Aviation art prints of Stephen Brown,
These new Limited edition aviation art prints by Stephen Brown showing British
Airways Concorde, Hurricanes of 504 Squadron and Supermarine Spitfires of 92 Squadron. Step |
 | Concorde - Early Morning Arrival by Stephen Brown. | 2 editions available from £135.00 |  | Concorde - The Pride of Bristol by Stephen Brown. | 4 editions available from £95.00 |  | Mustangs over the Reich by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Lightning Tribute by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Mosquito Coast by Stephen Brown. | 2 editions available from £95.00 |  | Blenheims Over Norfolk by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Concorde - Pride of Britain by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Lancasters Over Kynance by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Concorde - Second to None by Stephen Brown. | SOLD OUT / SOLD |  | Concorde - The Last Goodbye by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £45.00 |  | Concorde - Safely Home by Stephen Brown | 3 editions available from £45.00 |  | Concorde - The Last Flight Home by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £135.00 |  | Concorde - The Supersonic Thoroughbred by Stephen Brown. | 4 editions available from £95.00 |  | Dawn of a Legend by Stephen Brown. | 2 editions available from £95.00 |  | In Safe Hands by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Welcome Sight by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Banff Raiders by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Defending the Line by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Inbound by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Spitfires Safely Home by Stephen Brown. | 2 editions available from £95.00 |  | Concorde - On Final Approach by Stephen Brown | 3 editions available from £45.00 |  | Concorde - Homeward Bound by Stephen Brown | 2 editions available from £45.00 |  | Heading for the Convoys by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Concorde - The Final Touchdown by Stephen Brown | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Pinpoint Navigation by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Welcome Home by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £90.00 |  | Dawns First Light by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |  | Tireless Vigilance by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Concorde - The Golden Years by Stephen Brown | 4 editions available from £135.00 |  | Return of the Few by Stephen Brown. | 2 editions available from £95.00 |  | Typhoon Scramble by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £95.00 |  | Hunters Over The Lakes by Stephen Brown. | 3 editions available from £80.00 |
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Concorde - Early Morning Arrival by Stephen Brown.
The sight
of Concorde descending over London will forever remain etched in the
memory of all who were fortunate to see this amazing aircraft. At Mach 2
Concorde could fly at 23 miles a minute – one miles every 2.5 seconds.
A truly astonishing aircraft and one which to this day is sadly missed
by its regular passengers and millions of admirers all over the world.
, signed by Concorde pilot, Captain Tim Orchard.
Concorde - The Pride of
Bristol by Stephen Brown Full of
grace and beauty Concorde G-BOAF taxis toward her final resting place at
Filton airfield, Bristol. Proudly waving Union Jack flags from the
cockpit are pilot Captain Les Brodie and Concorde chief pilot Captain
Mike Bannister. No one who saw Concorde on Wednesday November 26th 2003 could fail to be moved by
the sight of this magnificent aircraft as she moved these last few yards
with the greatest of dignity under the gaze of the world’s media and
thousands of local well-wishers. Signed limited edition of 400 prints,
signed by Captain Les Brodie.
Concorde - The Golden
Years by Stephen Brown The
scheduled Concorde flights to and from New York were by far the most
important for both British Airways and Air France. Taking full advantage
of Concordes speed and the time difference between London and New York,
some business people would arrive in New York on the early morning
flight, do a days work and then take the evening flight back to London.
Signed limited edition of 200 prints,
signed by Captain Viv Gunton, Richard Boas and Peter Sinclair.
Concorde - The
Supersonic Thoroughbred by Stephen Brown Commemorating The Fastest Ever
Transatlantic Crossing by A Commercial Aircraft. Captain Les Scott, Senior First
Officer Tim Orchard and Senior Engineering Officer Rick Eades made
history on the 7th February 1996, when they flew Concorde G-BOAD from
New York to London in a record-breaking 2 hours,52 minutes and 59
seconds; the fastest ever transatlantic crossing by a commercial
aircraft. Signed limited edition of 200 prints,
signed by co-pilot Tim Orchard.
The Jubilee Flight by Stephen Brown Concorde
and the Red Arrows minutes before the Queens Jubilee Fly past on 4th
June 2003. Signed limited edition of 400 prints,
signed by Carl -Spike- Jepson and Jock Reid.
Concorde - The Last
Flight Home by Stephen Brown Concorde
(G-BOAF) passes gracefully over Isambard Kingdom Brunels Clifton
Suspension Bridge en route to her final destination just a few miles
away at Filton, Bristol. Signed limited edition of 400 prints,
signed by Les Brodie.
Lightning Tribute by Stephen Brown Lightning
F. Mk 1As of 56 Squadron on a pilot training sortie during 1963. During
the early 1960s many Lightning squadrons gave their aircraft colourful
paint schemes, none was more striking than 56 Squadron (The Firebirds),
who in 1963 doubled as the official RAF display team. Conceived
in a post-war period when speed, acceleration and climb rate were the key
measures of a fighter, the English Electric Lightning excelled on all
counts. Capable of Mach 2 in level flight, the Lightning provided the
backbone of Britains front-line Cold War defence until well into the
1970’s. Signed limited edition of 350 prints,
signed by Flt Lt PV Boothroyd, Flt Lt George Fenton, Sqd Ldr Chris Taylor
and Sqd Ldr Grant Taylor.
Concorde - The Final Touchdown by Stephen Brown November
26th 2003 will remain etched in the memory of countless thousands of
people as the day this magnificent aircraft landed back in Bristol for the
very last time. In response
to hundreds of requests for a Limited Edition Print of this historic
landing Stephen Brown has captured those last few seconds before Concorde
G-BOAF touches down at the Filton airfield. Signed limited edition of 500 prints,
signed by Les Brodie.
Concorde - Pride of Britain by Stephen Brown
Climbing towards 60,000 feet and the edge of space Concorde G-BOAD
traveled where no other commercial aircraft could go. Its enormously
powerful engines enabled Concorde to reach the speed of sound - Mach 1
(about 675 mph). During the lifetime of Concorde the fleet carried
just over 2.5m passengers. |
|
Concorde - Second to None by Stephen Brown
Having flown over Bristol, her birthplace, Concorde G-BOAC heads out
over the Welsh coastline. Here, at 26,000 feet, the 'inboard'
reheats are already lit while the 'outboards' have just been
selected. A second nudge is sensed as the extra thrust accelerates
Concorde towards the speed of sound - Mach 1 (about 675mph). At Mach
1.7 the reheats are switched off; but the acceleration continues to Mach 2
while Concorde climbs towards 60,000 feet. Three and a half hours
after departing London having consumed 80 tonnes of fuel - the same as a
Boeing 747 but in less than half the time - Concorde will have arrived in
New York. (Signatory
information Here)
Welcome Sight by Stephen Brown The Handley Page Halifax, together with the Avro Lancaster, formed the
backbone of the RAFs night offensive against Germany from 1942 to 1945
and finished the campaign with an impressive record of achievement.
"Welcome Sight" depicts Halifax Mk IIIs of 158 Squadron passing
over the village of West Tanfield on the River Ure, heading for the bomber
base of Lisset, Yorkshire.
Dawns First Light by Stephen Brown Wing Commander John A Kent leading Supermarine Spitfires Vbc of the
Polish Wing on an early morning patrol in 1941. During World War II
a number of RAF squadrons were manned by expatriates from occupied
countries. Polish pilots were prominent amongst these, making up
several squadrons and fighting with distinction throughout the war.
Defending the Line by Stephen Brown During the long summer of 1940 southern England formed the battle line
upon which the future of the free world hung in the balance. Hurricane
Mk1s of 504 Squadron power into the dawn sky for the first of what will
probably be several scrambles in a typical day during the Battle of
Britain. During the course of the war the Hurricane flew in every combat
theatre and in virtually every role conceivable for a fighter.
Pinpoint Navigation by Stephen Brown
There can be few experiences more stirring than the sight and sound of
Merlin powered Spitfires at treetop height. In this print the calm of an
English village is momentarily shattered as Spitfire Vbs of 92 Squadron
flash overhead, having been scrambled to intercept a Luftwaffe raid during
the summer of 1941.
Blenheims Over Norfolk by Stephen Brown
Bristol Blenheim IVs of 105 squadron returning at low level over
Norfolk, after one of many anti-shipping sorties carried out over the
North Sea in 1941. At the outbreak of the Second World War the
Bristol Blenheim was Bomber Commands fastest and most effective aircraft
and formed the mainstay of its offensive operations. Pressed into
numerous different roles the Blenheim had many successes, including
pioneering the first airborne interception radar for night fighting.
Even so, compared with the powerful machines of the Luftwaffe, it was
highly vulnerable and only achieved what it did as a result of the
extraordinary bravery and determination of its aircrews.
Welcome Home by Stephen Brown A
flak-damaged Lancaster of 617 Squadron struggles across the airfield
perimeter as it returns to base after a precision raid over enemy
territory. After writing a new chapter in aviation history with the
famous Dams Raid of May 1943, 617 Squadron went on to execute many more
daring operations including the sinking of the Tirpitz. Often flying
specially modified Lancasters with enlarged bomb bay doors to accommodate
the huge 12,000lb Tallboy, they specialised in high value precision
targets such as canals, tunnels and U-Boat pens.
Inbound by Stephen Brown The magnificent Avro Lancasters bathed in early morning light as they
return home from a successful raid during the summer of 1944. The
Lancaster was undoubtedly Bomber Commands finest and most important
aircraft of WW2. Loved by its crews for its responsiveness, agility,
reliability and payload capacity, but probably most of all its ability to
absorb major combat damage and still get them home safely. |
| Tireless Vigilance by Stephen Brown
The following pilots have all signed copies :
Flt. Lt. John Bishop jopined the RAF in April 1943 from
Edinburgh University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot in
Rhodesia. In August 1944 he was posted to Diego Suarez to fly
Catalina flying boats on anti-submarine patrols. He converted to
Sunderlands at Mombassa on 209 Sqdn. and 57 MU also on Sunderlands until
1953. This included the Berlin airlift in 1948, flying from the
river in Hamburg to Havel Lake, and flew in an anti-shipping role in
Burma. At the end o fthe war in the Far East he flew form Hong Kong
and Singapore until returning to the UK in Spetember 1946. He
continued on 201 Sqd. Flying Boats until 1953. Thereafter he was
mainly employed on V.I.P. duties flying from Malta, Northolt,
Fontainebleau, Bovingdon and White Waltham. He flew 173 ops and 1800
hours on Sunderlands and 1800 hours on Devons out of a total of 6250
flying hours. The last fiver years of his service was as an Air
Traffic Controller at R.A.F. Benson and RAF Abingdon.
Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS, joined rhe Royal
Australian Air Force in 1937 (Service no 463). He was posted to No.
10 Sqdn. RAAF in the UK in January 1940 flying Sunderlands from Pembroke
Dock and went on to serve until 1942 flying operations in the Atlantic and
Mediterranean from bases in Pembroke Dock, Oban, Plymouth, Gibraltar and
Alexandria (Egypt). In 1942 he was posted back to No. 20 Sqdn. in
Australia flying Catalinas from Cairns on bombing raids over Japanese
bases and anti-shipping patrols throughout the Solomon Islands and north
of New Guinea . He went on to complete 44 operations and commanded
this squadron until 1943 before becoming Chief Flying Instructor,
Catalinas 3 OTU Rathmines. Vic later formed and commanded No. 40
Sqdn. RAAF Sunderlands, Port Moresby, New Guinea until 1945. He
retired from the RAAF in 1946 to join BOAC, Hythe, flying their civil
Sunderland conversions - Hythes, Sandringhams and Solents. Vic
transferred to landplanes in 1950 flying Canadair "Argonauts",
Bristol "Britannias, DH Comet 4s, 707-436s and 336s. Vic
retired in 1971 having amassed 19,300 hours, including some 4,300 hours on
Flying Boats. In his retirement Vic is currently restoring and
maintaining a Sandringham Flying Boat at the Southampton Hall of Aviation.
Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. "Paddy" Mahon MBE, C. Eng.
MRAeS,
started his 37 year career in the Royal Air Force in 1930 when he enlisted
as an Aircraft Apprentice at Halton. he served as Metal Rigger and
later as an Aircraft Fitter on Fleet Air stations and ships, for a while
on Queen Bee aircraft. In 1937 he finally succeeded in selection as
an Airman Pilot. EFTS at Bristol, SFTS at South Cerney, Maritime Recce at
Thorney Island, and finally Flying Boat School at Calshot. There he
learned his craft as a "Boat" pilot on ageing Supermarine Scapas
formerly used by 202 Squadron, Malta. On completion he was posted to
228 Squadrion at Pembroke Dock which was in process of re-equipping with
Stranraers. In December 1938 he was 2nd pilot on the collection from
Rochester of the Squadron's first Sunderland. In June 1939 the
Squadron moved to Alexandria for Naval Co-operation Exercises. In
addition to these the Sunderlands were used for long range V.I.P. flights
and for transport around the Med. In course of these, the crew of
which Sgt Mahon was a member, visited Malta, Bizerta, Cairo, Cyprus and
for the third time Athens, leaving on 2nd September 1939. The
Squadron was ordered home to Pembroke Dock on September 9th and
immediately started the round of convoy escorting anti-submarine sweeps
and general maritime tasks covering from Norway to Malta. On 24th
November Sgt Mahon was one of the crew detailed to search for the
"Deutschland" after it had sunk the armed merchant cruiser
"Jervis Bay". The operation involved the crew in 15 hours
of flying in the most severe weather. Detachments to the Shetlands
often meant the whole crew living on the aircraft for several days at a
time because the weather prevented small craft coming along side but
flying by day continued. In June 1940 he was seconded to 10 RAAF
Squadron at Mount Batten to increase their roll of qualified first
Pilots. One of his first trips was to convey Lord Gort and Mr Duff
Cooper to Rabat on an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Sultan of
Morocco to continue the war on its allies' side. That trip earned
the Captain a DFC. In the months he spent with 10 Squadron several
trips were made to Malta supporting the Hurricane reinforcement by
aircraft carriers conveying essential ground personnel and equipment
including one load of several tons of Browning gun links, none of which
were held on the island. In February 1941 it was back to "two
layers of wing". He was posted to 202 Squadron at Gibraltar,
which was flying Saro Londons but expected to be re-equipped with
Sunderlands. He travelled as a "passenger" on a 10
Squadron aircraft in company with Anthony Eden and Lord Dill. That
trip is recorded in several books on the Sunderland as being
"special". It was Sgt Mahon's last ever time flying in a
Sunderland as 202 Squadron were subsequently re-equipped with Catalinas.
The transfer meant flying to UK with a London, a memorable trip of over 15
hours. Qualifying courses at Stranraer on the Catalina led to the
ferrying flight back to Gibraltar. Unfortunately on Sgt Mahon's
ferry trip the elevator controls failed en route and the attempted landing
at Gibraltar using only trim tabs resulted in a serious crash ending his
flying career. After a long period of hospital and subsequent
rehabilitation, he reverted to his ground trade. He was commissioned
into the Technical Branch in which he served until 1967 being awarded the
MBE in 1963.
Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll joined the RAF in February 1939 and
trained as an Observer (Navigator). His first posting was to 44
Squadron newly equipped with the Hampden bomber at RAF Waddington.
When war was declared on 3rd September 1939 he was immediately involved in
operations flying that night on the very first sortie of WW".
By the end of 1940 he had completed a full tour of 37 raids before being
commissioned and selected for advanced navigation training in
Canada. He was subsequently posted to Rhodesia as a navigational
instructor and examiner. He completed Pilot training before
returning to the UK where he qualified as a Sunderland flying boat Captain
serving at Calshot and Pembroke Dock. In 1956 he took the last RAF
aircraft to moor up in the Pool of London for "Battle of
Britain" celebrations. A posting to RAF Seletar (Singapore)
followed where Sunderlands were finally retired from service in
1959. He then served on Shackletons and in Transport Command before
retiring in 1975. |
| Heading
for the Convoys by Stephen Brown. Signatures :
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Barraclough KCB, CBE, DFC, AFC
joined
the RAF in 1938 and flew continuously on maritime-air duties before and
during the war in Coastal and overseas Commands on flying boats and
landplanes with Nos. 209, 240 and 269 squadrons. During the war he
operated initially from a Flying Boat depot ship in the Shetlands on
reconnaissance over the North Sea and to Norway. He moved later to
the West Coast for anti-submarine and onvoy escort duties before going
overseas for the Madagascar campaign in the Indian Ocean where his
squadron operated from bare island bases to secure the Cape route for our
shipping after control of the Mediterranean had been lost. For a
while he commanded the captured Italian airfield at Mogadishu before
returning to the UK as Chief Instructor at the Flying Boat Operational
Training Unit in Northern Ireland. In his career Sir John served in
five operational Commands at home and overseas and spent time in Training
Command as a wing commander at the world famous Central Flying
School. Above squadron level he commanded two jet fighter stations
and a maritime patrol group; interspersed with various staff appointments
including that of Vice Chief of Defence Staff. Sir John has flown
over 70 different aircraft types and in the early fifties made the first
single-engined jet flight to South Africa from the UK.
Flt. Lt. John A Cruickshank VC joined the
Territorial Army in April 1939 and was mobilized for active service at the
outbreak of World War II. He served mostly in south east
England. In July 1941 he transferred to the RAF for aircrew duties,
undergoing pilot training with the US Navy at Pensacola, Florida and
gaining his pilot's wings in June 1942. Following a short period
with the RAF Ferry Command in Canada and further operational training in
the UK he joined 210 Sqdn based at Pembroke Dock, South Wales and later
Poole Bay, Dorset. As captain of a Catalina flying boat, he carried
out Anti-U-boat patrols in the Bay of Biscay and the Eastern Atlantic
Ocean until December 1943. During this period, he carried out a
detachment to Gibraltar for similar duties. In early 1944 elements
of his Sqdn were moved to Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands for Anti
U-boat duties and General Maritime Reconnaissance in northern
waters. In mid July 1944, while on an Anti U-boat patrol west of the
Lofoten Islands, they sighted and attacked a surfaced German U-boat.
During the attack, the aircraft received extensive damage from the
U-boat's armaments also suffering crew casualties. The aircraft
remained airborne and returned to base. For this action three
members of the crew were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross,
the Distinguished Flying Medal, and the Victoria Cross. Following
this episode, Cruickshank became "tour expired" and moved to
staff duties at Headquarters, Coastal Command, Northwood, near
London. He was released from active service in early 1946 and
returned to a civilian occupation.
Flt. Lt. John Tattersall made his first attempt
at becoming a pilot by joining the waiting list for Pilots of Manchester
Auxiliary Squadron. He joined the RAF as a clerk in 1940 and
remustered Aircrew in May 1941 and by June was on his way to the US Naval
Air Service Station, Pesacola, Florida as a member of the first group of
students under the TOWER scheme. On his first day solo in October
1941 he crashed and woke up in hospital with a headache and scratched
eyebrows. Eleven days later he was flying again and finally gained
his wings in May 1942 on Catalinas. Returning to the UK he spent
some time flying 'Oxfords' before being posted to 131 OTU, Loch erne, N.
Ireland. In January 1943 he passed out as an aircraft Commander and
joined 210 Sqdn at Pembroke Dock in February. He spent the next ten
months (some 700 flying hours) flying over the Bay of Biscay on Anti-Sub
operations including Leigh Leight operations, some convoy and naval
co-operation. In January 1944, 210 Sqd. disbanded and he returned
for a short spell to 131 OTU before being seconded to BOAC in April
1944. With BOAC he flew on the civil version of the Sunderland and
'c' class flying boats thence landplanes - Arginaut, Comet, Britannias
(102 and 312) and VC10s retiring in 1973 to a ground job as Flight Crew
Executive until May 1976.
Flt. Lt. Ron Vaughan, DFC joined the RAFVR in
December 1940 and trained as a pilot-cadet with the US Navy at Pensacola,
Florida. After further Coastal Command training in the UK, he joined
10 OTU (detachment) at St Eval, Cornwall. The tour was completed, as
a Whitley co-pilot, on U-boat patrols over the Bay of Biscay, between
December 1942 and March 1943. After training for command on the
Catalina, he joined 210 Sqdn at Sullom Voe, Shetland from June 1943 to
October 1944. In October 1943, with all landing areas closed with
fog, his Catalina, out of fuel, ditched in the Atlantic, west of the
Shetlands. It had remained airborne for 22 hours and then survived,
on the water, for a further 18 hours before the crew were rescued.
The pigeon which had carried the SOS message to base, later received the 'Dicken
Medal' (Animal VC) for flying over 60 miles, in fog, in nine hours!
In May 1944, U-boat 394 was attacked in northern waters, without
success. On 18th July 1944, U-boat 742 was sunk 180 miles west of
the Lofoten Islands, off Norway. The Catalina was badly holed but
managed to return to base, 500 miles in six and a quarter hours, on the
port engine. F/Lt John Cruickshank had sunk U-361 on the previous
day, from the same Arctic U-boat Flotilla. F/Lt Vaughan
instructed on Catalinas in Northern Ireland and was then posted to
India, yo join Catalina 240 Sqdn in Madras, and then until VJ Day with
Liberator Sqdn 357 in Ceylon. He left the RAF in 1946 having flown
Halifax 7, at Linton and Cranwell. He joined BOAC and captained many
types of aircraft for 29 years before retiring in 1975.
In Safe Hands by Stephen Brown In
Safe Hands depicts a scene during 1942. Having been damaged in
action over Northern France, the crew of a Mosquito B Mk IV has brought
their aircraft down safely into the field of an English
farm. When the De Haviland Mosquito was introduced in
1941 it was a revelation. A precision bomber that used speed as its
primary means of defence, it was successfully employed in a wide range of
roles and across many campaigns. Made almost entirely of wood, it
was universally acclaimed by its crews for both its excellent handling and
its ability to take heavy punishment and still get home. |
| Lancasters Over Kynance by Stephen
Brown Signatures :
Flt Lt Phil Ainley DFC (Pilot) was accepted for aircrew training
in February 1942 at the age of 17 and a half years. He was selected
for pilot training and was sent to he United States Naval Aviation Base at
Pensacola. After gaining his United States Navy wings on completion
of his Catalina Flying Boat course, he was commissioned and returned to
the UK. Following retraining on land planes, he eventually joined
No. 57 Lancaster squadron in May 1944. The squadron was heavily
engaged in attacking both French flying bomb sites, the build up to D Day
and German industrial targets. One sortie to Konigsberg necessitated
flying for 11 hours 10 minutes, whilst another was to drop nine mines in
the Stettin canal from 250 feet. For this last sortie Flt Lt Ainley
was awarded an immediate DFC. He completed his operational tour of
33 sorties in October 1944, having flown all this time with the same crew
with the exception of a replacement flight engineer. On completing a
course at the Bomber Command Instructors School, he became a flying
instructor in Bomber Command.
Warrant Officer Ron Legg (Flight Engineer) joined the RAF at
Lords Cricket on 12 July 1943. Prior to that he was an engineering
apprentice with a well known Bristol company. He was called to the
Aircrew Selection Board at Oxford and chose to become a Flight Engineer
and following a minor operation on his nose, he went to Lords Cricket
Ground. After three week initial training in London, he went to
Torquay and then to St Athans for the six months training as a F/E. He
passed out in March 1944 having never flown in an aeroplane. When on
his first leave, friends would say "What's it like up there?" he
was was embarrassed to admit that he had not yet flown. After his
leave, he was posted to Scampton where he met the lads that had been
crewed up at OTU and were destined for the Lancaster. His next
posting was to Winthorpe, 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit. The aircraft
was the Stirling and he flew with Sgt Anscombe for a full course; this was
mainly to gain air experience. He was then crewed up with F/L
Oldcare and did the same course again as the F/E. An experienced F/E
flew with them until he was satisfied that they were competent. The
next posting was with his crew to Syerston for a conversion on the
Lancaster and then to 9 Squadron, Bardney where they did a total of about
12 hours on training flights. The pilot had to do one operation as a
2nd pilot. on that trip he was shot down but he baled out and evaded
capture. They then returned to another HCU 1654 Wigsley, once again
on the Stirling and another pilot W/O Ross. From there the course
was completed and they went through the Lancaster finishing course once
again, then to 57 Squadron East Kirkby for operational flying. The
first op was a daylight raid on Wilhelmshaven 5th October 1944 and the
last on 7th April 1945. His total was 31 operations. He was
then posted to a holding unit for redundant aircrew and never flew again
with the RAF.
W/O Roy Last (Air Gunner) was called up early in 1943 upon
reaching his eighteenth birthday. He trained at 7 AGS Stormydown and
crewed up at Wing OTU. He started ops at 101 Squadron, Ludford Magna
on 18th April 1944 on Aachen and was selected for Pathfinders after six
ops with 101 squadron. He completed 20 ops with 582 Squadron at
Little Staughton, carrying out several master bomb raids. He was
wounded by flak in September 1944 and returned to the Squadron. He
rejoined his skipper and completed another 10 ops before being posted to
PTFU as a gunner instructor.
F/O Fred Osborne (Bomb Aimer) joined the RAF in 1941 for pilot
training and after going 'solo' (Tiger Moths) at Fair Oaks, Surrey was
posted to the USA Detroit then Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida.
He spent an enjoyable two or three months at Pensacola but was devastated
at being scrubbed and remustered to Observer course in Canada; his offer
to be a glider pilot was refused. He eventually served as B/A with
Bob Sexton's (Australian) crew and served on 101 Sqd and 7 Sqd PFF.
His 'Tour' and ops flying ended after a mid-air collision whilst returning
from an op on Leipzig. He cannot recall the actual crash but owes
his life to the late T Shaw who rescued him from the burning aircraft.
Flt/Sgt Jeff Palmer (Navigator / Bomb Aimer) volunteered for
aircrew duties at the age of 20 in 1941. He later trained as Nav/BA
in South Africa. After further training he joined 195 & 9 Sqdns
and took part in ops over Germany. Towards the end of the war he
took part in "Operation Manna" over Holland. After the end
of the war he flew to India with 9 Sqn and took part in victory
demonstrations. He was demobilised in 1946.
Warrant Officer Don Say DFC (Navigator / Bomb Aimer) joined the
RAFVR in March 1939 and was sent for Aircrew training to Calgary and
Hamilton in Canada in 1941. He qualified as Observer (armaments)
aimer and served first on Vickers Wellingtons with 466 Sqdn (Aus),
completing 20 Operations before moving on to 196 Sqdn for a further ten
Operations over France and Germany on Stirlings. After six months as
Instructor, his second tour (23 Operations) in Lancasters was with 514 Sqd.
The picture evoked memories of a daylight operation on oil refineries at
Bordeaux on 4 August 1944. Crossing the Cornish coast on return at
very low level, everyone reported nude sunbathers running for cover as 300
Lancasters roared overhead. His total war service was six and a half
years between 1939 and 1945, completing two operational tours. He
was awarded the DFC in 1944.
Flight Lieutenant Jack Stidard AE (Navigator) joined the
RAF in 1942 and trained as a navigator at No1 CNS, Rivers, Canada.
He eventually joined 90 Squadron at Tuddenham in early 1945 and was still
in the early stages of his tour when the European war was ended. He
felt privileged to take part in four Operation Manna Ops in late April /
early May, when food was dropped to the starving Dutch. but he did not
appreciate how desperate the situation was until post war visits to
Holland with The Manna Association. Released from the RAF in 1946,
he served in the RAFVR for 14 years in the Intelligence branch and was
also OC of an ATC Squadron.
Flight Lieutenant Robert Stone, Croix de Guerre, (Pilot)
volunteered for flying duties in 1941 and was trained as a pilot in
Canada. On returning to the UK he trained on Blenheims and was
posted to North Africa early in 1943. He was invalided home after a
short period, having suffered a rare tropical disease and was posted to
Bomber Command and trained on Wellingtons. He was subsequently
posted to 550 Sqd No 1 Group, stationed at North Killingholme in
Lincolnshire, flying Lancasters. After completing 29 operations he
was grounded (having developed a duodenal ulcer) and was discharged from
the RAF shortly afterwards. He was subsequently awarded the Croix de
Guerre. The rest of his working life was spent with the Bank of
England and he is now retired and living in Somerset.
Flt/Lt. B S Turner DFC (Pilot) volunteered for the RAF in 1940
and trained as a Heavy Bomber pilot flying Tiger Moths, Airspeed Oxfords
and Wellingtons at Hatfield, South Cerney and Pershore respectively.
His first operational posting was to a grass field aerodrome at Feltwell
where he flew Wellingtons with 75 N.Z. Sqd. After a tour of 37 trips
mainly over Germany he then spent two and a half years as "taxi
driver" with various navigation training flights and some two years
later was posted to 61 Sqd at Skellingforth for a second tour of ops
flying Lancasters - flying'N' for Nan on her 100th trip. After 21
ops he went to T.R.E. Defford as an experimental pilot. At that time
the Air Force was preparing Tiger Force for the invasion of Japan, but
because of the atomic bomb being dropped the invasion did not take
place. Flying at Defford was with radar 'boffins' testing their
various offensive and defensive radar equipment in about ten different
types of aircraft. In 1946 Flt/Lt Turner left the Air Force and
joined Unilever in what was then known as the Belgian Congo.
Warrant Officer Bernard Warren (Rear Gunner) joined the RAFVR on
25 January 1943 and qualified as an Air Gunner from No 7 AGS Stormey Down
in July 1943. After ITW he was posted to 29 OTU in August where he
crewed up as a Rear Gunner. The crew then moved to No 1662
Conversion Unit at Blyton until they were posted to 103 Squadron - 1 Group
- Elsham Wolds. His first op as a spare Mid-upper Gunner was to
Augsberg on 25 February 1944. On the same op his pilot went with
another crew and failed to return. With a new pilot they commenced
ops and had completed seven when they were shot down and baled out over
Dusseldorf on 22 April 1944. He spent the next 12 months in POW
camps and left the RAF in August 1946.
Banff Raiders by Stephen Brown Mosquito FB VIs of 143 Squadron, Banff Strike Wing, armed with 25-lb
solid armour-piercing rockets on a mission over the north sea early in
1945. Based at Banff on the East Coast of Scotland, the Banff Strike
Wing was formed in 1944. Its primary role was to combat the threat
of enemy shipping operating from the bases deep within the Norwegian
fjords.
Hunters Over The Lakes by Stephen Brown RAF Hawker Hunter F.6s of 66 Squadron on a training sortie over the
English Lake District in 1959.
Mustangs Over The Reich by Stephen Brown
P51 Mustangs of the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group range
deep into the Reich in search for targets of opportunity. The 4th played a pivotal role in achieving air supremacy for the Allies
in Europe and by VE-Day had become the top scoring Fighter Group with over
1,000 victories against the Luftwaffe. |
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