A substantial and highly informative archive relating to Air Chief Marshal Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon (1904-1979), one of the Royal Air Force’s most distinguished wartime and post-war commanders.

The collection spans more than three decades, documenting Bandon’s service from the Burma Campaign of the Second World War through his appointment as Commander-in-Chief Far East Air Force, his retirement from the RAF in 1963, and later biographical material preserving first-hand recollections of his life and career.

Documents Included

1. Headquarters Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater recommendation for the award of the United States Distinguished Flying Cross to Air Vice-Marshal The Earl of Bandon, dated 7 June 1945 (foot of page 1 and head of page 2 neatly trimmed, with slight text loss at the page break).

2. Official programme for the visit of Air Chief Marshal The Earl of Bandon, Commander-in-Chief Far East Air Force, and party to India, 24 January to 3 February 1960, including numerous handwritten notes and observations.

3. Air Ministry letter from the Air Council, Whitehall, 11 December 1963, formally recording appreciation of Bandon’s distinguished RAF service upon retirement.

4. Air Ministry letter of 11 December 1963 conveying The Queen’s thanks for his long and valuable service upon leaving the Active List of the Royal Air Force.

5. Personal signed letter from Air Minister Hugh Fraser to “Paddy” Bandon, dated 11 December 1963, congratulating him upon a distinguished RAF career and senior command appointments.

6. Nairobi correspondence dated 7 May 1981 enclosing recollections for a proposed biographical project.

7. Multi-page memoir entitled Paddy by Sir Malin Sorsbie CBE, containing first-hand anecdotes and recollections covering Bandon’s early RAF service, wartime experiences and personality, with newspaper cutting affixed to the reverse of the final page.

Summary

An extensive and highly informative archive documenting the career of Air Chief Marshal Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon, one of the Royal Air Force’s most distinguished twentieth-century commanders. The papers follow his progression from operational leadership in the Burma Campaign, where he was recommended for the United States Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the Akyab and Rangoon operations, through senior post-war command appointments including Commander-in-Chief Far East Air Force and Commander Allied Air Forces Central Europe, before concluding with retirement correspondence and later personal recollections by one of his closest RAF contemporaries.

Particularly noteworthy is the June 1945 recommendation for the American Distinguished Flying Cross, which describes Bandon’s command of RAF No. 224 Group during the Akyab and Rangoon operations in Burma and praises his repeated operational flights in vulnerable unarmed aircraft over active combat zones. The recommendation provides detailed evidence of RAF and USAAF cooperation during the closing stages of the Burma Campaign.

The 1960 India tour programme likewise offers a fascinating insight into Commonwealth military diplomacy during the post-Independence period, recording official engagements with senior Indian military and government figures, attendance at Republic Day celebrations and inspections of major Indian Air Force establishments. The programme contains numerous manuscript notes and retrospective observations, likely compiled by a contemporary familiar with the visit and its participants.

The retirement letters form an excellent official summary of Bandon’s achievements, highlighting his wartime command in Burma, responsibility for the Coronation fly-pasts, service as Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps, Commander-in-Chief Far East Air Force and Commander Allied Air Forces Central Europe.

The Sir Malin Sorsbie reminiscence is especially engaging, containing first-hand stories from RAF service in Egypt during the 1930s, wartime anecdotes, practical jokes, flying incidents and personal observations that illustrate Bandon’s humour, leadership and character. Such material adds a valuable personal dimension to the official record preserved elsewhere in the archive.

An outstanding research archive relating to a senior RAF commander whose career extended from the inter-war Royal Air Force through the Second World War and into NATO and Cold War command appointments. The archive combines operational history, international military relations, official recognition, retirement honours and personal reminiscence in a manner rarely encountered within a single collection.

Provenance: 

One of c.2,500+ items once from the collection or dealer stock of Winifred A Myers (Autographs) Ltd, St Martins Lane, London, evidenced by the quantity of Myers pre-printed envelopes and paper folders and the general ‘presentation’ of the items, many having Myers identification notes in pencil. 

Winifred Alice Myers (1909 – 1985) served as ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc) president, 1950-1952. See the ABA website for an extended article on Myers. Myers left her business, in 1985, to Ruth Shepherd, who traded from home until 2004. 

Air Chief Marshal Percy Ronald Gardner Bernard, 5th Earl of Bandon, GBE, CB, CVO, DSO (Aug 1904 – Feb 1979) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat who served as a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in the mid-20th century. He was a squadron, station and group commander during the Second World War, and the fifth Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps after the war. He was awarded the American Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star Medal in 1946.