Bidspirit auction | WW2 BOB pilot Sqn Ldr

WW2 BOB pilot Sqn Ldr Benjamin Bowring 600, 111 sqn signed Joint Service fighter cover, 70th ann Battle of Arras WW2 RAF Battle of Britain pilot. On 30th August he damaged a Me110, on the 31st probably destroyed a Me110 and damaged another, on 2nd September he probably destroyed a He111 and damaged a Me110, on the 4th destroyed a Me109, on the 5th destroyed a Me109, probably destroyed another and damaged a third and on the 6th destroyed a Ju88. Bowring was wounded in the arm on the 6th and did not return to the squadron until 24th October. He was shot down in early November and admitted to hospital, wounded. After recovery, he joined 260 Squadron at Skitten on 7th December 1940, recently-reformed at Castletown, as 'B' Flight Commander. In May 1941 the squadron embarked on the carrier HMS Victorious. At Gibraltar it transferred on to HMS Ark Royal and on 14th June flew off to Malta. After refuelling, it went on to Egypt and eventually arrived in Haifa to take part in the Syrian campaign. Bowring served with the squadron detachment at Beirut. He returned to the UK in October 1941 and was posted to an Armament Officer's course. He later took command of 278 (ASR) Squadron at Coltishall. Bowring led the squadron until its disbandment in September 1945. By that time it had rescued 998 men from the sea. Bowring was released in 1945 as a Squadron Leader and joined Lloyds as an aviation insurance underwriter. He was a member of the St. Moritz Tobogganing Club, founders of the Cresta Run, and also raced at Brooklands in a Jaguar. Bowring died on 14th August 1994.