Instituted in 1886 for
“Acts of gallantry by military officers for which a
Victoria Cross was not considered appropriate”.
During 1914 to 1916 some were awarded in conditions
that could not be considered under fire.
Many were awarded to Squadron Commanders for a long
period of leadership, but in some cases, it was awarded to
a Junior Officer for one operation.
Prior to 1943, the award could only be awarded to someone
who had been Mentioned in Dispatches”.
In 1942 the regulations were amended to allow the award
to be made to officers of the Merchant Navy for gallantry
in the presence of the enemy.
Total issued up to 1983
1291 plus 113 First Bars and 18 Second Bars
Over 300 DSO’s were awarded to New Zealanders
during both World Wars.
Description
The Cross is of gold, enamelled white, with gold edges.
Having on one side, in the centre,
within a wreath of Laurel enamelled green,
The Imperial Crown in Gold.
On the Reverse, within a similar wreath,
and upon a similar ground,
The Royal Cypher.
It hangs from its ribbon by a gold clasp
ornamented with Laurel.
While a similar clasp is worn at the top
of the ribbon.
The ribbon is 32mm wide
Membership is only open to commissioned officers
or their equivalents
F/L, T W Allen, NZ413007
DSO, DFC
11th March 1922 to 11 April 2010
Joined RNZAF in May 1941,
Trained at Levin on 25th May 1941
Whenuapai on 3 July 1941 and
Ohakea on 16th August 1941
Was posted to No 14 Operational Training Unit
on 16th February 1942
Posted to Pilots Advanced Flying Unit on
13th April 1942
Posted to No 14 Operational Training Unit
on 19 May 1942
Posted to No 142 Squadron on 28th August 1942
Posted to No 42 Squadron on 17th March 1943
Posted to No 2 BPD on 3rd August 1943
Posted to HQ No 41 Group 26th September 1943
Posted to No 11 Operational Training Unit
Posted to NTU at Warboys on 28th June 1944
Posted to No 1665 Mosquito Training Unit on
3rd July 1944
Posted to No 192 Squadron 1st August 1944
flying Mosquitos
Posted to No 105 Operational Training Unit
on 1st Feb 1945
DFC on 21st May 1943 on No 142 Squadron
Flying Wellingtons.
This Officer has participated in 28 operations
and has displayed a high standard of efficiency
and fine fighting qualities.
His determination to press home attacks from a
low level, in the face of heavy fire from the
ground has been most praiseworthy
F/L DSO on 23 March 1945 on No 192 Mosquito
Squadron, Allen is on his third tour of operations.
Since being awarded the DFC he has taken
part in many operations and has never failed
to complete his mission.
His sorties have included both Day and Night
attacks against heavily defended targets in
Germany, Italy and the Middle East.
F/O, A Ashworth, NZ 436099
DSO, DFC, & Bar, AFC & Bar
3 May 1920 to
Applied to join the RAF in 1939, but due to the
outbreak of war he was told to join the RNZAF.
Joined in September 1939, did his ground training
at Rongotai, and initial flight training at Tairei
in December 1939.
Finished training at Wigram in March 1940,
having flown Tiger moths, Vilderbeasts, and
Gordons.
Sent to England, arriving in June 1940 and
posted to Uxbridge and Kemble where he
flew Ansons.
Promoted to P/O and posted to 75[NZ] Squadron
at Feltwell, flying Wellingtons on 25 January 1941,
where he did 10 more trips flying as second Pilot,
including an operation on Berlin.
On 8th May he took his first ‘Captain’ trip to
Hamburg, despite never having landed at night.
The target was the Submarine Shipbuilding
Yards, and following the release of his bombs
his aircraft was caught in the searchlights.
He was promoted to F/O on 8th June 1941.
On the 12th June, he was posted to No 38 Squadron,
first at Malta then at Egypt.
On 18th June the target was the “Scharnhorst”
at Brest, the ship was not where they had been
briefed to find it but they attacked another ship
in the harbour, for this he was awarded the DFC.
Posted to 216 Squadron until 25 April 1942 and
based at El Khanka, in the Nile Delta.
Mostly flying DH 86 Expresses on casualty evacuation,
Later to act as the personal pilot to an US General
who was in charge of “double tracking” the railway
line from Basra to Teheran.
He also became second pilot and later Captain of
Bristol Bombays before being posted back to England
and took part in the first of the 1,000 bomber raids
on Cologne.
During his period in West Africa, he contracted Malaria,
from which he suffered for the rest of his life.
He was posted back to 75 [NZ] Squadron in late
May 1942, and promoted to F/L on 8th June 1942.
An attack on Hamburg on 28th June 1942 was
successful and without much support from other
aircraft he crossed the city 3 times taking photographs,
He was congratulated by the Air Officer No 3
Group for these photos.
Promoted to Acting S/L on 27th July.
At this point he had flown 338 hours on operations.
Posted to Pathfinders HQ in August 1942 his
65th sortie was to Saarbrucken, Germany, with a
new crew, the bomb load was 12 x 3” flares to
illuminate the target for the other bombers and
6 x 250 lb bombs.
The first sign of trouble was a smell of burning,
no smoke at the pilot's position, while they were
flying over the target area trying to find
the target through the haze on the ground.
The Wireless Operator called through the
intercom that there were sparks coming through
the floor.
As this could have been an electrical short or
something else they did another 5 minutes
searching for the target.
The W/O then came through on the intercom
again saying there were more sparks coming
through the floor and he was standing by with
the fire extinguisher.
Ashworth realized that it was one of the
flares in the bomb bay, so he ordered the
Bomb Aimer to release them.
Suddenly there was a blinding light all around
the aircraft and what appeared to be flames
underneath the aircraft.
Knowing that Wellingtons don’t fly for long
when they are on fire, he ordered the crew
to bale out.
He felt the tail gunner go due to the turret turning
into the slipstream.
The rest of the crew seemed to be taking a long
time despite being sworn at.
At last, they were all gone, so he went to grab
his parachute from its stowage just forward and to
the Starboard of the Pilots position and found it
was gone.
He checked the other stowage positions to find
that all the parachutes had disappeared.
Returning to the cockpit he thought of trying
to reach the ground before the aircraft broke up.
He did the classic action to be taken in case
of fire in the air,
“throttle back and side slip from side to side”.
When he reached about 800 feet the fire suddenly
went out. [the burning bit of the flare finally
broke free].
Finding that the control of the aircraft was satisfactory
he climbed to 5,000 feet and went back to the
Navigators position to see what he could find,
There he found a map but very little else, so he
drew a line from roughly where he was to his
home base to give him a bearing to fly along.
As he hit the French Coast there was flak and
searchlights that were recognizable as being at
Dieppe from the angle of the coast.
As he crossed the coast he turned the IFF to
Distress, as he saw the English coast both engines
died through lack of fuel, so he raced
back to turn on the Nacelle tanks.
Fortunately, the searchlights led him to West
Malling in Kent where he landed and was directed to a
parking spot on the edge of the airfield,
Then he found that the engines would not stop, so
he left them running and exited through the
bomb bay.
He saw a parachute caught in one of the bomb racks,
and there was a round object at the end of it, that
turned out to be part of the broken flare.
Early in 1943, he was posted to No 1 [Islands]
Group RNZAF and served on the Air Staff on
Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal.
When he was posted back to NZ he requested the
opportunity to train as a fighter pilot, becoming
one of the few to have flown bombers and fighters.
He was operational in the Pacific until 29th October
1944, when he was recalled to Europe and Lancasters
on the 635 Pathfinders Squadron.
Given a Permanent Commission of F/L on 1st September
1945 he served as an Instructor at the Middle East
Training School at Amman.
He continued his carer, rising to the rank of W/C
on 1 July 1956.
He was forced to retire on 31st August 1967 due
to increasing blindness.
His wartime service was 110 sorties which involved
nearly 500 hours of Operations
F/O, DFC for actions on 18th June 1941
A S/L, Bar to DFC for actions in September 1941
A S/L, DSO for actions 31st July 1942
S/L, AFC on 5th June 1952 for service at
Farnborough
Bar to AFC on 31st May 1956 for his work on
139 [Jamaica] Squadron
A W/C, D R Bagnal, NZ40790
DSO, DFC, DFC [US]
23 September 1918 to 3 January 2001
Joined the RAF in 1937
In May 1938 he was posted to 216 Squadron flying
Vickers Valentia biplanes at Heliopolis. Egypt.
After the outbreak of the war, the Squadron was
re-equipped with Bristol Bombay’s, bringing bombing
into the transport role he had been flying.
Bombing from a Bombay could be somewhat
unorthodox.
During General Wavell’s desert campaign in the
New Year of 1941, Bagnall lobbed grenades on
Sidi Barrani from the windows of the cockpit.
During the Greek/Crete campaigns his aircraft
was shot up while on the ground at Heraklion
Airfield, while under fire he managed to get
some valuable supplies form the aircraft
before it burnt.
In August 1941 he was posted to 108 Squadron
Flying Wellingtons at Fayid, in the Canal Zone.
Promoted to S/L and command of the Squadron
in February 1942, for the next three months he
was employed, with a large detachment from the
Squadron in support of the troops and armour.
In June 1942 he was rested in a combined service
course in the Haifa Staff College at Palestine.
In November he was posted to a Staff Post in
HQ Cairo.
In March 1943 he was promoted to W/C [at 24]
and posted to take over No 40 Squadron from a
fellow NZer W/C Norton.
For the next 12 months, the Squadron became part
of the US 15th Air Force in General Carl Spaatz’s
North West African Air Force.
They supported the final Tunisian battles and the
Sicilian and Italian landings.
Shortly before D-Day, he was posted to help planning
at HQ Allied Expeditionary Forces.
After the war he remained in the RAF, reverting
to F/L.
Posted to Singapore as an Intelligence Officer,
returning to England in 1953 to assist planning the
Coronation Review.
In 1954 he served with the USAAF 20th Fighter
Bomber Wing,
Resumed staff duties until he retired in 1965.
Over his career, he flew 70 operations, and 56 types
of aircraft, including most of the Jets of his era
DFC
S/L DSO, immediate award, attacking the marshalling
yards at Battipaglia in 1943
DFC[US] in 1943
W/C, C H Baigent, NZ 411973
DSO, DFC & Bar, AFC,
He enlisted in March 1941, aged 17,
Was posted to 15Squadron where he did his
first 32 operations.
Posted to 115 Squadron for another 33 operations
in 1943.
He was promoted to S/L in November 1943
Took over as CO of 75 [NZ] Squadron after the loss of
W/C Ray Newton on the 1st January 1945
He was still 10 days short of his 22nd birthday, the
youngest Squadron Commander in the RAF.
He continued to fly operations with new crews and
had completed 70 by the end of the war.
Rejoined the RNZAF for the DH Mosquito ferry
Flights from the UK to NZ.
Took command of 75 Squadron RNZAF in 1947 to 49
F/L DFC for 32 operations with 15 Squadron
F/L Bar to DFC for 33 operations with 115 Squadron
W/C DSO, for his leadership prior to and including
75 [NZ] Squadron
AFC 1 January 1948 for leading the Mosquito
ferry flights
Up to 1572 hours total flying with 279 hours
in the last 6 months
A F/L, J F Barron,
DSO & Bar DFC, DFM,
9 January 1921 to 20 May 1944
Enlisted in June 1940, went through training with
Jimmy Ward VC, at Taieri and Wigram.
Posted to 15 Squadron flying Short Stirlings.
Promoted to F/S and P/O and completed 42
operations before being posted to 1651
Conversion Unit.
He preferred operational flying, so he joined
No 7 Squadron, a founding Pathfinder Unit.
He flew 16 operations with this Squadron,
being promoted to F/L, and, in December
1942 his Pathfinder Badge.
Posted to No 11 Operational Training Unit
in May 1943 and promoted to S/L.
Rejoined No 7 Squadron again, now flying
Lancasters, in December 1943, and continued
to fly, including the raid on 19th February 1944
with the target being Leipzig, the RAF
lost 78 bombers on this one raid.
Promoted to W/C in February 1944.
On 19 May 1944, while acting as Master Bomber
on an attack on the railway yards at Le Mans,
[his 79th operation] two of the Squadrons aircraft
are thought to have had a mid-air and both crashed.
P/O, DFM on May 42, after 42 Ops
15 Squadron
P/O, DFC on Feb 43, after a tour in Pathfinders
No 7 Squadron
F/L, DSO on Mar 43, for exceptional Gallantry
and Devotion to duty
W/C, Bar to DSO immediate award on 16 June 44,
acting as Master Bomber over Nantes
One of four NZ to win a Bar to the DSO
W/C, D M Brass 40337
DSO, MID,
1st December 1916
Joined RAF in 1937
Served on the Atlantic Ferry in 1941
Instructor at No 3 School of General Reconnaissance
In 1941 to 1942
CO No 612 Squadron from January 1944 to February 1945
flying specially adapted GR Wellingtons
Chief Instructor at No 3 School of General Reconnaissance in 1945
W/C DSO on 20 March 1945 on 612 Squadron
MID on 1 January 1946
W/C, R E Bary
DSO, DFC
9 June 1915 to 12 April 1945
Joined the RAF 9th June 1939,
Promoted to P/O 3rd September 1939
Flew Hurricanes in UK, and Crete as well as the Western
Desert, had been promoted to S/L
Posted to the Middle East to take command of No 80
[Tomahawk]Squadron.
Wing Leader No 239 Wing 1943 to 44
Wing Leader No244 Wing 1944 to 45
Killed in Action on 12 April 1945
6 destroyed
A W/C, M V Blake,
DSO
13 February 1913 to 30 November 1981
Joined RAF November 1936
On 8th September 1939, he was approaching Croydon to land
when, realizing that he was going to overshoot, he opened the
throttle to go around again, but the engine stopped.
At 300 feet he slowed to stalling speed, hit the chimney of a
Nurses home and flipped onto his back into the foundations
of the new Purley Hospital.
The cause was found to be hay in the intake, the result of
parking the aeroplanes in the open.
He escaped with a cut head.
Took command while the CO of 238 Squadron was
hospitalized after being shot down on 8th August 1940
21st August 1940 he destroyed a Ju 88 and
Shared a Do 17 on the 27th August,
Destroyed a Ju 88 on 11th September and
a He 111 on 15th September
Relinquished his command when S/L Fenton returned
on 13th September 1940.
CO 254 Squadron from 21st September 1940.
Shared a Do 215 on 24h November and
Destroyed two Do 17 when escorting the damaged
Destroyer HMS Javelin into the harbour on 29th
November 1940
Shared a Me 110 on 11th March 1941, and
Destroyed a Ju 88 on 8th May and
Destroyed a Me 109 on the 12th May 1941.
On 10th July while escorting Blenheims to attack shipping
at Cherbourg, he shot down two Me 1009’s and probably
a third when he was hit and was forced to ditch into the
sea seven miles from the French Coast.
In twelve hours, with a favourable wind, he had paddled
his dingy to within two miles of the Isle of Wright when
he was picked up.
In July 1941 he was appointed Wing Leader of the Polish
Wing at Exeter, in September he was posted as Wing Leader
at Portsmouth.
Over Dieppe, on 19th August 1942, he destroyed a Fw 190
but was then shot down himself and landed in the sea.
After paddling all day and the following night he was picked
up by a German Launch when five miles from Dover.
DFC 20th December 1940
DSO 27th July 1942
S/L, P R Caldwell, Navigator
DSO, DFM,
S/L, J M Checketts,
CO 485 [NZ] Squadron
DFC,
DSO on 3rd December 1943
A G/C, A E Clouston,
DSO, DFC, AFC, & Bar,
7th April 1908 to 1st January 1984
Joined the RAF in October 1930, and was posted to
No 25 Squadron, flying Hawker Fury, biplane Fighters,
and was one of the nine display pilots who did formation
aerobatics and loops at the April 1934 display at Henson.
In 1935 at the end of his ‘short-term commission’ he
became a test pilot at RAE Farnborough.
He took an interest in civil aviation and race flying.
In 1937, with Betty Kirby-Green they broke the Croydon
Aerodrome to Cape town record in 45 hours and 2 minutes.
The return also broke several records and was completed in
57 hours and 23 minutes. This was flown in a DH Comet.
They covered 14,690 miles in less than 6 days.
On 15th March 1938 with Victor Ricketts in the DH Comet,
they set off to break the "England to Australia" record set by
C W A Scott and T C Black in the same aircraft in 1934.
They flew to Cairo, Basra, Allahabad, Penang, Singapore, Darwin
But were unsuccessful in their attempt, so they continued
on to Sydney without being aware of the London to Sydney
Record, which they broke, arriving on the 19th March.
The next day they flew to Omaka, Blenheim, NZ and
set further records.
They returned to England, arriving on 26th March
having set 11 records in a round trip of 26,000 miles.
He re-enlisted on 1 October 1939 and continued as
a test pilot ranked as a F/L.
At this time it was forbidden to arm the weapons of
the high-speed fighters they were testing, so he chased
the Germans without harming them.
Later this was later rescinded, and he claimed a
He 111 and a Bf 110 on the same flight, in a Spitfire.
On 12 May 1941, he was posted as CO 1422 Flight of
the RAF at Heston.
Promoted to S/L in June 1941, and oversaw the testing
of the Turbilite searchlight in Havoc Night Fighters,
and the Leigh Light in Wellington bombers on
Anti-submarine patrols.
In March 1943 he was promoted to W/C and
command of No 224 Squadron, operating B24 Liberators
over the Bay of Biscay.
In May 1945 he was promoted to G/C and posted
as CO of ALG B151 that was being developed into
HQ of British Air Forces of Occupation and named
RAF Buckeburg.
In April he was given a permanent commission at
the reduced rank of S/L.
He was offered the job of Director General of
Civilian Aviation in NZ.
Instead of releasing him the RAF promoted him
to G/C and he was given a two year posting as
CO RNZAF Ohakea, who were
starting to operate DH Mosquitos.
In February 1850 he was posted as CO RAF Leeming
and in July 1953 as CO Empire Test Pilot School
at Farnborough.
In October 1953 he was posted as Senior Air Staff
Officer at No 19 Group RAF Coastal Command
In July 1954 he was promoted to Air Commodore
and posted as Air Officer Commanding, Singapore.
His final posting was Commandant of the Aeroplane
and Armament Experimental Establishment at
Boscombe Downs.
He retired on 1 January 1984
AFC on 1 Jan 1938
DFC on 1 Oct 1943 for operations on 224 Squadron
DSO on 14 Apr 1944 For Operations on 224 Squadron
CB on 1 Jan 1957
Info
A S/L, W G Cochrane,
DSO, DFC,
10 October 1916 to 29 October 1994
Enlisted in the RNZAF in September 1940.
Flew 33 operations with 156 Squadron, flying
Wellington Bombers.
He spent the next 18 months in Operational Training Units
teaching others how to fly multi-engined aircraft.
He was posted to 156 Squadron flying Lancasters in June
1944 and completed 55 operations over the next 11 months,
often acting as Master Bomber, who directed the other aircraft
as he circled the target.
He completed the war being one of four NZ born airmen who
won two bars to the DFC, He had completed 88 Operations
After the war, he joined BOAC that later became British Airways,
flying Yorks, Hermes, Stratocruisers, Comets and Boeing 707’s
He retired after 25 years of service
AFC in January 1938 for Test Pilot work
Bar to AFC
W/C DFC in August 1942 on completion of his first tour
DSO in late 1944 on completion of his second tour
W/C, W V Crawford-Crompton
DSO, DFC, & Bar, US Silver Star
2nd March 1915 to 2nd January 1988
Joined the RNZAF in 1939 as a Sergeant Pilot
Posted to No 603 Squadron, and was Commissioned
as Pilot Officer 23 April 1941.
Posted to 485 [NZ] Squadron in May 1941, and he was
injured in April 1942.
Posted as Flight Commander to 611 Squadron in Aug 1942
Promoted to S/L and posted as CO to 64 Squadron in
December 1942.
Posted to Air Staff at HQ No 11 Group in March 1943
Promoted to W/C, Wing Leader of Hornchurch Wing on
30th July 1943.
He was sent on a Lecture Tour of the USA in October 1943.
He returned and was posted as Wing Leader No 145 [French]
Wing.
Posted to Plans HQ No 11 Group on 2nd January 1945
And fitted in a Staff College Course at No 15 Staff College
in Hafia from 9th Aug 1945 to 9 February 1946.
Posted to Air Staff, HQ RAF Mediterranean and Middle East
Appointed a permanent Commission as S/L on 10th December 1946
Promoted to W/C on 1 July 1947
On 2nd March 1950, he was Air Attache in Oslo
Posted to CO RAF Bruggen in May 1953
Promoted to G/C on 1 January 1955 and was posted as
OC No 215 Wing at RAF Gamil
Promoted to Acting Air Commodore on 28 Jul 1959 and
posted as Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ No 11 Group
And was made substantive A C on 1 Jul 1960.
During 1961 he attended the Imperial Defence College
Posted as Air Operations at HQ Near East Air Force on
28th April 1962.
Promoted to Air Vice Marshall and posted as Senior Air
Staff Officer, at HQ Near East Air Force/Chief of Staff,
HQ British Forces [Cyprus]
Posted as Air Officer Commanding No 22 Training Group
on 15 Jan 1966.
His record was 20 destroyed, 1 shared, 3 probable, and 1
shared probable, and 13 damaged
AVM CB on 1 January 1965
G/C CBE on 13 June 1957
A W/C DSO on 24 September 1943
A W/C Bar to DSO on 26 January 1945
A F/L DFC on 10 March 1942 on 485 [NZ] Squadron
A F/L Bar to DFC on 11 Dec 1942
F/L SS on 20 July 1943
F/L, S G Culliford, NZ 412659
DSO, VM [Virtuti Militari -Poland]
18 July 1920 to 29 December 2001
On 25th July 1944, he flew a No 267 Squadron C47 from
Brindisi, Southern Italy into an abandoned airfield at
Matczyn, near Lubin, Poland.
The code name for this airfield was Motyl.
Due to the length of the flight, additional fuel tanks had been
fitted to give the C47 up to 18 hours flying time.
The plan was to land the C47 in the middle of a territory
surrounded by German military units retreating westward
and under pressure from the advancing Soviet army.
At just past midnight, the C47 circled the landing zone and the
Partisans indicated the runway.
After landing the Partisans emerged from the surrounding
woods nearby, pulling carts of key V-2 components.
After the cargo and passengers were loaded the Pilots attempted
to taxi out for taking off, but the aircraft would not move.
It took 4 attempts to clear enough mud from the wheels,
and insert enough wooden sticks under the wheels for the
aircraft to be able to taxi and take off before it was detected by
the German military.
They delivered the parts and the Polish VIP’s to London
within 2 days.
A dramatization of the events was published in a book
“They Saved London” by Bernard Newman in 1955.
The book was turned into a Feature Film
“Battle of the V1”
The operation was also featured in the 1977 BBC TV
series “The Secret War” episode “Terror Weapons”
[the C47 had 4 tanks in the wings, 166 and 168 gallons per wing
Giving a normal fuel load of 668 gallons.
Average consumption was 70 gallons per hour,
giving 9 .5 hours flying.
Normal internal tanks were 2 x 110 gallons = 220 gallons
Or 3 hours flying.
To have enough fuel for 18 hours flying there must have been
3 pair of tanks inside the fuselage which would have left little
room for freight, and would have increased the weight a lot.]
DSO, on 17th October 1944 267 Squadron