TracesOfWar needs your help! Every euro, pound or dollar you contribute greatly supports the continuation of this website. Go to stiwot.nl and donate!

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was established on June 3rd, 1918, the birthday of King George V, and is awarded to Officers and Warrant officers for "an act or acts of valour and courage or devotion to duty performed whilst flying in active operations against the enemy". A straight silver bar is a further enhancement of the DFC, awarded for additional acts under the same terms as the cross.

The award has the shape of a silver cross and was designed by Edward Carter Preston. On the obverse aeroplane propellers are superimposed upon the vertical arms of the cross. Within a central winged roundel, encircled by a wreath of laurels and surmounted by a Imperial Crown, appear the letters RAF. In the central circle on the reverse the Royal Cyphers, GV, GVI, EIIR, appear above the date 1918. The year of issue is engraved on the lower arm of the award. The DFC is issued unnamed.
The ribbon is 1.25 inches wide, and consists of alternating violet and white stripes, each 0.125 inches wide, leaning at 45 degrees from the vertical. Until 1919, the stripes were horizontal.

From the entire period of the award from it’s inception in 1918 until 1939 when the award changed to the GVI type, only 1,217 GV DFC's were issued.

During the Second World War a total of 20,354 DFCs were awarded, with approximately 1,550 first bars and 42 second bars. Honorary awards were made on 964 occasions to aircrew from other non-commonwealth countries.
A total of 4,018 first DFC's were awarded to RCAF personnel, plus 213 first bars and 6 second bars and also 358 to FAF/RAA/RNZAF persons in RCAF, plus 23 first bars. Also there were 247 DFC's awarded to Canadians in the RAF, plus 34 first bars.
New Zealand RNZAF personnel received 1,032 DFC Crosses, eighty four first bars and four second bars, one Cross was awarded to a member of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
A total of 44 Dutch airmen received the DFC.

Aanjesen, Ola Gert* August 30th, 1918
† September 2nd, 2002

Grid List
NameDate of birthDate of deathAwards
Kaczmarek, Boleslaw Jan28-01-191725-10-1951more
Kain, Edgar James "Cobber"27-06-191807-06-1940
Kay, Desmond Hayward Sidley14-02-191909-10-1944
Kay, Leslie Herbert 02-02-1945
Kaye, Ivon George07-06-191704-04-1993
Kayll, Joseph Robert "Joe"12-04-191403-03-2000
Kearney, James Timothy00-03-191600-02-1954
Kearns, Richard Stansfield Derek09-03-1920 more
Keast, Francis John Baptist01-10-1909 
Kee, Ernest Henry Clarke 20-04-1944
Keefer, George Clinton11-07-192100-01-1985
Kellett, Richard24-10-190503-01-1990
Kellett, Ronald Gustave13-09-190912-11-1998
Kelly, Keith Leslie 23-08-1945
Kelly, Phillip 21-11-1944
Kennard, Hugh Charles24-06-191800-00-1995
Kennard, John Herbert 27-09-1943
Kennedy, Joseph Shaw00-00-191417-11-1971more
Kennedy, Patrick Ascension15-05-191702-05-2010more
Kennedy, Sidney Ivor  
Kent, John Alexander23-06-191407-10-1985more
Kent, Roy William11-12-191711-10-2009
Kent, William Carman28-10-192120-05-2006
Kenward, Vivian Frederick Roy  
Keprt, Joseph28-06-191026-07-1976more
Kerr, Grant00-00-191914-12-1965
Kicak, Joseph Alexander  
Kilburn, Michael Plaistowe  
Kilmartin, John Ignatius08-07-1913 
Kimball, Donald Harold08-08-1916 
King, Anthony George William  
King, James Leonard26-08-192205-12-2003
King, Leslie William John  
Kingcome, Charles Brian Fabris31-05-191700-02-1994more
Kingsland, Richard ("Julius Allen Cohen")19-10-191627-08-2012
Kipp, Robert Allan12-10-191925-07-1949
Kirkpatrick, John 09-12-1944
Kitchen, Alfred Edward 28-11-1944
Kitchen, Rene Charles  
Kleeman, Reginald Waldemar  more
Klinck, Leonard Cecil  
Klufas, William James "Rip"00-00-1915 more
Knapp, Geoffrey Alwin  more
Knapton, Peter Alfred04-05-1921 more
Knight, Cecil Horace  
Knight, Marcus William Bower08-07-1916 
Knight, Roland Anthony Lee00-00-191727-09-1941
Knights, Robert Edgar01-00-192100-00-2004
Knights, Robin Herbert  
Knilans, Hubert Clarence27-12-191701-06-2012more
Knollys, 2nd Viscount, Edward George W. T.16-01-189503-12-1966
Kotz, Tadeusz09-08-191303-06-2008more
Koukal, Josef06-05-191223-02-1980more
Kowalski, Jan19-11-191615-05-2000more
Kozinski, Nikodem  
Krol, Waclaw Szczepan25-12-191515-06-1991more
Kucera, Otmar13-07-191406-06-1995more
Kuhlmann, Keith Cowie11-09-191300-00-1997
Kuttelwascher, Karel Miroslav23-09-191617-08-1959more
Kutyn, Michael00-00-192203-01-2018
Kuzmicki, Mieczysław15-09-190406-01-1944more

Sources