FR EN
1 / 31
Photo 1/31 du lota certificate on top of a pile of old papersan old photo of a black and white picture of a traina close up of a piece of paper with writing on ita close up of a paper with a list of items on itan old newspaper is laying on a table next to a piece of papera close up of a piece of paper with a letter on itthree old newspapers are on display on a tablea black and white photo of a certificate issued by the united states marine corpsseveral old black and white photos of men in military uniformsa close up of a piece of paper on a tablea close up of a piece of paper on top of a tabletwo old newspaper pages with headlines on them sitting on a tablea pile of old newspapers and papers sitting on a tablean old document with writing on it sitting on a tablea close up of a piece of paper with a military seal on itan old newspaper with a picture of two men in military uniformsan old newspaper with a bunch of different pictures on itsome metal items that are laying out on a white surfaceblack and white photo of a group of men standing in front of an airplanean old black and white photo of a man standing in front of a trucka close up of a piece of paper with writing on ita letter from the secretary of the navy to the president of the united statesa close up of a piece of paper with writing on ita close up of a piece of paper with writing on itan old document with a piece of paper on top of ita piece of paper that has a piece of paper on ita piece of paper with a list of items on ita close up of a piece of paper on a tablean old book with a diagram of how to identify war planesan old photo of a man wearing goggles and a hat
Maître Lydie BRIOULT

Personal collection of Captain Robert C.
See original version (French)

Estimate €150 - €200
Sale commission
Description
Personal collection of Captain Robert C. Thompson, VMSB-235 – US MARINE CORPS – South Pacific, Solomon Islands (approx. 10 original photographs, commendations, press articles, insignia, documents) Captain Thompson was posted as an SBD Dauntless dive-bomber pilot with Marine Corps squadron VMSB-235 during the Solomon Islands campaign between late 1943 and early 1944. This lot includes his Captain’s insignia (in sterling silver) along with a pair of Marine Corps ‘EGA’ (Eagle, Globe & Anchor) badges dating from the Second World War. Among the various photographs is a panoramic shot of the pilots of Squadron 235 in front of one of their SBDs at the edge of the runway at Bougainville, a portrait photograph of Thompson wearing an M-444 flight jacket (taken in the United States prior to his deployment to the South Pacific combat zone). Two citations for the Air Medal are included. The first is for his actions between 1 and 31 December 1943, notably for neutralising a Japanese artillery position on the island of Bougainville on 12 December despite intense anti-aircraft fire. It was very common for decorations and citations to be awarded retrospectively to Marine or US Navy aircrew. These two citations were issued several years apart, as Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal served from 1944 to 1947, and Francis P. Matthews succeeded John Sullivan (1947–1949) from 1949 to 1951. The second citation, which includes the award of a Gold Star (an additional award to the Air Medal), details Thompson’s actions between March and May 1944 during air strikes in the Solomon Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago, notably on various targets around the Japanese naval air base at Rabaul. This citation is accompanied by the provisional citation for the same actions, signed by Vice Admiral J. H. Newton of the US Navy (the document is torn but complete). For security reasons, provisional citations never included the squadron number. This citation is accompanied by a copy printed on so-called ‘onion skin’ paper. A rare SBD Dauntless checklist is included in this lot, featuring the aircraft’s take-off data. Several photographs accompany the various press cuttings and documents relating to Thompson’s career, including a photograph of him being awarded the Air Medal and a press photograph of the Japanese airfield at Kahili, south of the island of Bougainville, showing the craters left by various Marine air attacks. This airfield was a prime target as it served as an early warning point for Rabaul against any assault wave. Its destruction kept the American squadrons occupied for some time. Thompson’s military identity card, along with his certificate of qualification as a single-engine pilot, complete this collection. This collection is featured in a chapter of Grégory Pons’ book *USMC AVIATORS*, published in 2012 (Grégory Pons Collection)
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Sale of the Grégory Pons collection and miscellaneous items (Aviation and WW2 Militaria)
Auction location
Auction time 11/14/2026 at 1:30 PM
Pictures modified on 09/15/2026 at 3:51 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like