Ronald Derek Gordon Wight D.F.C. R.A.F.

'Widge' Wight

I purchased RDG Wight's group in 1993 in a Buckland, Dix and Wood auction.  It consists of a DFC, engraved with the year 1940 on it and his 39/45 star with Battle of Britain clasp, Air Crew Europe star and War medal.   With it was the transmission slip stating that the Air Ministry regrets etc., the brown medal box with his parents address on it, photographs, school reports, a newspaper report of his father's marriage in 1912, copy letters, etc.  Also were the pair for his father and additional information that he too had been a pilot in the RFC.  With it was a nicely engraved cigarette case with all the squadrons JE had served with and names and nicknames of people that he had served with, and more photo's of what purported to be JE Wight in flying kit, etc.

I had seen this group for sale at the OMRS Convention earlier whilst I was thinking of a theme for exhibition the following year.  I then thought of a title 'Like father like Son' one an RFC pilot the other a Battle of Britian killed in Action group.   He had been killed whilst leading his Squadrons 'B' flight against 61 Me. 110's.  He and Sgt. Butterfield DFM were shot down and killed and crashed into the sea off Portland Bill and Sgt. Snowden crash landed on Lulworth ranges and subsequently survived the war, only to die in a flying accident in 1947.  Flying in Avro Anson G-AIWW for British Air Transport - he was one of 2 fatalities when it crashed at St Boniface Down in thick fog.  This is the highest point on the Isle of Wight and he was en route to the Channel Islands.  BAT had a contract to fly newspapers from Croydon to Jersey and Gurnsey in 1947/8.  Ironically he appears to have flown into a Radar Pylon which were of course of such vital importance during the Battle of Britain.

At the time I bought the medals I thought that the paperwork that came with them must be incomplete.  I eventually found that to be a fact.  In October 2004 I had a phone call from a Mr. Roger Green who wanted to know if I was interested in any paperwork relating to Wight?  He had apparently found my website while he was searching the net for references to RDG Wight and found that I had the Wight medal group in my collection.  He contacted me and on 1st November 2004 I purchased this paperwork from him.  What, you may ask, did it consist of?

The person I purchased it off had been given these documents about 6 years ago by someone who had found them in a tin chest in the lock up garage of a house he had bought.  He did not remember much more than that, he had tried to find out where they had come from but did not succeed.  However we do know that his father died in 1956 and his mother in 1957, there was a daughter, Morna who probably sold the house in Hale, Cheshire about that time.  I know this because I believe she then moved back up to where she was born in Skelmorlie in Scotland as I have a membership card dated 1957 for the Skelmorlie branch of The Scripture Union.

I know that some of Wight's letters are missing from the collection, in the book '12 Day's in May' which is about the Battle of France where Widge Wight won his DFC a letter from Widge is published in it.  The date of the publication of the book coincides with the date when the person I bought them off, got them.  I contacted the author but he could not remember where he had got the letter!  (See letter to his mother)

The petrol coupons are for August, September and October of 1940, as you may be able to see the certificate relates to the car and it has German writing on it in pencil, this is the German translation of what they are.  The reason for this is that Wight had them in his tunic pocket when he was shot down leading his flight of 3 Hurricanes against 61 Me. 110's.  When his body was washed up in France the Germans found them on him and eventually returned them to his family via the Red Cross.

The Aston Martin 'Ulster' car had two owners that I knew of and they were Pilot Officer Dixon who was killed in a flying accident and then Flight Lieutenant RDG Wight DFC.  Wight purchased the car off the estate of the late PO Dixon and owned it until his death in August 1940, what the history of it, then is, is unknown to me, however I am trying to get in touch with relatives of his whom might be able to fill in these details.

Whilst sorting out some of the paperwork I have since found out that the Aston Martin still exists on the Channel Island of Jersey, and the owner has invited me to visit him when we are next in Jersey.  The POW postcards are to Wight's mother from F/Lt Robert Gerald Ker-Ramsey (Crump) of 'The Great Escape' fame, read any book on the Great Escape and you will find references to him in there!