FOUR PART FAMILY GROUP: A father and his three WW2 , sons. TWO Killed. Son One was Killed in Action with the R.A.F. The Second son was Killed in Training with The London Irish Rifles (Royal Ulster Rifles)

DAD's MEDALS
1914 Star & Bar Trio.
8272 Pte H.F. HOPPER
1st West Yorks Regt.




SON ONE (R.A.F. MEDALS)
ATLANTIC STAR TRIO
To: 749412. Sgt Jack St. Clair HOPPER (53 Sqd)
Who was Killed In Action while flying with Coastal Command on 26th June 1941. Jack Hopper's BLENHEIM IV (V6309) (PZ-E) had taken off at 07:55 from RAF St Eval, on a coastal patrol, Brest--Ushant. At 09:13 his aircraft was attacked and shot down by a Bf109 flown by St Fw ERWIN KLEY of 1/JG2. Kley was himself killed in 1942 during the Dieppe campaign when his 109 flipped upside down on landing.The Blenheim's Pilot, 87435. P/O Laurence J. Francis and Observer, 903706. Sgt Robert A.Whitley were lost at sea and are commemorated on the Runnymead Memorial.

Crew took off at 7:55 Wednesday, June 26, 1941 for a 'Bust Patrol ' planned from sector Ouessant island to Boulogne-Brest. (Bust designating the area between Boulogne and Ushant in Coastal Command jargon.)

A Jaguin (inhabitant of Saint Jacut Sea) tells what his mother who witnessed this event said:
"My mother living near the strike had heard a noise of aircraft. Immediately her eyes fell on that plane. She saw that he was in trouble because it was low, losing altitude, leaving a black trail behind him. It came from the direction of the island of Cézembre. He made ​​a wide curve over the Bay of Saint Jacut and flew to the Garde Guérin between Saint Briac Saint Lunaire and then she saw him no more."
The body of Sergeant Jack Hopper was found several days later in the rocks of the western tip of the department, below the famous rock called Napoleon's Hat.Despite the prohibitions of the occupying Germans, his grave was flowered regularly.
Jack is buried and commemorated with eternal honour at BAYEUX WAR CEMETERY (VIII C.13)
He was 20.

SON TWO: (ARMY MEDAL)
1939-45 WAR MEDAL (SINGLE)
To: C.Q.S.M. H.F. HOPPER. 1st Bn London Irish Rifles.(Royal Ulster Rifles) It seems that CQSM Harry Hopper was perhaps killed in a pre-action live fire training accident on 10th June 1942. His unit left England five weeks later in August. He is buried near his Stroud home at Holy Trinity Church Minchinhampton. He was 20.The issue box is addressed to his father at Box near Stroud.



SON THREE
5184963 WO CL2. W.G.HOPPER. 1st & 5th (Territorial) GLOSTERS. 1939-45 Star, Burma Star, France & Germany Star, Defence & War Medals, Territorial Force Efficiency Medal (GVI). Who having fought in the Burma campaign and taken part with 5th Bn (Att 2nd Bn) in the D-Day landings, clearly and against the odds, survived the war.

A very varied and interesting family assembly which includes a good line regimental WW1 'Old Contemptible' 1914 Star & Bar trio and medals to two casualty brothers. Also a good Glosters group to the third surviving brother. These spanning two world wars and two of the services.

£745