Correctly named 2295446 ACII R Miller RAF
Raymond entered service post WWII.
The RAF’s main base was at Aqir, a Palestinian Arab village; ‘depopulated’, demolished, and replaced by Kiryat Ekron in 1948. There was also a Communications Flight permanently at Lydda and units at Ramat David (near Haifa) and Ein Shemer and elsewhere. Pilots were kept busy patrolling the Mediterranean watching for ships carrying illegal immigrants but others were transporting personnel and cargo or were on motor convoys making the difficult and exceptionally uncomfortable journey from Egypt to Iraq (RAF Mechanical Transport Companies) and around generally.
The situation in Palestine, which had been deteriorating since before the end of World War II, came to a head when the King David Hotel, the British Headquarters in Jerusalem, was bombed in July 1946 leaving 91 dead, of whom 28 were British.
The result was that the British units in Palestine were reinforced. A squadron of Halifaxes, No.620 later No.113 Squadron, was moved to Aqir, the main RAF base in Palestine, to become the RAF Airborne Support Unit. The Glider Pilot Regiment was also based at Aqir and was equipped with Horsa gliders. No.621 Squadron spent much of its time flying anti-immigrant patrols, code-named ‘Sunburn’, flying between Cyprus and Egypt for up to twelve hours at a time. They intercepted and photographed any illegal shipping in the area, some of which fired ineffectively at the Lancasters. A number of the Squadron’s aircraft were damaged by sabotage, although none was lost.
The medal has the correct original silk ribbon.
