an incident which would earn him the D.C.M. He could, at least, console himself with the fact he had claimed at least three victories. Hopper transferred to the R.A.F. Reserve on 2/6/1919 and eventually discharged on 1/11/1922 after eight years service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Aer Force.
Sergeant Hoppers Distinguished Conduct Medal, for gallantry during a dogfight, which took place on 6/12/1917, was announced in the London Gazette of 28 March, 1918, page 3860,
"2015 Sgt. F. Hopper R.F.C. (Burnley). For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Whilst on reconnaissance duty, he, with his formation, was attacked by five enemy planes. Though stunned by a wound to his arm, with his engine out of action and controls shot away, he succeeded in evading three of the enemy scouts which had closed on him, and crossed the line at a low altitude. He landed his plane without injury to himself or his Observer. Later, he shot down two enemy planes completely out of control, and throughout he has shown the greatest vigour, determination and courage."
Sergeant Hopper's Army Book 136 and Army Book 425 both contain extensive, detailed manuscript notes regarding Hopper's experiences whilst serving with 20 Squadron.
Sergeant Hopper was also awarded a 1914-15 Star trio.
No. 20 Squadron was formed as a fighter unit on 1st September 1915 from No. 7 Reserve Squadron, at Netheravon. Commanded by Major G.J. Malcolm, initially it was equipped with F.E.2b's and Martinsyde Scouts when it went to France, arriving there on 23rd January 1916, where it flew offensive patrols for the remainder of that year from Clairmarais, as part of 11 Wing. Major Malcolm was popular with his aircrew, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold E. Hartney, who joined 20 Squadron as second in command in June 1916, praised his squadron commander "Major Malcolm, as fine a soldier as I ever met, a six footer from the Regular Army and every inch a man". In June 1916 the squadron was fully re-equipped with F.E.2d's, and with this "pusher" fighter the squadron evolved a method of combat which involved flying in a circle whilst the gunners fired outwards, covering each other. Using this technique, on 1st July 1916, five planes from the squadron fought off 20 Fokker E.1's, shooting down two of their attackers and damaging two others without loss. In January 1917 11 Wing moved to Boisdinghem, and in April 1917 to St. Marie-Cappel. Here, in August 1917, 20 Squadron began to replace the F.E.2d's, now outclassed as fighters, with Bristol F.2B's. With these latter planes it became a fighter-bomber squadron, taking with it on most sorties 112 pound bombs slung under the lower wings. During 1918 the squadron built up its operational performance, reaching a peak in May of that year, when the squadron, still with 11 Wing, claimed 75 German aircraft destroyed. The squadron ended the war with, by a wide margin, the highest total for any British fighter squadron, with a total of 630 enemy planes claimed and no fewer than 42 of its pilots became aces, having claimed 5 or more victories, the leading scorers including Captain F.A. Thayre, who claimed over 20 victories whilst flying F.E.2's, and Captain D. Latimer, the squadron's overall top scoring ace, who claimed 28 victories flying Bristols . There were also a number of other aces who flew with the squadron and claimed more than 5 victories when taking into account service with other squadrons, including Major J.T.B. McCudden VC, DSO and bar, MC and bar, MM, Croix de Guerre, who flew with 20 Squadron during June and July of 1916, and went on to claim victories over 57 german planes, Captain H.G. White, who claimed 9 victories with 20 and 29 Squadrons, and Captain F. Billinge, who claimed 5 victories whilst flying with 20, 32 and 36 Squadrons, . As the leading fighter squadron, it had many brushes with Richthofen's Flying Circus, both squadrons intent on dominating the skies above the battlefields, and had the distinction of shooting down one of Richthofen's Blue Max's, when, on 5th June 1917, F.E.2's of 20 Squadron shot down Lieutenant Karl Emil "The Sniper" Schaefer, who at the time was commanding Richthofen's Jasta 28 whilst he was on leave.The squadron also had the distinction of producing the only Royal Flying Corps non-commissioned officer to win the Victoria Cross during the First World War, Sergeant T. Mottershead being posthumously awarded the V.C. for saving the life of his observer, Lieutenant W.E. Gower, safely landing their burning plane, which had been set on fire at an altitude of 9,000 feet when their petrol tank was pierced. Though severely burnt as the plane came to earth, Sergeant Mottershead managed to select a safe landing place, and his endurance and fortitude was credited with saving the life of his observer (Sergeant Mottershead died four days later from the effects of his burns).
Among the planes that 20 Squadron flew, perhaps the most ungainly and dangerous was the F.E.2b. A two-seater, which had the engine and propellor mounted behind the crew, with the observer sitting in the front cockpit with a forward-firing Lewis gun, and a second Lewis gun on a telescopic mounting behind his seat, which fired upwards over the wing. The F.E.2b was heavier than the Fokker and slower, though it was equally manouevrable. Like every "pusher" aircraft, it had obvious advantages, with equally attendant drawbacks. Whilst the rear mounted engine provided a shield against bullets fired from astern, if the bullets did manage to stop the engine, the resulting crash often resulted in the death of the pilot and observer. The F.E.2d's, which 20 Squadron re-equipped with in June 1916, had a more powerful engine and three machine guns, the additional gun being intended for the pilot, but also accessible to the front seated observer. There were 6 aircraft, 8 pilots and 8 observers on each of the squadron's three flights.
69 (Australian) Squadron was formed on 28th December 1916 at South Carlton from a draft of Australian personnel dispatched from Egypt. The squadron moved to France in September 1917 as a corps reconnaissance unit, and on 19th January 1918 was redesignated No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps.
