Full medal write up
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, G.VI.R., REVERSE OFFICIALLY DATED 1945, IN ROYAL MINT CASE OF ISSUE; 1939-45 STAR; FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR; DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS 1939-45; NEW ZEALAND WAR SERVICE MEDAL, THE FIVE CAMPAIGN AWARDS ALL MOUNTED COURT-STYLE FOR DISPLAY.
D.F.C. London Gazette 27 March 1945.
The official Citation states: ‘Throughout his tour of operations, Flying Officer Uffindell has shown outstanding skill and determination in pressing home his attacks undaunted by the fiercest enemy opposition. His aircraft has been in air combat on several occasions. During a sortie against Kiel in August 1944, an attack was made by two enemy fighters during the run up to the target. By masterly airmanship and excellent crew co-operation, one of the fighters was destroyed and the other damaged. He then proceeded to complete his bombing mission. Flying Officer Uffindell has always displayed high courage and great devotion to duty.’
Alfred Desmond Joseph Uffindell was born in Auckland on 8 June 1920 and enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force on 30 May 1942. Promoted Sergeant on 5 June 1943, he embarked for the U.K. on 20 June 1943, and arrived in the U.K. on 31 July 1943. Promoted Flight Sergeant on 5 December 1943, he was commissioned Pilot Officer on 1 May 1944, and having undertaken training in Wellingtons, Stirlings, and Lancasters, received his first operational posting at the start of August 1944 as a Lancaster Pilot to 514 Squadron at R.A.F. Waterbeach at the start of August 1944. He undertook his first night-time operational sortie on 18 August 1944, a raid on Bremen, and over the next four months completed a further ten night sorties, as well as 20 daytime raids: targets included Kiel (26 August 1944), Saabrücken, Dortmund, Duisberg (twice), Wilhemshaven, Bonn, Stuttgart, Essen (twice), Cologne (twice) Dortmund (twice), Homberg (twice), and Oberhausen. Promoted Flying Officer on 1 November 1944, his final operational sortie of his tour was a daytime raid on Hamm on 5 December 1944.
See this fine 514 Squadron website which includes a photo of Uffindell and his crew and details of missions etc:
http://www.514squadron.co.uk/Crew_photos.html
For his services during his tour Uffindell was awarded a richly-deserved Distinguished Flying Cross; regarding the sortie to Kiel on 26 August 1944, which was specifically cited in his D.F.C. citation, he recorded in his Log Book ‘3 Fighter Attacks over Target. 1 ME109 confirmed destroyed by Rear Gunner’. Posted to 1668 Conversion Unit at Bottesford in February 1945, he converted to fighters, flying both Hurricanes and Spitfires (as well as the occasional trip in a Lancaster). Transferring to the Reserve of Officers on 20 February 1946, he finally relinquished his commission on 20 August 1954. He died in 1969, aged 48.
Condition NEF. Sold with the following original items:
1) The recipient’s two Pilot’s Flying Log Books, covering the periods 30 November 1942 to 30 March 1943, and 12 April 1943 to 21 September 1945
2) The recipient’s original R.N.Z.A.F. padded cloth wings
3) Riband bar and his original ribands, these swing mounted
4) United States of America $1 note, signed by his crew members
5) Letter of congratulations to the recipient on the award of his D.F.C. from the High Commissioner for New Zealand, dated 7 April 1945
6) Two official letters giving details of the citation for the D.F.C.
7) 10 superb and very rare ‘Captains of Aircraft Map’. These paper maps were used by the pilot during each mission, in pencil, they plot the course to and from the target, the pilot noting target area, times of take off, landing, heights etc etc. Due to the lightweight nature of these maps, they rarely survive
8)Also full copied service records as provided by the New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Archives
An extremely fine New Zealand Lancaster pilots D.F.C. group.