[1][2] On 1 March 1955, Severne was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) "in recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty".
When some ten miles from Fassberg, at a height of 8,000 feet, he completed a loop, at the top of which he held the aircraft inverted.
A few days earlier on the same Squadron, there had been a similar case and due to the complete destruction of the aircraft, the Court of Inquiry was faced with an almost impossible task to ascertain the origin of the cause of the fire.
With complete disregard for his own safety, and well aware of the implications, Flight Lieutenant Severne then made a perfectly judged forced landing on the crash strip on the airfield.
[1] On 15 December 1988, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) for his service as Captain of the Queen's Flight.