Description
Africa General Service Medal, GV, bar Somaliland 1920, 340251 Aircraftsman 2nd Class A.H. Lovett, Royal Air Force.
Extremely rare award to the Royal Air Force, whilst there were around 2500 bars awarded to African & Indian Units, the total forces deployed by the Royal Air Force amounted to 36 Officers & 189 Other ranks with a flight of DH9 Bombers under command of Group Captain R. Gordon.
With only about 212 medals being issued to the RAF it is the rarest of campaign medals, less than the India General Service Medal for Waziristan 1925.
Alfred Henry Lovett was born on 2nd October 1900 in Leytonstone, Essex, London. As a boy he was working as a Machine Hand for the David Gestetner Cyclograph Company in Tottenham Hale, North London.
He was only a young teenager during World War 1, only two weeks after his 17th Birthday, he was old enough to enlist for service, joining the Royal Flying Corps as a Boy for the duration of the war.
He was transferred to the RAF as a Boy and once he became of age on 3rd October 1918 he was mustered as Private 2nd Class.
He was first with 37 Training Squadron then from 15th August 1918, 39th Training Depot Station.
On 3rd October 1918 along with being made Private he was classed as an Aero Rigger.
As he did not serve in France during the war he did not earn any medals.
During 1919 he joined the Hospital Orderlies Training Depot, RAF for medical training.
When he was posted for service in Somaliland, having departed with the 1st Convoy on 4th January 1920, he was stationed at the Advanced Hospital at Eil Dur Elan was a Ward Orderly.
The total RAF Staff at the hospital only amounted to 8 men, Medical Officer Flt Lt Skeet, Wardmaster F/Sgt Johnson, Quartermaster Sharp, Corporal Cook Turner and 4 Ward Orderlies including Lovett.
With copy service papers & Record Book extracts detailing the Medical Department & personnel.
