The Story Behind a Second World War Medal Group...
1st January 0001
We consider medals a fragment of a life. A group of medals belonging to Flight Lieutenant George Chesterton have made their way to Lawrences Auctioneers in Crewkerne. George Chesterton was a pilot whose wartime service can still be traced in remarkable detail thanks to his surviving logbook. Among the medals is the Air Crew Europe Star. One of the rarer awards, marking service in some of the most dangerous skies of the war. Unusually, the group is named, allowing us to connect the medals directly to the man.
But it’s the logbook that brings his story to life. Chesterton flew Stirling bombers with 190 Squadron, and his entries place him at the centre of some of the most important operations of the war. On D-Day (Operation Tonga), he dropped paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division: “The red light went on… then green, and the whole stick of paratroops left in quick succession.”
On the return, he witnessed the vast invasion fleet crossing to Normandy.
Later, during Operation Market Garden, he flew multiple missions, carrying pathfinders, towing gliders, and delivering supplies under increasingly dangerous conditions. His squadron lost 14 aircraft in a single week.
He later described Arnhem simply as: “the ghastly fiasco… which has since haunted me.” Alongside these major operations, Chesterton also flew secret missions supporting the Resistance, dropping weapons and supplies by moonlight for SOE and SAS operations behind enemy lines. His operational tour lasted just six months. And he survived.
After the war, he became a schoolmaster, cadet officer, and accomplished cricketer, a life defined not only by conflict, but by what came after it. This medal group is more than a collection. With the logbook, it becomes something rare: a complete story.
You can find these particular medals within our two day sale this May. For more information, get in touch with Matthew Denney, our Coins, Medals & Militaria specialist.
