Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry

A rare post-War B.E.M. pair awarded to Sergeant A. Bell, Glider Pilot Regiment, Army Air Corps, for his skill and courage in carrying out a forced landing of his Horsa Glider in Cardiff on 5 April 1949 British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 2nd issue (16000130 Sgt. Arthur Bell, A.A.C.) edge prepared prior to naming, in Royal Mint case of issue; War Medal 1939-45, extremely fine, rare to unit (2) £500-£700 --- One of only two British Empire Medals awarded to the Glider Pilot Regiment. B.E.M. London Gazette 2 January 1950. The original Recommendation states: ‘For the past two years Sergeant Bell has been attached to R.A.F. Transport Command Development Unit at Brize Norton. During this period he has been engaged in air testing experimental glider equipment, particularly the automatic pilot and snatch equipment. Due to technical failures in equipment this N.C.O. has carried out two forced landings without damage to aircraft, personnel, or property. On four occasions he has been the pilot of Horsa Gliders which have been snatched from fields where these gliders had previously been forced landed by other pilots, thereby saving valuable aircraft and equipment. In all, he has carried out over one hundred snatches. Throughout this period Sergeant Bell has shown a very high degree of flying skill, courage, and ability. On one occasion when detailed as Captain of a Horsa Glider for a long cross country flight involving the testing of the automatic pilot, intercommunication between the tug aircraft and the glider became unserviceable. At this time the aircraft were flying in thick rain cloud at 4,000 feet, and the tug aircraft was not visible from the glider. Owing to a mechanical failure during a turn, the glider became badly out of position, and Sergeant Bell realised that both the tug aircraft and the glider were seriously endangered. Sergeant Bell released the tow rope and prepared for a forced landing. The glider broke cloud at 600 feet in heavy rain over Cardiff. Sergeant Bell selected the only available landing ground, a sports field, on which he carried out a successful forced landing without damage to personnel, aircraft, or property.’ Arthur Bell served with the Glider Pilot Regiment, Army Air Corps, and in addition to his British Empire Medal received a ‘Green Endorsement’ for his services to Army Aviation during his tour at R.A.F. Brize Norton. Bell’s co-pilot during the above-mentioned forced landing in Cardiff on 5 April 1949, Ron Head, gives the following additional account: ‘We had completed the first two legs and were heading for Start Point, having been in cloud since just before the second turning point. It was also raining heavily which in turn washed out communication between tug and glider. This caused the pilot of the tug to abandon the rest of the trip and turn for Brize Norton. He commenced his turn to port and for some reason the port arm of the fork broke off allowing the rope to swing free. In the glider our first intimation of anything wrong was when we found ourselves at right angles to the rope, first to port and then to starboard. Visibility was nil so it was decided to cast off, our height being about 4,600 feet. Sergeant “Dinger” Bell carried out all the set actions for such an emergency and we settled down gliding straight ahead until we could see the ground. At 1,000 feet we were still in ten tenths cloud and beginning to wonder. At 600 feet I suddenly glimpsed the ground through a small gap in the cloud and saw a long strip of tarmac and said to “Dinger” that his usual luck had not deserted him and that it seemed as if we were over an airfield. With that we broke cloud and at 400 feet and got a shock, the tarmac was the main road through Llandaff, Cardiff, and the buildings were the old Barrage Balloon Station, and a Brick Works with a 250 foot chimney. The rest of the area was a housing estate as far as we could see. The only grass area was two football pitches side by side on the estate. By this time our height was some 250 feet and thanks to very swift reaction from “Dinger”, he did about a rate four turn to port around the chimney and put the glider on to the football pitches with no damage to glider or surrounding property. After a few moments to get our breath back Bell and myself were very relieved to climb out on to solid ground, and on enquiring from some workmen sheltering from the rain, were informed we were in a district of Cardiff called Ely.’ Bell appears in a 1949 Glider Pilot Pathé news clip, that is currently available to view on YouTube by searching Dgu5yh0HkgY Sold with the recipient’s Glider Pilot Regiment cloth insignia; various photographic images and stills from the Pathé news clip; and a large quantity of copied research.