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Ivan Berryman Art Aviation Art Royal Air Force Spitfire

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Ivan Berryman Spitfire Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings
Aviation Art

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41 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman.


41 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman.
3 of 4 editions available.
All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures.
£60.00 - £300.00

In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman.


In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman.
11 of 12 editions available.
All 7 editions featuring up to 2 additional signatures are available.
£75.00 - £500.00

A Nation Alone by Ivan Berryman.


A Nation Alone by Ivan Berryman.
3 editions.
One edition features 2 additional signatures.
£50.00 - £80.00


Sqn Ldr Maurice Brown - No.41 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.


Sqn Ldr Maurice Brown - No.41 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.
4 editions.
All 4 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s).
£75.00 - £400.00

Return of the Heroes by Ivan Berryman.


Return of the Heroes by Ivan Berryman.
4 of 5 editions available.
The one edition featuring 2 additional signatures is available.
£2.70 - £115.00

Tribute to Basil Stapleton by Ivan Berryman.


Tribute to Basil Stapleton by Ivan Berryman.
7 of 8 editions available.
£2.70 - £450.00


Spitfires of No.611 West Lancashire Squadron by Ivan Berryman.


Spitfires of No.611 West Lancashire Squadron by Ivan Berryman.
7 editions.
5 of the 7 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures.
£2.70 - £400.00

Peaceful Interlude (Spitfires) by Ivan Berryman.


Peaceful Interlude (Spitfires) by Ivan Berryman.
5 editions.
4 of the 5 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures.
£70.00 - £400.00

Tribute to No.610 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.


Tribute to No.610 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.
6 of 7 editions available.
£2.70 - £400.00


A Quick Despatch by Ivan Berryman.


A Quick Despatch by Ivan Berryman.
4 editions.
All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s).
£45.00 - £380.00

A Dunkirk Encounter by Ivan Berryman.


A Dunkirk Encounter by Ivan Berryman.
4 editions.
All 4 editions feature up to 6 additional signature(s).
£60.00 - £520.00

The Hunting Party by Ivan Berryman.


The Hunting Party by Ivan Berryman.
7 editions.
4 of the 7 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures.
£2.70 - £270.00


Spitfire Alley by Ivan Berryman.


Spitfire Alley by Ivan Berryman.
14 of 15 editions available.
All 6 editions featuring up to 4 additional signatures are available.
£2.70 - £500.00

Guardians of the Beaches by Ivan Berryman.


Guardians of the Beaches by Ivan Berryman.
6 of 7 editions available.
£2.70 - £400.00

Spitfires Over Malta - Flt Lt Ken Evans DFC by Ivan Berryman.


Spitfires Over Malta - Flt Lt Ken Evans DFC by Ivan Berryman.
8 of 9 editions available.
The one edition featuring an additional signature is available.
£2.70 - £600.00


Escorting Blenheims to Le Trait - Spitfire W3455 of No.610 Squadron by Ivan Berryman. (P)


Escorting Blenheims to Le Trait - Spitfire W3455 of No.610 Squadron by Ivan Berryman. (P)
One edition.
The edition features 4 additional signature(s).
£660.00

Spitfire Mk.IXE by Ivan Berryman.


Spitfire Mk.IXE by Ivan Berryman.
15 of 16 editions available.
All 8 editions featuring up to 3 additional signatures are available.
£2.70 - £500.00

Dornier's Demise by Ivan Berryman.


Dornier's Demise by Ivan Berryman.
4 editions.
All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s).
£60.00 - £550.00


Beurling's Day by Ivan Berryman.


Beurling's Day by Ivan Berryman.
3 of 4 editions available.
All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures.
£60.00 - £280.00

The Thoroughbred by Ivan Berryman.


The Thoroughbred by Ivan Berryman.
5 editions.
3 of the 5 editions feature an additional signature.
£2.70 - £190.00

Wounded Eagle by Ivan Berryman.


Wounded Eagle by Ivan Berryman.
3 of 4 editions available.
All 4 editions feature up to 5 additional signatures.
£105.00 - £450.00


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Text for the above items :

41 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman.

The Spitfire (EB-J, X4559) of Maurice Peter Brown takes to the air with his wingman.


In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman.

A lone Royal Air Force Spitfire is shown high amongst the clouds over the southern counties of England during the hieght of the Battle of Britain.


A Nation Alone by Ivan Berryman.

Dedicated to those who served and died in the Battle of Britain on the ground and in the air during the summer of 1940.


Sqn Ldr Maurice Brown - No.41 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.

Spitfire EB-J of Sqn Ldr Maurice Brown at the height of the Battle of Britain.


Return of the Heroes by Ivan Berryman.

Spitfire of 610 Squadron which has been damaged during combat during the height of the Battle of Britain is shown over the white cliffs of Dover. No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force's first major combat with the Luftwaffe was on 27th May when a Heinkel bomber protected by about 40 Me110s, was engaged. The combat which followed saw the Heinkel and three Me110 fighters being shot down. Throughout August 610 Squadron was involved in bitter fighting over the Channel and Home Counties of England. During the Battle of Britain No.610 Squadron operated from Biggin Hill, Hawkinge, and, on one occasion, from Croydon. The Squadron put up a terrific show and 40 enemy aircraft were confirmed as having been destroyed by 610 Squadron during August. The loss to the Squadron was eleven pilots killed during the battle.


Tribute to Basil Stapleton by Ivan Berryman.

Spitfire Ace Basil Gerald Stapme Stapleton achieved Ace status with 6 victories during the Battle of Britain in 1940. He is shown here in his Spitfire XT-L of No.603 Sqn during combat with German Ace Franz von Werra - the German ultimately survived being shot down over Kent in this encounter. Stapleton went on to fly Typhoons before himself being forced down behind enemy lines and captured in 1944, and liberated six months later. Basil Stapleton died in 2010.


Spitfires of No.611 West Lancashire Squadron by Ivan Berryman.

Spitfire Mk.IXs of No.611 Sqn including aircraft FY-F belonging to the Commanding Officer of 611 Squadron, Sqn Ldr Hugo Armstrong, on patrol late in 1942. Armstrong scored a victory in this aircraft on 2nd November 1942, bringing down an Fw190 for his only victory with this squadron. With a total of nine victories, he was awarded the DFC in May 1942, and the Bar to the DFC in January 1943, before being shot down and killed over the English Channel in February 1943.


Peaceful Interlude (Spitfires) by Ivan Berryman.

A pair of Spitfires on patrol over the southern counties during the Battle of Britain.


Tribute to No.610 Sqn by Ivan Berryman.

A pair of Spitfire Mk.IIs of 610 Sqn roar into the air from Westhampnett in the Spring of 1941 to begin another cross-channel sweep, led by Sqn Ldr Tony Gaze flying DW-G. Gaze was to finish the war with a victory total of eleven aircraft destroyed and three shared, these including a Messerschmitt 262 and Arado 234 jets and even a V-1. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times and, in 2006, received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his outstanding service to the Commonwealth.


A Quick Despatch by Ivan Berryman.

Sqn Ldr James Leathart watches another of his victims, a Heinkel He.111, slowly roll over in its death throes above the beaches near Dunkirk on 21st May 1940, flying Spitfire Mk.1 P9389 (KL-A) of 54 Sqn, based at Hornchurch. All but one of his many claimed victories were scored in this aircraft which was eventually lost in October 1940 whilst being flown by Plt Off C Stewart, who baled out and survived the incident relatively unscathed.


A Dunkirk Encounter by Ivan Berryman.

A moment during the fraught encounter on 27th May 1940 over Dunkirk between Spitfires of 610 Sqn and an estimated 40 Bf.110s during which three Zerstorers were shot down.


The Hunting Party by Ivan Berryman.

Depicting Spitfires of No.92 Squadron, which on their first mission over Dunkirk, encountered six ME109Es and succeeded in shooting down every one of them! Such actions came to symbolise the spirit of the 92nd Squadron which went on to see intense fighting during the Battle of Britain and by the end of 1940 had claimed an astonishing 127 enemy aircraft destroyed. A dramatic and unusual perspective on this classic aeroplane addition to any collection of Spitfire paintings.


Spitfire Alley by Ivan Berryman.

A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXs of 402 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force, based at Kenley, practise combat manoeuvres in the skies above Kent in May, 1943.


Guardians of the Beaches by Ivan Berryman.

Seen here in company with other 485 Sqn machines, Spitfire Mk.IXc ML407 is depicted over the Normandy beaches shortly after D-Day. Flown by New Zealander Fl Lt Johnnie Houlton, this aircraft claimed a Ju.88 on 6th June and shared in the destruction of another on the same day. Coded 'V' in honour of his wife, Vickie, ML407 is still flying today, now converted to a two-seater and regularly displayed by Carolyn Grace.


Spitfires Over Malta - Flt Lt Ken Evans DFC by Ivan Berryman.

Fl. Lt. Ken Evans DFC is depicted flying Spitfire Mk Vc BR471 over Grand Harbour, Malta, during his posting to 126 Sqn in 1942 where he was credited with 5 enemy aircraft destroyed, 3 damaged and a further 3 probables. He was awarded the DFC in December 1942.


Escorting Blenheims to Le Trait - Spitfire W3455 of No.610 Squadron by Ivan Berryman. (P)

Spitfire DW-U (W3455) of 610 Squadron escorting Blenheims to Le Trait on 21st August 1941. This aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters on this mission.


Spitfire Mk.IXE by Ivan Berryman.

A pair of Spitfire Mk.IXEs of 611 Squadron make their way home from a patrol during the summer of 1942. At this time 611 Squadron were based at Kenley and were the first squadron to receive the new Mk.IX putting it on equal terms, for the first time, with the formidable Focke-Wulf 190.


Dornier's Demise by Ivan Berryman.

Maurice Peter Brown damages a Dornier Do.17 in his 41 Squadron Spitfire on 30th September 1940.


Beurling's Day by Ivan Berryman.

George Beurling's Spitfire Vc shooting down the Macchi 202 of Italian Faliero Gellis over Malta. The crippled aircraft had been hit in the engine and radiator, but he managed to crash-land it and survived as a prisoner of war. This was the same day that Beurling also shot down Italian ace Furio Niclot and a probable Messerschmitt Bf.109.


The Thoroughbred by Ivan Berryman.

Allied fighters encountering Focke-Wulfs potent Fw190 were to find themselves alarmingly outclassed when first the Luftwaffes new fighter appeared in the skies above France in 1941. Even the Spitfire MkV struggled to match the Butcher Birds outstanding performance. However, the inception of the Spitfire MkIX was to rapidly redress the balance and represented, in many ways, the coming of age for this classic British fighter, final production of this mark alone totalling 5665 machines.


Wounded Eagle by Ivan Berryman.

Gerald Stapme Stapleton in his 603 Sqn Spitfire despatching the Bf109 of Franz von Werra of III/JG 3.

Known Aces for this aircraft
Ace NameVictories
James E "Johnnie" Johnson36.91
Adolf Gysbert Malam35.00
Marmaduke Pattle34.00
Brendon E "Paddy" Finucane32.00
George Frederick Beurling31.50
Robert Stanford-Tuck29.00
Clive Caldwell28.50
James Harry "Ginger" Lacey28.00
Neville F Duke28.00
Francis S Gabreski28.00
Colin Falkland Gray27.50
Eric Stanley Lock26.50
Pierre H Closterman26.00
Lance C Wade25.00
Douglas Bader23.00
Don E Kingaby23.00
Harbourne M Stephen22.50
Alan Christopher Deere22.00
Evan Dall Mackie21.50
Archibald Ashmore "Archie" McKellar21.00
James E Rankin21.00
Raymond Hiley Harries20.00
John Cunningham20.00
Dominic S Gentile19.83
Duane W Beeson19.33
James S Varnell Jr17.00
W G G Duncan-Smith17.00
James Francis Edwards16.50
R N Baker16.50
Ronald Berry16.00
Agorastos "John" Plagis16.00
Brian John George Carbury15.50
Donald James Mathew Blakeslee15.50
Ian Richard Gleed15.00
Peter Malam Brothers15.00
Robert Francis Thomas Doe15.00
James A Goodson15.00
Samuel J Brown15.00
Archie Glenn Donahue14.00
Robert C Curtis14.00
Tom Neil14.00
John Connell Freeborn13.50
Claude Weaver III13.50
George Carpenter13.33
Roderick Illingworth Alpine Smith13.20
John Donald Rae13.00
James L Brooks13.00
John J Lynch13.00
Tony Gaze12.50
David C Fairbanks12.50
Alan Geoffrey Page12.50
Howard D Hively12.00
Pierce W McKennon12.00
James Averell Clark Jr11.50
George Harman "Ben" Bennions11.00
Hugh Spencer Leslie Dundas11.00
Charles Milton McCorkle11.00
John B Lawler11.00
Leland P Molland11.00
Norman L McDonald11.00
Robert J Goebel11.00
Bobby Gibbes10.50
Richard Joseph Audet10.50
George C "Grumpy" Unwin10.00
Albert Ulrich Houle10.00
Michael Gladych10.00
Spiros N Pisanos10.00
Sylvan Feld9.00
Arthur G Johnson Jr8.50
Carroll W McColpin8.00
Dale E Shafer8.00
James O Tyler8.00
J M Ainley8.00
John Bisdee8.00
Paul Farnes8.00
Wallace 'Jock' Cunningham8.00
MacArthur Powers7.50
Francis Dawson-Paul7.50
James Douglas Lindsay7.00
Arnold E Vinson7.00
Carl W Payne7.00
Chesley G Peterson7.00
Daniel J Zoerb7.00
Frank A Hill7.00
Gregory A Daymond7.00
John Harvey Curry7.00
Murry D McLaughlin7.00
Reade Franklin Tilley7.00
Ripley Ogden Jones7.00
Bob Foster7.00
Wilf Sizer7.00
Richard F Hurd6.09
Fred F Ohr6.00
Henry L Mills6.00
James Eldridge Peck6.00
J D Collinsworth6.00
Lewis W Chick Jr6.00
Merriwell W Vineyard6.00
Raymond C Care6.00
Raymond F Harmeyer6.00
Roy William Evans6.00
William J Dillard6.00
William R Dunn6.00
D M Pieri6.00
Basil Gerald 'Stapme' Stapleton6.00
Walter Lawson6.00
Frederick O Trafton Jr5.50
Joseph P Lynch5.50
Oscar Hoffman Coen5.50
Keith Ashley Lawrence5.00
Harrison R Thyng5.00
Arthur B Cleaveland5.00
Charles R Fischette5.00
David C Wilhelm5.00
Edward L Gimbel5.00
George G Loving Jr5.00
Jackson B Mahon5.00
James E Peck5.00
James W Empey5.00
John H White5.00
Kenneth G Smith5.00
Richard D Faxon5.00
Richard L Alexander5.00
Selden E Edner5.00
Virgil C Fields Jr5.00
V N Cabas5.00
P G Johnson5.00
H P M Zary5.00
R L Burnett III5.00
J N Thorne5.00
J A Carey4.50
R M Davenport4.50
M K Fletcher4.50
J E Butler4.50
J A Adams4.50
J Aitken Jr4.50
J A Jacobs4.50
V J France4.50
V H Wynn4.00
M G H McPharlin3.00
W J Daley2.50


Spitfire
Pilot and aircrew signature details





Flight Lieutenant Alexander N R L Appleford
Our estimated value of this signature : £40
Died : 2012

Flight Lieutenant Alexander N R L Appleford

Born in September 1921, Robin Appleford was one of the youngest pilots to take part in the Battle of Britain. He joined 66 Squadron at Duxford on 13th May 1940, flying Spitfires. He was shot down over the Thames Estuary during a dogfight on 4th September 1940, but baled out slightly wounded. After a spell as an instructor, in 1943 he flew another combat tour, this time with 274 Squadron, flying Hurricanes on coastal defence in North Africa. After a spell with the Aircraft Delivery Unit, he went to South Africa as a flying instructor. Sadly, we have learned that Alexander Appleford passed away on 17th April 2012.




Wing Commander Peter V Ayerst DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2014

Wing Commander Peter V Ayerst DFC

Peter Ayerst joined the RAF in 1938, and was posted to 73 Squadron in August 1939, flying Hurricanes. He went to France with the squadron, scoring his first victory in April 1940. After a spell instructing, when he shared in the destruction of a He111 with two other instructors, he had postings with both 145 and 243 Squadrons. In July 1942 he went to 33 Squadron, before promotion to flight commander with 238 Squadron, both postings with further combat success. After a period in South Africa, he returned to the UK, joining 124 Squadron flying Spitfire MkVIIs in defence of the invasion ports, where he scored his final victory; then flew Spitfire MkIXs on bomber escorts to Germany. He later became a Spitfire test pilot at Castle Bromwich. Peter finished the war not only a brilliant fighter Ace, but also one of the most highly regarded wartime instructors in the RAF. His final victory tally stood at 5 destroyed, 1 probable, 3 damaged and 2 further destroyed on the ground. Peter Ayerst died on 15th May 2014.







Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader CBE, DSO*, DFC*
Our estimated value of this signature : £150
Died : 1982

Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader CBE, DSO*, DFC*

One of the most famous fighter aces of World War Two, Douglas Bader joined the RAF in 1928. A fearless aerobatic flyer, his luck ran out when his aircraft crashed attempting a slow roll. He lost both legs, and his career in the RAF was, for the time being, over. At the outbreak of World War Two however, his persistence persuaded the RAF to let him fly again, this time with artificial legs. Joining 19 Squadron in February 1940, he soon scored his first victory. A brilliant fighter leader, he was given command of 242 Squadron - and led them throughout the Battle of Britain. Posted to Tangmere in 1941 Bader was one of the first Wing Leaders. Baders luck again ran out on August 9th 1941, when he was brought down over St Omer, France. Bader was taken prisoner, ending up in Colditz for the rest of the war. He scored 20 and shared 4 victories.







Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2008

Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger

Born in Port Sunlight on May 4th 1919, Cyril Bamberger won an electrical engineering apprenticeship at Lever Brothers in 1934. He joined 610 Squadron AuxAF, in 1936 on the ground staff. Accepted for pilot training with the RAF VR in late 1938, he soloed in mid 1939. Bamberger was called up at the outbreak of war and on the 23rd October 1939 was posted to No 8 EFTS, Woodley and later went to 9 FTS, Hullavington to complete his training. He rejoined 610 (F) Squadron at Biggin Hill on July 27th but with no experience on Spitfires, he was sent to Hawarden for three weeks. Back with 610 (F) Squadron, Bamberger claimed a probable Bf109 on August 28th 1940. He was posted to 41 (F) Squadron at Hornchurch, Essex, September 17th and on October 5th he claimed a Bf109 destroyed. After volunteering for Malta, Bamberger left 41 (F) Squadron in mid-October 1940. He sailed from Glasgow on the Aircraft Carrier HMS Argus. Luckily for him, he did not fly off for Malta with the twelve Hurricanes ad two navigating Skuas which did. Only five of the fourteen aircraft reached their destination. Bamberger eventually reached Malta on November 28th on the destroyer HMS Hotspur, and on arrival he joined 261 Squadron. On January 18th 1941 he destroyed a Junkers JU87 Stuka and another the following day. 261 Squadron was dispended on May 21st 1941. Bamberger moved on the 12th to the newly formed 185 (F) Squadron at Hal Far. He was posted back to England on June 12th and was sent to Central Gunnery School at Sutton Bridge. Commissioned in February 1942, he was posted to Northern Ireland as a Gunnery Officer with the Americans who were converting to Spitfires. In March 1943 Bamberger volunteered for North Africa where he joined 93 Squadron at Hal Far, Malta in May. On July 13th operating over Sicily, he shot down a Junkers JU87 Stuka. In August Bamberger joined 243 Squadron in Sicily as a Flight Commander. He was awarded the DFC (28.09.43). On October 16th Bamberger damaged a Bf109, his first success after 243 crossed into Italy. On May 25th 1944 he claimed a Bf109 destroyed and on June 15th a Macci 202 damaged. Bamberger came off operations in July for medical reasons returning to the UK. He was sent on an instructors course and in early 1945 was posted to the Gunnery School at Catfoss. Awarded a bar to his DFC (14.11.44). Bamberger received it from the King at Buckingham Palace on July 3rd 1945. Released in 1946, Bamberger returned to Lever Brothers and rejoined 610 Squadron at Hooten Park, becoming its CO in 1950. When the Korean crisis came, he was recalled to the RAF. In February 1951 he was granted a permanent commission and in May 1952 moved to an Intelligence Unit, assessing strike capabilities of the Chinese and Koreans. Bamberger retired on January 29th 1959 as a Squadron Leader, and became managing director of a small packaging materials company – he started in 1954. On retirement he had an antique shop in Hampshire. Sadly, Cyril Bamberger passed away on 3rd February 2008.







Squadron Leader Ben Bennions DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £70
Died : 2004

Squadron Leader Ben Bennions DFC

Ben Bennions joined the RAF in 1929 and after pilot training he was posted to 41 Squadron. He was already a seasoned Spitfire pilot by the outbreak of World War Two. During the Battle of Britain he destroyed 12 enemy aircraft and 5 probables before being shot down on October 1st 1940. Ben baled out, and badly wounded with one eye destroyed and serious head injuries underwent plastic surgery by Archie McIndoe. He is the sole surviving Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot who is both a member of the Caterpillar Club (using silk parachutes) and a founder member of the Guinea Pig Club (those who underwent plastic surgery) Ben Bennions died 30th January 2004.







Colonel Don Blakeslee
Our estimated value of this signature : £55
Died : 2008

Colonel Don Blakeslee

Joining the RAF in 1940 Don Blakeslee flew Spitfires with 401 Squadron. When the Eagle Squadron were formed he transferred as an experienced flight commander with several victories to his credit. An aggressive and fearless fighter pilot, Blakeslee was promoted to lead 133 Squadron, and was described as the best fighter leader the war produced. Already an Ace, he transferred to the USAAF 4th Fighter Group. By the war end he had over four years of continuous combat flying, and 14.5 air victories to his credit. Colonel Don Blakeslee sadly passed away on 3rd September 2008.







Captain Jim Brooks
Our estimated value of this signature : £45

Captain Jim Brooks

Jim Brooks joined the 31st Fighter Group in Italy in early 1944, flying the P51 against Me109s, Fw190s, and the Italian Macchi Mc202. He scored his first victory on a mission to Ploesti. Later, leading the 307th Fighter Squadron on a Russian shuttle mission, they engaged a large formation of Ju87 Stukas, shooting down 27 enemy aircraft, Jim Brooks accounting for three of them. He ended his tour with 280 combat hours, and 13 confirmed victories.







Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC*
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 2008

Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC*

Learnt to fly at the age of 16 and joined the RAF two years later in 1936. He first saw action in 1940 when as a Flight Commander in 32 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill, he flew his Hurricane against the fighters and bombers of the Luftwaffe. He recalls this as an intensely busy period, during which he shot down an Me109 - his first enemy aircraft; by the end of August that same year his tally of enemy aircraft shot down increased to eight. Awarded the DFC, he was transferred to 257 Squadron where he joined Bob-Stanford Tuck as a Flight Commander. Promoted in 1941 to Squadron Leader, Pete Brothers then took command of 457 Squadron RAAF, equipped with Spitfires. A year later when 457 Squadron returned to Australia, Pete took command of 602 Squadron. In the early autumn of 1942 he went on to become Wing Leader of the Tangmere Wing, succeeding his old friend, Douglas Bader. By the end of the war Pete Brothers had amassed 875 operational hours over a 44-month period. He was credited with having personally shot down 16 enemy aircraft and damaged many more. He later went on to command 57 Squadron during the Malaya campaign. Upon return to the UK Pete Brothers joined the V-Force, flying Valiant-4 jet bombers. He retired in 1973. Sadly, Pete Brothers died 18th December 2008.







Squadron Leader Maurice Peter Brown
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2011

Squadron Leader Maurice Peter Brown

Maurice Peter Brown (known as Peter) was born in London on 17th June 1919. On leaving school he qualified for entry in the civil service with an appointment in the Air Ministry. But in April 1938 he left to join the Royal Air Force with a short service commission. In September 1939 he was posted to 611 West Lancashire Squadron with Spitfires in 12 Group, initially at Duxford and then Digby. His initiation into battle was over Dunkirk. He was at readiness throughout the Battle of Britain, including with the controversial Ducford Big Wing on 15th September, when the Luftwaffe's morale was broken, and then in late September with 41 Squadron at Hornchurch where the fiercest fighting with highest casualties had taken place. It was a quantum leap. In June 1941, after serving as a flight commander in the squadron, Peter was posted as an instructor to 61 Operational Training Unit at Heston and other OTUs and then at AFUs as a Squadron Leader Flying. He left the RAF with the rank of Squadron Leader and was awarded the Air Force Cross. In his flying career, Maurice Peter Brown flew Spitfire Mk.I, Mk.II and Mk.V. We have learned the sad news that Maurice Peter Brown passed away on 20th January 2011.






Pilot Officer Norman Brown
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2013

Pilot Officer Norman Brown

Norman McHardy Brown was born in Edinburgh on 27 July, 1919, and went to South Morningside Primary before George Heriot's School. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve (RAFVR) as an airman u/t pilot (under training) a few days after his 20th birthday and was called up on 1st September, 1939 as war loomed. He was posted to 3 ITW (Initial Training Wings) in Hastings, moving in April 1940 to EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) at RAF Burnaston near Derby. He was commissioned as Pilot Officer on 7 September, 1940 - with the service number 84958 - trained in Spitfires at 7 OTU (Operational Training Unit), RAF Hawarden, Chester, and was posted to 611 Squadron at RAF Digby, Lincolnshire, immediately engaging in the Battle of Britain. Norman Brown was one of 'The Few', those who took part in the Battle of Britain in the autumn of 1940 in the skies above England and the Channel. He was never shot down. On 12 October, 1940, Brown - nicknamed Sneezy by his comrades - was transferred to No.41 Squadron at Hornchurch and continued to hunt down German fighter planes. As the RAF gained the upper hand in the Battle of Britain, Brown's Spitfire was returning to Hornchurch on 1 November, 1940 when, in poor visibility, it overshot the RAF base and strayed into London's Barrage Balloon defence area. He struck a cable.The weather was still quite thick … my starboard wing struck a cable - not a pleasant discovery, he wrote many years later in a an article for the Scottish Saltire Branch of the Aircrew Association (ACA). My first instinct was to bale out, but I couldn't for two reasons; I was fully occupied holding the Spitfire straight as it tried to spin round the cable and secondly I could see I was over houses. If I had tried, I would almost certainly have killed myself. As it was I struggled hard with the controls and literally flew down the cable with the airspeed falling dramatically. Finally, the aircraft stalled and did what I can only describe as a violent flick roll. At this point the cable, I think, broke and tore away part of the wing, and I went into a steep dive. On trying to pull out, the Spit turned over on it's back at about 1,000ft and I thought all was over and I momentarily experienced the most unusual sense of complete tranquillity…He went on to describe how he spotted a small housing development site just beyond a railway line and decided to try and land there. He aimed to hit the fence to reduce the plane's speed, as the site was not very big and there were houses at the far end. I don't recall much about the impact except that it was very much more violent than a normal 'wheels up' forced landing, which I had previously experienced. I was very confused and found myself in almost complete darkness and realised that the Spit was upside down and there was only a little light through the windscreen as it was buried in soil through into which it had ploughed. He recalled the stench of petrol and thought he was about to be barbecued. The canopy had slammed shut but two men who had been working nearby came to his rescue. A hob-nailed boot smashed the canopy. I was never so pleased to see a hob-nailed boot and I was pulled out after I released my straps.Brown was believed to be the last survivor of No.41 Squadron, based at RAF Hornchurch, Essex, which lost 16 pilots in action during the three-month Battle of Britain but claimed more than 100 'kills' of enemy planes. In a separate article for the Scottish Saltire branch of the ACA, Brown wrote: The autumn of 1940, what memories! So very hectic, exhausting and frightening. The dangers, fears, excitement, the sadness and the fun, shared with some of the best people one could ever hope to meet. Waiting! Time is passed dozing, reading, listening to music or playing cards. The telephone rings: '41 Squadron scramble!' A dash for the dispersed Spits. Climbing at maximum rate, oxygen on at about 13,000ft, getting colder - probably about minus 30 degrees Centigrade … a gaggle of Messerschmitt Me109s dive on us out of the sun, their trails concealed by a drift of high cloud … gun button on to 'fire' … violent turns to meet the attack head on …chin pressed down on to chest and vision …darkening as G force increases … orange streaks of cannon fire pass too close … aircraft everywhere … a glimpse of an enemy fighter … a quick burst … more tight turns … a Spitfire dives past on fire and below, an Me109 with a Spitfire on its tail disintegrates … more evasive action, dive and tight turns and then level off. Back on base, we thankfully retire to the local hostelry for the odd pint … there is no mention of absentees. So ends another day. Having left the RAF in 1941, Brown returned to Scotland and forestry. As a result, he volunteered after the war to assist RAF 317 Squadron, on the ground in the western-controlled zone of Germany, in Operation Woodpecker, a reparations scheme to get badly-needed timber to the UK where wood had been rationed for civilians during the war in favour of the military effort. In 1947, the operation also provided timber and peat for heating to Germans civilians, who had survived the war only to face displacement and freezing temperatures. Norman Brown died in the Borders General Hospital in Melrose on the 17th December 2013 aged 94.





Flying Officer John Byrne
Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Flying Officer John Byrne

With the RAF since 1938, Byrne flew Hurricanes, Spitfires, P-47s, Tempests and Typhoons during WWII. Upon joining 197 Sqn in March 1944 he flew Typhoons during one the squadrons most hectic periods in the run up to D-Day and throughout the subsequent Allied invasion, mostly on low-level bombing missions. In total Byrne completed over 150 combat operations and finally left the RAF in 1946.







Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2008

Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift

Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift was born in 1919 and joined the RAF in January 1939. Douglas Clift arrived at 11 Group Pool, St Athan on 24 October 1939 and after converting to Hurricanes, he joined 79 Squadron at Biggin Hill on November 17. On 15 August 1940 Clift claimed a Bf 110 destroyed and on 30 August he shared in the destruction of a He 111. In July 1941 he was posted to the Central Flying School at Upavon for an instructor's course. Clift later volunteered for the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU) and served with it until October 1942. He remained on flying duties for the rest of the war, finishing up in South-East Asia with the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). After the war Clift served with 34 Squadron flying photo-reconnaissance Spitfires until its disbandment in August 1947. later he became a radar specialist, sadly Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift passed away on the 31st December 2008 aged 89.







Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS
Our estimated value of this signature : £70
Died : 2002

Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS

John Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 with 604 Squadron. At the outbreak of World War Two he was based at North Weald flying Blenheims on day escort and night fighter operations. In September 1940 he converted onto Beaufighters equipped with radar, the first aircraft that made night fighting really possible. In November he had the Squadrons first successful night combat. He took command of 604 Squadron in August 1941. After a period at HQ81 Group, he was posted on his second tour to command 85 Squadron equipped with Mosquitoes. In March 1944 with 19 night and 1 day victory he was posted to HQ11 Group to look after night operations. The most famous Allied night fighter Ace of WWII - 20 victories. He died 21st July 2002. Born in 1917, Group Captain John Cunningham was the top-scoring night fighter ace of the Royal Air Force. Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 as a Pilot Officer. He learned to fly in the Avro 504N and was awarded his wings in 1936. While assigned to the Middlesex Squadron Auxiliary based at Hendon, Cunningham received instruction in the Hawker Hart prior to moving on the Hawker Demon. The Demon was a two-seat day and night fighter. Cunningharns squadron was mobilized in 1938 following the Czechoslovak crisis. His No. 604 unit was moved to North Weald. Later in 1938 his unit returned to Hendon and was reequipped with the more modern Blenheim 1 fighter. In August of 1939 the unit was again mobilized and returned to North Weald. The Squadron was primarily utilized to provide daylight air cover for convoys. Lacking radar the Blenheim was relatively useless as a night fighter. In September of 1940 the unit was moved to Middle Wallop and the first Bristol Beaufighters arrived. The Beatifighter had a modestly effective, although often unreliable radar. It was an excellent aircraft with reliable air-cooled engines and four 20mm cannons. Cunningham attained the units first night victory in the Beaufighter, and his tally rose steadily. He was promoted to Wing Commander of 604 Squadron in August of 1941. Cunningham completed his first combat tour of duty in mid-1942 with a total of 15 victories. He was then posted to H.Q. 81 Group, which was an operational training group under the Fighter Command. In January of 1943 Cunningham was transferred to command of No. 85 Squadron which was equipped with the Mosquito. With the higher speed of the Mosquito, Cunningham was successful at downing Fw-190s, something impossible in the slower Beaufighter. Cunningham completed his second tour in 1944 with a total of nineteen victories at night and one by day. He was promoted to Group Captain at that time, and was assigned to H.Q. 11 Group. Cunninghams radar operator Sqd. Ldr. Jimmy Rawnsley participated in most of Cunninghams victories. The 604 Squadron was disbanded in 1945, but in 1946 Cunningham was given the honor of reforming the Squadron at Hendon - flying the Spitfire. Cunningham left the RAF in 1946 and joined the De Havilland Aircraft Co. at Hatfield as its Chief Test Pilot. Cunningham had a long and distinguished career in the British aviation industry, retiring from British Aerospace in 1980. Cunningham was appointed OBE in 1951 and CBE in 1963. He was awarded the DSO in 1941 and Bars in 1942 and 1944; the DFC and Bar in 1941, also the Air Efficiency Award (AE). He also held the Soviet Order of Patriotic War 1st Class and the US Silver Star. Group Capt John Cunningham died at the age of 84 on the 21st July 2002.







Lt Col Bob Curtis
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2021

Lt Col Bob Curtis

Bob Curtis arrived in North Africa in 1943, moving to Sicily soon after, flying Spitfires with the 52nd Fighter Group. He scored his first air victory over an Me109 flying his Spitfire, and later survived a bail out when his fighter was badly damaged after a building he strafed exploded beneath him. Moving across to the 15th Air Force, the 52nd Fighter Group re-equipped with the P-51 and Bob Curtis became a Squadron Commander. He added 13 more to his score flying the P-51, ending his war with 14 victories. He died on 31st March 2021.





Flight Lieutenant Roy Daines DFM
Our estimated value of this signature : £45

Flight Lieutenant Roy Daines DFM

Roy Daines joined the RAF as soon as he was able, and after completing his hurried training as a pilot, was posted to join 247 Squadron in the autumn of 1940. Here he flew Gladiators and Hurricanes on coastal patrols, 247 being the only squadron to fly Gladiators during the Battle of Britain, before converting to nightfighting Hurricanes. Later, in 1943, he flew Typhoons with 247 before being posted to join 65 Squadron flying Spitfires and Mustangs.







Group Captain Byron Duckenfield AFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2010

Group Captain Byron Duckenfield AFC

Byron Duckenfield started at Flying Training School on 25th November 1935 in a Blackburn B2 at Brough. As a Sergeant, he joined No.32 Sqn at Biggin Hill on 8th August 1936 and flew Gauntlets and Hurricanes. He joined 74 Squadron at Hornchurch on 11th April 1940, flying Spitfires, and on 5th May was posted to 501 Squadron flying Hurricanes at Tangmere. On the 11th of May at Betheniville, he survived a crash in a passenger transport Bombay aircraft in an aircraft in which he was a passenger, While comin ginto land the aircraft at 200 feet the aircraft stalled and the aircrfat fell backwards just levelly out as it histhe ground. 5 of th epassengers were killed when the centre section collapsed and crushed them. Duckenfield was fortunate as he had moved position during the flight. as the two passengers sitting each side of where he was sitting had died in the crash. (it was found later that the Bombay had beeb loaded with to much weight in the aft sectiion. ) recovering in hospital in Roehampton. On 23rd July 1940, he rejoined No.501 Sqn at Middle Wallop, then moved to to Gravesend two days later, scoring his first victory, a Ju87, on the 29th of July 1940. During August and September he scored three more victories. After a spell as a test pilot from 14th September 1940, he was posted to command 66 Squadron on 20th December 1941, flying Spitfires. On 26th February 1942 he took command of 615 Squadron flying Hurricanes from Fairwood Common, taking the squadron to the Far East. In late December 1942 he was shot down in Burma and captured by the Japanese. He remained a POW until release in May 1945. After a refresher course at the Flying Training School in November 1949, he took command of No.19 Squadron flying Hornets and Meteors from Chruch Fenton. After a series of staff positions, he retired from the RAF as a Group Captain on 28th May 1969. Duckenfield would write later his details :

Burma

At first light, 12 Hurricanes IIC aircraft of 615 Squadron, myself in the lead, took off from Chittagong for central Burma to attack the Japanese air base at Magwe, 300 miles away on the banks of the River Irrawaddy. Arriving at Yenangyaung, we turned downstream at minimum height for Magwe, 30 miles to the South and jettisoned drop tanks. Just before sighting the enemy base, the squadron climbed to 1200 feet and positioned to attack from up sun. On the ramp at the base, in front of the hangers, were 10 or 12 Nakajima KI - 43 Oscars in a rough line up (not dispersed) perhaps readying for take. These aircraft and the hangars behind them were attacked in a single pass, before withdrawing westward at low level and maximum speed. A few minutes later perhaps 20 miles away form Magwe, I was following the line of a cheung (small creek), height about 250 feet, speed aboput 280 mph, when the aircraft gave a violent shudder, accompanied by a very lound, unusual noise. The cause was instantly apparent: the airscrew has disappeared completely, leaving only the spinning hub. My immediate reaction was to throttle back fully and switch off to stop the violently overspeeding engine. Further action was obvious: I was committed to staying with the aircraft because, with a high initial speed, not enough height to eject could be gained without the help of an airscrew. So I jettisoned the canopy and acknowledged gratefully the fact that I was following a creek; the banks of either side were hillocky ground, hostile to a forced landing aircraft. Flying the course of the creek, I soon found the aircraft to be near the stall (luckily, a lower than normal figure without an airscrew) extended the flaps and touched down wheels-up with minimum impact ( I have done worse landings on a smooth runway!) My luck was holding, if one can talk of luck in such a situation. December is the height of the dry season in that area and the creek had little water, it was shallow and narrow at the point where I came down: shallow enough to support the fusalage and narrow enough to support wing tips. So I released the harness, pushed the IFF Destruct switch, climed out and walked the wing ashore, dryshod. The question may occur -Why did not others in the squadron see their leader go down? - the answer is simple, the usual tatctic of withdrawal from an enemy target was to fly single at high speed and low level on parallel courses until a safe distance from target was attained. Then, the formation would climb to re-assemble. Having left the aircraft, I now faced a formidable escape problem? I was 300 miles from friendly territory: my desired route would be westward but 80% of that 300 miles was covered by steep north-south ridges impenetrably clothed in virgin jungle; these were natural impediments, there was also the enemy to consider. Having thought over my predicament, I decided the best I could do - having heard reports of mean herted plainspeope - was to get as far into the hills as possible and then find a (hopefully sympathetic) village. I suppose I may have covered about 15 miles by nightfall when I came upon this small hill village and walked into the village square. Nobody seemed surprised to see me (I suspect I had been followed for some time) I wa given a quiet welcome, seated at a table in the open and given food. Then exhaustion took over, I fell asleep in the chair and woke later to find myself tied up in it. Next day I was handed over to a Japanese sergeant and escort who took me back to Magwe and, soon after that, 2.5 years captivity in Rangoon jail.

Sadly we have learned that Byron Duckenfield passed away on 19th November 2010.







Squadron Leader Neville Duke, DSO, OBE, DFC*, AFC, CzMC
Our estimated value of this signature : £75
Died : 2007

Squadron Leader Neville Duke, DSO, OBE, DFC*, AFC, CzMC

Neville Duke flew Spitfires as wingman to Sailor Malan in 92 Squadron. In November 1941 he was posted to 112 Squadron in the Middle East. After a second tour in the Desert, he flew a third tour, with 145 Squadron in Italy. He was the top scoring Allied Ace in the Mediterranean with 28 victories. After the war, in 1953, he captured the World Air Speed record. He died 7th April 2007.







Group Captain Sir Hugh Dundas CBE DSO DFC DI
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 1995

Group Captain Sir Hugh Dundas CBE DSO DFC DI

Hugh Dundas was born on the 2nd of July 1920 in Doncaster. Hugh Dundas, like his elder brother John, became fascinated by the idea of flying from childhood, and straight after leaving Stowe School in 1938 joined the Auxiliary Air Force. As a pre-war member of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Hugh Dundas was called up early in the war, serving with 616 Squadron. After a promising start as a fighter pilot, Dundas was shot down on 22nd August and wounded during the Battle of Britian, but returned to his squadron in September 1940. His brother John, a 12 victory ace with No.609 Squadron, was killed in action in November 1940 after shooting down the top-scoring German Luftwaffe ace at the time, Helmut Wick. In early 1941 he was at Tangmere and came under the command of Wing Commander Douglas Bader. Dundas became one of the leading members of that Wing and frequently flew with Bader, gradually building his reputation as a fighter pilot and tactician. After receiving the DFC, Dundas became Flight Commander in 610 Squadron. December 1941 brought another promotion as commanding officer of 56 Squadron, the first in the RAF to be converted to Typhoons. Posted to the Mediterranean in 1943, he led 244 Spitfire Wing from Malta and later Italy. In 1944, Dundas was awarded the DSO and became one of the youngest Group Captains in the RAF. For some years after the war, Dundas served once more with the RAuxAF during which time he became CO of 601 Squadron. His war time score was 4 destroyed, 6 shared destroyed, 2 shared probables, and 2 and 1 shared damaged. After the war had ended Dundas served with the RAuxAF as CO of No.601 Squadron and was the air correspondent for the Daily Express newspaper. In 1961 he joined Rediffusion ltd becoming a Director in 1966, and Chairman of Thames Television unitl 1987, when he was knighted. In 1989 he served as High Sheriff of Surrey. Sir Hugh Dundas died on 10th July 1995 at the age of 74.







Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2014

Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC

Wing Commander Bob Foster, who has died aged 94, flew Hurricane fighters during the Battle of Britain, when he was credited with destroying and damaging a number of enemy aircraft; later in the war he destroyed at least five Japanese aircraft while flying from airfields in northern Australia. For much of the Battle of Britain, Foster was serving with No 605 Squadron in Scotland; but in September, 605 moved to Croydon to join the main action over the south-east of England. It was soon heavily engaged, but it was not until September 27 that Foster achieved his first success, when he damaged a Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter over Surrey. During this encounter his Hurricane was hit by return fire, and he was forced to make an emergency landing on Gatwick airfield. On October 7 he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 near Lingfield racecourse, and on the following day he shared in the destruction of a Junkers 88 bomber. By the end of the month he is thought to have destroyed another Bf 109 and damaged a third. In 1941 No 605 moved to Suffolk, from where on one occasion Foster chased a lone German Heinkel bomber well out to sea. His gunfire knocked pieces off the enemy aircraft, but it escaped into cloud before Foster could follow up with a second attack. In September 1941 he was transferred to a fighter training unit as an instructor. Robert William Foster was born on May 14 1920 at Battersea, south-west London. After leaving school he worked for the joint petroleum marketing venture Shell-Mex and BP, and in March 1939 - six months before the outbreak of war - he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve to train as a pilot. He was called up in August to complete his training before joining No 605. Foster's spell as an instructor lasted six months, and in April 1942 he was posted as a flight commander to No 54 Squadron. Within weeks of his joining, it was sent to Australia to join two other Spitfire squadrons to form No 1 Fighter Wing of the Royal Australian Air Force. The Wing was ready for action by the beginning of 1943, and moved to airfields in the Darwin area to counter Japanese bombing raids mounted from captured airfields in the Dutch East Indies and Timor. On February 26 Foster intercepted a Mitsubishi Dinah reconnaissance aircraft (all Japanese wartime aircraft types were given British names) and shot it down. It was the squadron's first success in Australia, and the first time a Spitfire had shot down a Japanese aircraft. Enemy bombing raids against Darwin continued, and on March 15 Foster was engaged in a fierce fight during which he downed a Mitsubishi Betty bomber and damaged a second. The three squadrons of No 1 Wing were in constant action throughout the spring of 1943, but Foster had to wait until June 20 for his next success. This came when he was leading No 54 Squadron as his formation intercepted a raid by 18 Betty bombers which were accompanied by a fighter escort. Foster attacked the leading bomber and sent it crashing into the sea. A Japanese Zero fighter broke towards him, and in the ensuing encounter Foster damaged the enemy aircraft. In June, the raids on Darwin became even more intense, and on June 30 Foster claimed another Betty destroyed as well as a probable. A week later he achieved his final successes when 30 bombers were reported to be heading for the city from the west. Foster led his formation to intercept the force, and he shot down a Betty and damaged a second near Peron Island, west of Darwin. He was the third pilot to claim five successes over Australia (earning him the title of ace) and a few weeks later he was awarded a DFC. After returning to Britain in early 1944, Foster joined the Air Information Unit with the role of escorting war correspondents. He arrived in Normandy soon after the Allied landings, and was one of the first RAF officers to enter Paris, joining General de Gaulle's triumphant procession down the Champs-Elysées. Foster spent the final months of the war at HQ Fighter Command and as the adjutant of a fighter base in Suffolk. In 1946 he left the RAF, but joined the Auxiliary Air Force on its re-formation in late 1947. He served with No 3613 Fighter Control Unit until its disbandment in March 1957, by which time he was a wing commander commanding the unit. He received the Air Efficiency Award. After the war Foster had rejoined Shell-Mex and BP, where he worked as a marketing executive until his retirement in 1975. In 2004 he was reunited with the Hurricane he had flown during the Battle of Britain. The aircraft, R 4118, had been rescued as a wreck in India by the printer and publisher of academic journals Peter Vacher, who brought it back to Britain in 2002 and had it restored to full flying condition. The aircraft now flies regularly as the only surviving Battle of Britain Hurricane and is the subject of a book by Vacher, Hurricane R 4118. Foster was a keen supporter of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, becoming its chairman in 2009. He was a life vice-president of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and a dedicated supporter of its initiative to erect The Wing, a new building at the National Memorial to The Few at Capel-le-Ferne, on the Kent coast. Designed in the shape of a Spitfire wing, the museum and educational facility will tell the story of what the Battle of Britain pilots achieved in the summer of 1940. Foster took the controls of the mechanical digger to turn the first turf and start the work. In recent years he had accompanied some of the tours, organised by the Trust, of Battle of Britain sites in east Kent. Wing Commander Bob Foster, born May 14 1920, died July 30 2014.







Wing Commander John Freeborn DFC*
Our estimated value of this signature : £70
Died : 2010

Wing Commander John Freeborn DFC*

Wing Commnader John. C. Freeborn was born on the 1st of December 1919 in Middleton, Yorkshire. John left grammar school at 16 and joined the RAF in 1938, where he made 14 shillings a week and shot pheasant in his spare time. He later visited his classmates after flight school by landing his plane on a nearby cricket pitch. In March 1938 John Freeborn was commissioned in the RAFO, and on the 9th of April 1938 went to Montrose and joined 8 FTS, where he completed his training before going to 74 'Tiger' Squadron at Hornchurch on 29th October. He relinquished his RAFO commission on being granted a short service one in the RAF in January 1939. Johnie Freeborn flew Spitfires with 74 Squadron over Dunkirk, and claimed a probable Ju 88 on May 21st 1940. On the 22nd of May 1940 he destroyed a Junkers 88, and a probable Bf 109 on the 24th of May followed soon after on the 27th by a Bf 109 destroyed and another probably destroyed. On one occasion his Spitfire was badly damaged over Dunkirk and he crash-landed on the beach near Calais but managed to get a lift home in a returning aircraft. His squadron flew relentlessly during the Battle of Britain. In one eight-hour period, its pilots flew into combat four times, destroying 23 enemy aircraft (three by John Freeborn) and damaging 14 more. Five kills denoted an Ace and by the end of the Battle of Britain, John had seven to his credit and won the DFC. John claimed a Bf 109 destroyed on 10th July, shared a probable Dornier 17 on the 24th, shot down a Bf 109 on the 28th, destroyed two Bf 110s, a Bf 109 and probably another on 11th August, destroyed a Do 17 on the 13th, destroyed another on 11th September and damaged an He 111 on the 14th. Freeborn was made a Flight Commander on 28th August. He shared a Bf 109 on 17th November, shot down two Bf 109s, shared another and damaged a fourth on 5th December, and damaged a Dornier 17 on 5th February and 4th March 1941. John Freeborn had been with his squadron longer, and flown more hours, than any other Battle of Britain pilot and on the 25th of February 1941 John freeborn was awarded a Bar to the DFC. In January, 1942 John Freeborn was posted to Army Air Force Base in Selma, Alababma which was home to the South East Training Command in America. After two months as RAF liaison officer he went to Eglin Field, Florida where he helped in testing various aircraft, including the new fighters the Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang. He returned to the UK in December 1942 and went to Harrowbear, Exeter, and then to Bolt Head as Station Commander. John Freeborn joined 602 Squadron in 1942, and commanded 118 Squadron in June 1943 at Coltishall, leading it until January 1944. In June 1944 he was promoted Wing Commander (the youngest Wing Commander in the RAF) of 286 Wing in Italy. John Freeborn scored 17 victories and left the Royal Air Force in 1946. Sadly, we have learned that John Freeborn passed away on 28th August 2010. John Freeborn was truly one of the great Fighter Pilots of world war two and his autograph is certainly a major additon to any signature collection, as he did not sign a great deal of art pieces.







Colonel Bob Goebel
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2011

Colonel Bob Goebel

December 1943 found Bob Goebel in North Africa flying Spitfires in preparation for joining the 31st Fighter Group. As soon as they arrived they re-equipped with P51 Mustangs and flew to Italy, where Bob flew a total of 62 combat missions, including 16 hazardous trips to the Romanian oilfields. During his combat operations he led his squadron into action seven times, and his entire Group twice, whilst still only aged 21. He ended the war with 11 air victories. Sadly, Bob Goebel passed away on 20th February 2011.






Sergeant Leopold Heimes
Our estimated value of this signature : £40
Died : 2009

Sergeant Leopold Heimes

Already in the Belgian Air Force, he moved to 235 Sqn Coastal Command as an Air Gunner on Blenheims during the Battle of Britain before becoming a pilot, flying Spitfires and Catalinas with 350 Sqn before converting to 76 Sqn on Dakotas in India. Heimes stayed in the RAF until September 1951 having been gazetted as a Master Pilot. Sadly, Leopold Heimes died in 2009.







Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2013

Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC

Tony Iveson fought in the Battle of Britain with RAF Fighter Command, as a Sergeant pilot, joining 616 Squadron at Kenley flying Spitfires on 2 September 1940. On the 16th of September, he was forced to ditch into the sea after running out of fuel following a pursuit of a Ju88 bomber. His Spitfire L1036 ditched 20 miles off Cromer in Norfolk, and he was picked up by an MTB. He joined No.92 Sqn the following month. Commissioned in 1942, Tony undertook his second tour transferring to RAF Bomber Command, where he was selected to join the famous 617 Squadron, flying Lancasters. He took part in most of 617 Squadrons high precision operations, including all three sorties against the German battleship Tirpitz, and went on to become one of the most respected pilots in the squadron. He died on 5th November 2013.







Air Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson CB, CBE, DSO**, DFC*
Our estimated value of this signature : £70
Died : 2001

Air Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson CB, CBE, DSO**, DFC*

James Edgar Johnson was born in Barrow on Soar near Loughborough on 9th March 1915. He lived in Melton, the first house on the left of Welby Lane as you leave Nottingham Road, with his parents - his father being a local Police Inspector. Johnnie qualified as a Civil Engineer at Nottingham University in 1937. He joined the RAFVR and did his flying training at 21 E&RFTS, Stapleford before enlisting for full-time service in the RAF at the beginning of WWII. He first went to ITW at Jesus College, Cambridge, completed his ab initio flying at 22 EFTS, Cambridge and his intermediate and advanced flying at 5 FTS, Sealand. Johnnie Johnson joined 92 Spitfire squadron in August 1940, but it was with 616 squadron that he scored his first victory on June 26th 1941 while flying with Douglas Baders Tangmere Wing. He was squadron leader of 610 squadron in July 1942, but it was as Wing Commander of the Kenley Wing in 1943 that his scores really started to mount. He was W/C of 144 wing during D-Day and led 127 and 125 wings until the end of the war when we has the topscoring allied fighter pilot with 38 air victories. Inspired by the great British WW 1 aces like Bishop and Ball, Johnnie Johnson dreamed often as a child of becoming an R.A.F. pilot. The young Johnson enthusiastically joined the Volunteer Reserve at the first opportunity. After completing his initial flight training Johnson was posted to 616 Squadron at Kenley. However, this Squadron had been hit hard with the loss of six pilots and five wounded, and the unit was withdrawn to Coltishall prior to Johnson encountering combat. With only 12 hours of flight time in a Spitfire this was no doubt advantageous. In February 1941 Billy Burton moved the Squadron to Tangmere. Douglas Bader then arrived to take over the Tangmere Wing, and fly with the 616 Squadron. Johnnie, Alan Smith and Cocky Dundas were chosen to fly with Bader. During the summer of 1940 the Battle of Britain was at its peak. Bader took the time to instruct Johnson carefully in both the art of flying and the skills necessary to attain success in aerial combat. Baders idea of an afternoon off duty, according to Johnson, was to take his section over the Channel in hopes of running into Adolph Galland and his Abbeyville Boys. On August 19, 1941 Bader failed to return from a mission when 616 Squadron was hit hard by a group of Messerschmitt 109s. Johnson flew on in Baders absence, and in the summer of 1942 he was promoted to command of the 610 Squadron. In 1943 he was promoted again to Wing Commander of the Canadian Spitfire Wing in Kenley. By that time Johnson had attained eight confirmed victories. During the spring and summer of 1943 Johnnie led the Canadian unit on more than 140 missions over Northwest Europe. Johnsons squadron attained more than 100 victories during this period, and Johnnies own personal score rose to 25. After a short leave, Johnson was posted to lead the 144 Canadian Spitfire Wing. On D-Day Johnson led his Wing on four missions in support of the Allied invasion. On June 8, Johnsons Wing was the first Spitfire group to land in newly liberated France. Johnson continued fighting in France through September 1944 when he achieved his 38th and final victory. Patrolling the Rhine Johnsons unit jumped nine 109s which were flying beneath them in the opposite direction. Five of the 109s were downed. Early in 1945 Johnson was promoted to Group Captain and put in command of the 125 Wing, which was equipped with the Spitfire XIV. Flying from former Luftwaffe airfields the 125 Wing assisted in the final Allied push to Berlin. Johnson attributed much of his aerial combat success to his ability to make tight turning maneuvers. Johnsons tightest call came on August 19, 1942 when he was unable to dislodge an Me-109 from his tail during the raid on Diepppe. Johnson raced his Spitfire flat out at a group of Royal Navy ships. The usual barrage of flak and tracer fire came right at him, and fortunately for the ace, missed his Spitfire but effectively eliminated the brave pilot on his tail. During the Korean War Johnson flew fighter-bombers with the USAF. Following his retirement from the R.A.F. in 1966 Johnson founded the Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust that has provided homes for more than 4000 disabled and elderly persons, and his sixth book Winged Victory was published in 1995. Johnson flew many of the Spitfire models. His favorite was the beautiful Mark IX, the best of them all. Johnnie passed away in 2001 at the age of 85, in Derbyshire, England.







Flight Lieutenant Richard L Jones
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2012

Flight Lieutenant Richard L Jones

Richard Jones was born in 1918 and in July 1940 Richard Jones was posted to 64 Squadron at Kenley, flying Spitfires. He was involved in heavy fighting over the Channel during the Battle of Britain, with the squadron suffering many losses during July and August. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain, in October, he moved to 19 Squadron flying Spitfires from Fowlmere, and was heavily involved in the fighter sweeps taking place at that time. Near the end of the Battle of Britain, Pilot Officer Richard Jones was shot down during a dogfight over Kent with Me 109s. Jones crash landed his Spitfire in a field, colliding with a flock of sheep - he would go on to write in his log book 'Crashed into a load of sheep. What a bloody mess!' After the Battle of Britain, Richard Jones became a test pilot for De Havilland at Witney in Oxfordshire, and test flew thousands of Hawker Hurricanes and other types, including civil types. After the war Richard Jones joined the RAFVR and started a long career in the motor industry. Sadly Richard Jones passed away on 7th March 2012.





Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 1994

Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC

Brian Fabris Kingcome was born in Calcutta on May 31st 1917. Brian Kingcome was educated at Bedford and in 1936 entered the RAF College, Cranwell. Soon after he began his pilot course he was seriously injured in a car accident and was told by the RAF medical board that he would never fly again as he was expected to suffer permanent double vision. But after months in hospital and with Brians strength of character he proved the board wrong. In 1938 he was posted to No 65, a biplane Gladiator fighter squadron based at Hornchurch. Brian Kingcome took part in the Battles of France and Dunkirk but transferred to 92 Squadron as a flight commander and flying Spitfires in May 1940 scoring his first victories in June 1940. Brian Kingcome became acting commanding officer during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain. During this time he and his pilots achieved the highest success rate of any squadron in the entire Battle of Britain. After being shot down by Me109s and wounded, he returned to active operations. In February 1942 he was posted to command 72 Squadron, followed by promotion to Wing Leader at Kenley. In May 1943 he was posted to lead 244 Wing in the Mediterranean during the invasion of Sicily. An Ace, Brian Kingcome flew Spitfires in combat continually until the end of 1944, his tally finishing at 8 and 3 shared destroyed, plus a score of probables and damaged. One of the prewar Cranwell elite, Brian Kingcome was to become one ofthe Second World Wars great fighter leaders, alongside such immortals as Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. At the outbreak of war he was serving in 65 Squadron, but in May 1940 was posted to 92 Squadron as flight commander. On 25 May he shared a Do 17 and on 2 June destroyed two He l l Is and damaged a third. He shared a Ju 88 with two others on I0 July, and again on the 24th. On 9 September he probably destroyed a Bf 110 and two days later shot down a He 111. On the 14th he damaged another. He shot down a Bf 109 on the 23rd and next day probably destroyed another and damaged a Ju 88. Three days later he shared a Ju 88 again, damaged two others, probably destroyed a Do 17, and damaged one of these also. Around this time he was awarded a DFC for six victories, and on 11 October got a Bf 109 He claimed another next day, and also damaged one. In 1941 he became commanding officer, having frequently led the squadron. It will be noted that he claimed many probables and damaged during the Battle of Britain, and this was due to his view that it was more important to hit as many as possible than to try and confirm victories. On 16 June 1941 lie probably destroyed a Bf 109, and on 24 July shot one down. He was then rested until late in the year, when he was posted to command 72 Squadron, and in February 1942 gave escort cover to the Fleet Air Arm pilot Eugene Esmonde, who won the VC trying to attack German capital ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and and the cruiser Prinz Eugen with Swordfish during the Channel Dash. In atrocious weather Kingcome caught a fleeting glimpse of tbe Scharnhorst - Oh what a beautiful battleboat! he exclaimed, just as a shell made a hole the size of a dustbin lid in his port wing. During 1941 he received a Bar to his DFC, having brought his score to 10. He was promoted to lead the Kenley wing, and on 15 April 1942 damaged a Fw 190. He probably destroyed a Bf 109 on 28 May, and during the year was awarded a DSO, having added another victory to his score. In 1943 he was posted to North Africa to lead 244 Wing, and lead this for 18 months, becoming a Gp. Capt. after the invasion of Italy. By the end of his stay with the wing he had brought his score to 18, and was then posted as SASO of a Liberator group, and flew an operation as a waist gunner over northern Yugoslavia after taking up this appointment. Sadly Group Captain Brian Kingcome passed away aged 76 in 1994.







Squadron Leader Keith Lawrence DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £55
Died : 2016

Squadron Leader Keith Lawrence DFC

Keith Lawrence was born in New Zealand at Waitara on November 25th 1919. After attending Southland Boys High School at Invercargill, Lawrence went to work in a local bank in December 1936. In November 1938 he applied to join the RAF and was accepted for pilot training in Britain and sailed in February 1939. In November 1939 Keith Lawrence completed his flying training and joined the newly-formed 234 Squadron, which flew Spitfires throughout the Battle of Britain. Whilst based at St Eval in Cornwall, Lawrence shared 234s first victory on 8th July 1940 with the destruction of a Ju88 which was attacking a convoy in the Western Approaches. 234 Squadron was posted to Middle Wallop on 15 August. On 15 September Lawrence was posted to 603 Squadron at Hornchurch, and on 8 October moved to 421 Flight at Gravesend, a unit which early the following year became 91 Squadron. During the Battle of Britain he destroyed two enemy aircraft and damaged four others. Whilst on a weather reconnaissance on 26 November 1940, Lawrences Spitfire was shot down by ME 109s, his Spitfire breaking up and throwing him clear to parachute into the sea. Lawrence was picked up by a RNLI lifeboat, and having suffered severe leg injuries and a dislocated arm, was taken to hospital. He returned to 91 Squadron on the 16th of January 1942. On the 17th of February 1942 Lawrence was posted to 185 Squadron in Malta. At this time, the island's capital Valetta and its airfields were suffering almost constant bombardment from bombers with fighter escorts which generally considerably outnumbered the defending fighters. While in Malta, Lawrence was promoted to squadron commander. The Squadron flew Hurricanes until Spitfires arrived on 9 May. Lawrence returned to the UK from Malta at the end of June 1942, and began a long period as an instructor. He served at three different Operational Training Units, and after receiving training at the Central Gunnery School at Sutton Bridge, became a gunnery instructor flying Spitfires. Lawrence returned to operations with 124 Squadron from early February until the end of April 1945. The unit had been successfully intercepting German reconnaissance aircraft at 50,000 feet plus, using Spitfire VIIs with pressurised cockpits, flying from Manston. As Lawrence arrived, it was re-equipping with Spitfire IX's to carry out dive-bombing attacks on V2 sites around The Hague from RAF Coltishall. After each aircraft had dropped its 1000 lb bomb-load, it flew on to captured airfields in Belgium, and refuelled and re-armed, before bombing targets again during the return flight to Coltishall. The unit also carried out daylight escorts for bombers raiding into Germany. From the end of August 1945 Lawrence flew Meteors with 124 Squadron until he was released from the RAF in March 1946. He returned to New Zealand and settled in Christchurch but later returned to Britain. He died on 2nd June 2016.





Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln
Our estimated value of this signature : £45

Warrant Officer John Abe Lincoln

Born in 1923, Abe Lincoln joined the RAF in August 1942, spending two years training in India and Rhodesia. After training he was posted back to the UK, flying first Spitfires and then on Typhoons with 175 Squadron. The squadron was by then heavily involved with softening up targets with rockets ahead of the armies advance and close support duties at the front as the allies advanced through France into Germany. He remained with the squadron until the end of the war.







Lt Gen George Loving
Our estimated value of this signature : £40
Died : 2016

Lt Gen George Loving

General George Loving was born in Roanoke, Va., in 1923, graduated from E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Va., and attended Lynchburg College. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and holds a master's degree from The George Washington University. During the academic year 1969-70, he was a research associate with the Council on Foreign Relations. He entered military service in March 1942 as an aviation cadet and graduated from flying school in 1943 with a commission as second lieutenant and his pilot wings. He flew 151 combat missions as a fighter pilot with the 31st Fighter Group during World War II, flying Spitfires and P-51 aircraft over Italy, Southern France, Germany, Czechoslovakia and the other occupied countries of Eastern Europe. He became a fighter ace during this period, shooting down five enemy aircraft and damaging two others. He returned to the United States in October 1944 and served as a P-47 fighter pilot instructor and base armament officer at Millville Army Air Field, N.J. He was next assigned as squadron commander and instructor at Shaw Field, S.C. In July 1946 he went to Itazuke Air Base, Japan, to serve in the occupation forces. Initially assigned as a personnel staff officer, he later served as commander of the 433d Fighter Squadron and as operations officer of the 475th Fighter Group. In January 1949 he became operations officer at the Air Force Reserve Training Center, Byrd Field, Richmond, Va. He was transferred to Headquarters Ninth Air Force, Langley Air Force Base, Va., in June 1949 and assigned as a staff officer in the Personnel Directorate. Shortly after the beginning of the Korean War, he volunteered for combat duty and in July 1950 went to Taegu, Korea, where he served 13 months, initially as base operations officer, and then as commander of the 9th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. He flew 113 missions against North Korean and Communist Chinese forces and participated in five major campaigns. Between September 1951 and July 1955, he was assigned to the Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. As a senior project officer, he was responsible for the operational suitability testing of the F-84F, KB-29 Phase II Outing Tanker, KC-97 Drogue Tanker, and various other systems and munitions. After graduation from Air Command and Staff College in June 19569 he joined the faculty as an instructor and curriculum planner with responsibility for the college's correspondence course, which had an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. He was transferred to Taiwan in April 1960 and for two years was U.S. adviser to the Republic of China's National War College. General Loving went to Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., in July 1962 and served for two years as a staff officer with the Policy Division (Plans), during which time he was concerned with formulating tactical air doctrine. He attended the Air War College during 1964-65 and subsequently was assigned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Aerospace Doctrine Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, as a staff officer and branch chief. He was responsible for the development of Air Force and Joint doctrinal publications which form the fundamental basis for war plans and for organizing, training, equipping and employing U.S. military forces. He served as commandant, Air Command and Staff College from June 1970 to January 1973. General Loving was assigned as deputy director of plans in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and operations at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, in January 1973, and served as director of plans from April 1973 to January 1975. He was appointed Joint Chiefs of Staff Representative for Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction in January 1975 and served as the senior military member of the U.S. delegation to the international conference in Vienna on MBFR. During the period August 1975 to June 1977, he served as commander, Sixth Allied Tactical Air Force, with headquarters at Izmir, Turkey. He was reassigned to Japan and assumed command of U.S. Forces Japan and Fifth Air Force in June 1977. A command pilot, his military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 24 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with oak leaf cluster, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. He was promoted to the grade of lieutenant general Sept. 1, 1975, with date of rank Aug. 26, 1975. He died on 31st December 2016.






Sqn Ldr Jurek Mencel DFC, KM*** AFM***
Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Sqn Ldr Jurek Mencel DFC, KM*** AFM***

Flying with the French Air Force he fought in the Battle of France but was hospitalised after breaking his back in a crash in mid-1940. Returning to operations with 317 Polish Sqn, his first mission was on Spitfires escorting the RAF Bombers taking part in the engagement that lead to the German 'Channel Dash'. He flew Spitfires throughout the Normandy Invasion also flying Hurricanes and Mustangs with 308 and 309 Sqn's scoring victories against Me109's and Me108's and on the 9th April 1945 he shot down an Me262 Jet over Hamburg.







Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC* AFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2018

Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC* AFC

Tom Neil was born on 14th July 1920 in Bootle, Lancashire. Tom Neil (also to become known in the RAF as 'Ginger') joined the RAFVR in October 1938 and began his flying training at 17 E and RFTS, Barton, Manchester. Tom Neil was called up on the 2nd os September 1939 being sent to 4 ITW, Bexhill in early November. On 1st December 1939, he was posted to 8 FTS and on completion of the course he was commissioned and posted to 249 Squadron in May 1940 flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain flying from North Weald. On 7th September 1940, Tom Neil encountered and claimed a Bf109 destroyed. On the 11th an He111, on the 15th two Bf109s and a Do17 destroyed and another Do17 shared, on the 18th an He111 damaged and on the 27th a Bf110 and a Ju88 destroyed, a Bf110 probably destroyed and a Ju88 shared. On 6th October Tom Neil shared a Do17, on the 25th claimed a Bf109 destroyed, on the 27th a Do17 probably destroyed, on the 28th a Ju88 shared and on 7th November a Ju87 and two Bf109s destroyed. He was awarded a DFC on 8 October, but on 7 November, after claiming 3 victories over the North Sea off the Essex coast, he collided in mid-air with Wing Commander Francis Beamish and his aircraft lost its tail. He baled out of his Hurricane unhurt, Beamish force-landing unscathed. Tom received a Bar to his DFC on 26 November, and on 13 December was promoted flight Commander. The squadron was posted to Malta in May 1941, flying off HMS Ark Royal on the 21st. During a summer of frequent scrambles, he claimed one further victory in June, while on 7th October he led a fighter-bomber attack on Gela station, Sicily. He departed the island in December 1941, returning to the UK via the Middle East, South and West Africa, and Canada, finally arriving in March 1942, when he became tactics officer with 81 Group. A spell as an instructor at 56 OTU, before being posted as a flying liaison officer with the 100th Fighter Wing of the US 9th Air Force in January 1944. He managed to get some flying in over France with this unit, claiming a share in 6 aircraft destroyed on the ground before D-Day, and a dozen or so more later, plus a number of other ground targets. In January 1945 he was sent to the school of Land/Air Warfare as an instructor. In March 1945 he was posted out to Burma, where he undertook some operations with 1 Wing, Indian Air Force, to gain experience of the operations in this area. Returning to the UK in April, he resumed instructing at the school until the end of the year. In January 1946 he attended the Empire Test Pilots School, undertaking No.4 short course and No.5 course, a total of 18 months. Posted briefly to Farnborough, he sought a move to Boscombe Down, where he stayed for some 3 years. In 1948 in went to Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio, to take part in the first high altitude pressure suit experiments, as a precursor to the aerospace programme. 1950-51 he was a staff officer at HQ, Fighter Command, while in 1952 he attended the staff college at Bracknell. He was then given command of 208 Squadron in Egypt, which he led until 1956, leaving just before the Suez operation. He returned to the UK to become W/Cdr Operations, Metropolitan sector, until 1958, when he attended the flying college at Manby. He went to the British Embassy in Washington for 3 years from 1959, returning to the Ministry of Defence but retiring from the service as a Wing Commander in 1964. Meanwhile he had added the US Bronze Star to his decorations in august 1947, and an AFC in January 1956. Tom Neil died on 11th July 2018.







Wing Commander Geoffrey Page DSO OBE DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £85
Died : 2000

Wing Commander Geoffrey Page DSO OBE DFC

Geoffrey Page was born in Boxmoor on 16th May 1920. Geoffrey Page developed an early interest in aviation, which is not surprising as he had an uncle who flew during the Great War and another uncle was Sir Frederick Handley Page, the great aircraft manufacturer. Page went to Dean Close School in Cheltenham, Glouscestershire, and later went to the Imperial College to study engineering. It was at college he joined the University Air Squadron at Northolt. Two weeks after the outbreak of the Second World War, Geoffrey Page received his call-up papers and joined the RAF with the rank of Acting Pilot Officer and went to Cranwell for advanced training. In May 1940 after a short period of instructing, Page was posted to 66 Squadron, flying Supermarine Spitfires but was almost immediately re-assigned to 56 Squadron where he was to fly the Hawker Hurricane. Whilst as a pilot officer with 56 squadron he took part in the Battles of France and Britain, and had accounted for three kills by the time he was shot down on the 12th August 1940 during the Battle of Britain. Flying behind his commanding officer, who was attacking a large formation of Dornier Do17 bombers, his Hurricane was hit and caught fire. Burning high-octane fuel sprayed into the cockpit, covering Page, resulting in very bad burns to his face and hands. Page parachuted out and his Hurricane crashed into the sea. After being picked up from the sea he was taken to the burns unit at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, where he was treated by Sir Archibald MacIndoe, a pioneering plastic surgeon. He spent the next two years in hospital undergoing numerous plastic surgery operations. Both of his hands were burnt down to the bone, and his head had swollen to three times its normal size. Page had also received gunshot wounds to his legs. Page became a founding member of the Guinea Pig Club, where Sir Archibald MacIndoe was elected life time president and Geoffrey Page was its first chairman. In late 1942 he re-joined operations again as a Flight Lieutenant. He joined No.132 Squadron as a supernumerary Flight Lieutenant, before volunteering for service in North Africa, but returned to the UK as the desert heat caused problems on his skin grafts. In July 1943 he won his first DFC. Later in the year he joined 122 Squadron as a Flight Commander, before re-joining No.132 Squadron in January 1944 as Commanding Officer. On 29th April 1944 Page led his squadron to strafe Deelen airfield in Holland, and attacked a Bf110 night fighter that was landing. Despite the odds, the Bf110 shot down two Spitfires, before Page forced the aircraft down and destroyed it. The pilot of the Bf110 was the famous Major Hans-Joachim Jabs, who survived. Page was later promoted Wing Leader of 125 wing, and after another DFC he won the DSO at the end of 1944. Page had achieved his goal of 15 victories (10 solo, 5 shared, and 3 damaged). After the war on a tour of the United States met his wife to be, the daughter of a British Hollywood actor. He left the R.A.F. in 1948 joining Vickers Armstrong. In retirement, Page remained the driving force of the Guinea Pig Club, and also founded the Battle of Britain Trust. This raised more than one million pounds, with which the Battle of Britain memorial was erected overlooking the Straits of Dover. In 1995 he was created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Sadly Alan Geoffrey Page DSO, OBE, DFC and Bar died 3rd August 2000.







Flight Lieutenant Colin Parkinson DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £55
Died : 2006

Flight Lieutenant Colin Parkinson DFC

Australian Colin Parkinson joined the RAAF in 1940, arriving in England to join 19 Squadron flyin Spitfires. In March 1942 he shot down a Do217. In May he was posted to Malta, flying his Spitfire off HMS Eagle on 9th June, with 602 Squadron. After scoring several victories he flew to Gibraltar to lead in further Spitfires, taking off from HMS Furious to the island on 17th August. Commissioned, he now flew with 229 Squadron. On 9th October with Winco Donaldson and Screwball Beurling, he performed a low level beat up and acrobatics over the presentation of the George Cross to the people of Malta. He ended his tour of Malta in November 1942 with the DFC and 10.5 victories, plus probably 2 more. Colin Parkinson passed away aged 89 on 31st March 2006.





Flight Lieutenant Jack Rae DFC*
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 2007

Flight Lieutenant Jack Rae DFC*

New Zealander Jack Rae joined the RNZAF in September 1940, was posted to England and joined 485 Squadron RNZAF. He claimed 2 victories before being posted to 603 Squadron. With this unit he flew his Spitfire off USS Wasp to Malta, on 20th April 1942. After being shot down over the island, he was posted to 249 Squadron. During the following two weeks he saw much action, claiming 4 and one shared by the end of July. Posted back to the UK, he returned to combat flying in May 1943, rejoining 485 Squadron. He rapidly scored further victories, but on 22nd August just after downing an Fw190, his engine failed forcing him to land in France where he was taken POW. His final tally stood at 12 victories and 8 probables. He died on 19th December 2007.







Squadron Leader Stuart Nigel Rose
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 2017

Squadron Leader Stuart Nigel Rose

Originally from Elswick in the north east of England, Rose moved south to join the RAFVR in March 1939, called up at the outbreak of war he was commissioned in June 1940 joining No.602 Sqn in June 1940 flying Spitfires and serving with the unit throughout the Battle of Britain, claiming three victories. Squadron Leader Nigel Rose was then posted to 54 Sqn at Hornchurch in September 1941 before becoming an instructor in 1942, and also serving in the Middle East. Afterwards he moved to No.54 Sqn before taking on positions in training units. He died on 10th September 2017 aged 99.





Pilot Officer Stefan Ryll
Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Pilot Officer Stefan Ryll

Stefan Ryll went into operations with 306 Squadron flying both Hurricanes and Spitfires, and took part in the last raid of the war flying a P-51 Mustang on escort for the bombers flying to Berchtesgaden.







Wing Commander Bob Stanford Tuck DSO DFC**
Our estimated value of this signature : £85
Died : 1987

Wing Commander Bob Stanford Tuck DSO DFC**

Bob Stanford Tuck was a flamboyant fighter pilot, his dashing good looks, courage, and success in the air coming to epitomise the young flyers who fought and won the Battle of Britain. To the British public he was a hero in the mould of the knights of old, and today his name is legend. In the early stages of the Battle of Britain Bob fought with 92 Squadron flying Spitfires, quickly becoming one of the leading aces. Promoted to command 257 Squadron, now flying Hurricanes, Bobs dashing style of leadership inspired his pilots to great success. He went on to command the Duxford and Biggin Hill Wings, taking his personal score to 29 air victories before being shot down by ground fire over Northern France in 1942. He died on 5th May 1987.







Wing Commander George W Swanwick
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2011

Wing Commander George W Swanwick

George Swanwick was born on 10th November 1915 and was an air-gunner on Wallaces and Hinds with 504 squadron at RAF Hucknall during the 1930s. In May 1936, 504 became part of the Auxiliary Air Force, and in October 1938 converted to a fighter unit, equipped with Gauntlets. In 1938 George re-trained as a pilot, and was promoted to Sergeant Pilot in August 1939. In May 1940 George Swanwick joined 7 BGS, and on 7th September was posted to 54 Squadron at Catterick flying Spitfires. He then went to 41 Squadron at Hornchurch. Commissioned in late 1941, he was posted to 222 Squadron at North Weald in April 1942 as a Flight Commander. In July George Swanwick joined 603 Squadron in Malta and in September 1942, George was posted to 7 OTU at Port Sudan as Flight Commander. In July 1943, he joined 81 Squadron in Malta as a supernumerary. George was invalided back to the UK and following his discharge from hospital in 1944, George held various staff appointments until the end of the war. George Swanwick was granted a Permament Commission in 1949 and retired on 30th April 1970, as a Wing Commander. Sadly, George Swanwick passed away on 4th January 2011.







Flying Officer Kurt Taussig
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2019

Flying Officer Kurt Taussig

Czech Kurt was sent, age 15, by his parents on the Kindertrnsport to England from Czechoslovakia in June 1939 to escape the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Determined to fight the Germans he joined the RAF at eighteen in late 1942, and after training was posted to the Middle East to join 225 Squadron flying Spitfires on photo-reconnaissance duties in Tunisia, the Sicily landings, and in Italy. He died on 19th September 2019.







Squadron Leader Laurence Thorogood DFC AE
Our estimated value of this signature : £65
Died : 2005

Squadron Leader Laurence Thorogood DFC AE

Joining 87 Squadron on June 14th 1940, Laurence Thorogood was thrown straight into the Battle of Britain, destroying a Ju88 on 25th August. Commissioned in 1941 he then was posted to India and remained in the Far East until the end of the war. He served with No 9 Sqn Indian Air Force (Hurricane IIc) and 67 Sqn RAF (Spitfire VIII) in the campaign down the Arakan Coast. Staying in the RAF after the war, he served in Singapore and Sumatra with 155 Sqn before converting to Vampires on 130 Sqn, after two years instructing on Oxfords at Middle Wallop, we was Adjutant with 615 Sqn, Biggin Hill before moving to Germany in 1951 to fly Vampires with 118 and 94 Sqns. He served on the Thor missile system before finishing his career as a civilian in Whitehall. Sadly Laurence Thorogood passed away in December 2005. We would like to thank Dr John Thorogood for supplying the photo of his father.







Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £40
Died : 2018

Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC

Joined the RAF with a Short Service Commission in August 1939. He joined 92 Squadron flying Spitfires in June 1940 at the time of Dunkirk. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, later completing over 50 fighter sweeps and escorts over northern France and Belgium until August 1941. He then joined 65 Squadron as Flight Commander in March 1942 operating over northern France and flew off aircraft carrier HMS Furious on Operation Pedestal, to Malta. Geoff was a Flight Lieutenant during Operation Pedestal. He returned to the UK as a test pilot for Gloster Aircraft and finished the war as a Pilot Attack Instructor. Geoffrey was credited with three destroyed, four probables and several damaged and was awarded the DFC in July 1941. Geoffrey Wellum died on 18th July 2018.





Spitfire
Squadron details



No.1 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , JX, NA,


No.1 Sqn RAF

In Omnibus Princeps - First in all things

On 13 May 1912, with the establishment of the Royal Flying Corps, No. 1 Company of the Air Battalion was redesignated No. 1 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. No. 1 Squadron was one of the original three Royal Flying Corps squadrons. Maitland continued as the new squadron's Officer Commanding and he was promoted to major several days after the establishment of the squadron. It retained the airships Beta and Gamma, adding Delta and Eta, as well as kites and a few spherical balloons. However, in October 1913 a sudden decision was made to transfer all the airships to the Naval Wing of the RFC (which became the Royal Naval Air Service by Admiralty dictat, not Cabinet decision, on 1 July 1914). While retaining kites 1 Squadron was reorganised as an 'aircraft park' for the British Expeditionary Force. On 1 May 1914, Major Charles Longcroft was appointed as the new squadron commander. Apart from a few weeks as a supernumerary in August and September 1914, Longcroft continued as the squadron commander until January 1915. The squadron returned to the UK from France in March 1919, being formally disbanded on 20 January 1920. On the next day it reformed at Risalpur in the North West Frontier of India (now part of Pakistan), flying the Sopwith Snipe. and from January 1920. It moved to Hinaidi near Baghdad in Iraq in May 1921, to carry out policing duties, retaining its Snipes, although it also received one Bristol Jupiter engined Nieuport Nighthawk for evaluation. It remained in Iraq, carrying out strafing and bombing against hostile tribal forces until November 1926 when it was disbanded. In early 1927 it was reformed at Tangmere, Sussex as a Home Defence Fighter Squadron, equipped with the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin. After receiving the Hawker Fury Mk.1 in February 1932, the squadron gained a reputation for aerobatics, giving displays throughout the United Kingdom and at the Zurich International Air Meeting in July 1937, where its display impressed but it was clear that it was outclassed by the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Dornier Do 17 also displayed at Zurich. The squadron re-equipped with the Hurricane Mk.I in October 1938 By the outbreak of the Second World War the Squadron had worked up sufficiently to deploy to France as part of 67 Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force. In October it flew over enemy territory for the first time and on the 30th of that month claimed its first victory, a Dornier DO17. Further occasional combat took place and the successes mounted. However, the situation developed significantly in April 1940, and 10th May was the date on which No 1(Fighter) Squadron became fully operation in every sense of the word. Fighting was intense and a week later the Squadron was bombed out of its base at Berry-au-Bac; then began a series of retreats ending finally in a return to the UK. The Squadron was back at Tangmere by 23rd June and operational the following month. In August it marked its entry into the Battle of Britain by destroying 2 Messerschmitt BF110s; there was no let up in the fighting until 9th September when the Squadron moved North to Wittering for a rest. It returned South for the New Year when it engaged in fighter sweeps and carried out bomber escort duties. In February, it started Rhubarb and night flying; during the month the first of its Hurricane 11As arrived. This heralded a period of change for the Squadron whose strength now included both Czechs and Poles; the emphasis increasingly focused on night flying. In July the Squadron returned to Tangmere and, having achieved night operational status, this became its main task. The Squadron continued to conduct night intruder patrol until re-equipping with Hawker Typhoons in July 1942;it then moved North to Acklington where it reverted to daytime operations. The Unit exchanged its Typhoons for Spitfire X1s in April 1944 and with these continued its bombing raids. In June the Squadron began anti-V patrols (Divers) and this became its exclusive occupation, eventually tallying 39 hits. In the autumn it reverted to carrying out bomber escorts; to extend its range it sued the airfield at Haldegham on the Continent as an advanced landing ground. In May 1945 it converted to Spitfire F21s but these were only used operationally to cover the Channel Island landings. In 1946 the Squadron returned to Tangmere and took delivery of its first jet aircraft, Gloster Meteors. These aircraft were followed by Hawker Hunter F5s, which were flown from Cyprus during 1956 Suez crisis. In June 1958 No 1(Fighter) Squadron was disbanded but was reformed almost immediately on 1st July, to fly Hunter F6s from Stradishall, by renumbering No 2683 Squadron. It then moved to Waterbeach from where, flying Hunter FGA9s, it operated in the ground attack role as part of 38 Group. The Squadron continued in this role for the next 8 years, operating out of Waterbeach and then West Raynham. July 1969 heralded a move to Wittering to commence conversion to the Harrier and become the first operational squadron in the world to fly this unique vertical/short take off and landing aircraft. Since this time No 1(Fighter) Squadron has served in many parts of the globe, including Belize and most notably, the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982, where it undertook the air defence role in Ascension Island before deploying for aircraft carrier based operations over the Falkland Islands equipped with Sidewinder air to air missile. Aircraft flew for 9 hours, direct to Ascension Island which set a new distance/duration record for the Harrier. Some aircraft then flew direct to the South Atlantic, where they operated from HMS HERMES. During this conflict, over 130 sorties were flown against heavily defended targets on the Islands; 3 aircraft were shot down by enemy fire. All 3 pilots ejected successfully, although one, who sustained shoulder injuries, was captured and became the only prisoner of war; he was later repatriated to the UK. The Squadron moved to RAF Stanley in the Falkland Islands at the end of hostilities and took on air defence duties until the latter part of the year when it returned to Wittering.



No.11 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
On 29th March 2007, XI(F) Squadron reformed at RAF Coningsby flying the Typhoon F.2 as the lead multi-role Typhoon squadron.
Known Codes : , EX, OM, OY, YH,


No.11 Sqn RAF

Ociores acrierosque aquilis - Swifter and keener than eagles

Formed at Netheravon on 14 February 1915 from a nucleus provided by No. 7 Squadron, No. 11 Squadron claims to be the first RFC unit specifically equipped as a scout unit. By the time the squadron moved to St Omer, France in July, it was equipped with the Vickers 'Gunbus' and was quickly pressed into action. Second Lieutenant G. S. M. Insall of the squadron being awarded a Victoria Cross for an action on 7 November 1915 in which he forced down and destroyed a German Aviatik observation aircraft.and destroying it with a well-aimed incendiary bomb, his aircraft was then damaged by ground fire. After force landing the aircraft, Insall and his observer/gunner repaired a fuel leak and flew back to base the following morning. In May 1917, the squadron became involved in offensive patrols, and joined the Army of Occupation after the Armistice, returning to the UK in late 1919 prior to disbanding shortly after. No. 11 Squadron numbered 19 flying aces in its ranks during the war. Among them were Victoria Cross winner Lionel Rees, as well as Andrew Edward McKeever, future Air Commodore John Stanley Chick, Eugene Coler, Albert Ball VC, Frederick Libby, Ronald Maudit, John Quested, Herbert Sellars, Donald Beard, Stephen Price, Hugh Hay, and Thomas Frederick Stephenson Reformed at Andover in January 1923, the Squadron spent short periods on communications and day bombing duties before moving to Risalpur, India and equipping with Wapitis and the a modified version of the Hart bomber. By the time war broke out in 1939, the Squadron had received Blenheims, and was transferred to Aden at the outset of the East Africa campaign. Following action in variety of operations, No. 11 Squadron moved to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), in early 1942 and was involved in a number of unsuccessful attacks on Japanese ships. During 1943, the Squadron moved to Burma (now Myanmar) and used its newly arrived Hurricane ground-attack aircraft in support of the XIVth Army. With the surrender of Japan in August 1945, the Squadron moved to Japan as part of the Commonwealth occupation forces, remaining there until disbanded in February 1948. Reformed in Germany during October 1949, the Squadron spent several short periods with fighters of the period, Mosquitos, Vampires and Venoms until again disbanding during 1957, only to reform yet again in January 1959 with Meteor night fighters. Three years later, Javelins replaced the Meteors and these remained on strength until once again No. 11 Squadron was disbanded in 1966. Reforming in early 1967 with Lightnings, the Squadron spent the next 17 years flying this aircraft, until disbanding in May 1988, prior to reforming at Leeming three months later with the Tornado F3. In Oct 2005, after another period of 17 years, the Squadron once again disbanded. XI Squadron reformed at RAF Coningsby on 29 Mar 07 as the second frontline Typhoon squadron to form. As multi-role lead squadron, it spearheads the development of Typhoon’s air-to-surface capability. The Squadrons Battle honours are Western Front 1915–1918, Loos, Somme 1916, Arras, Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, North-West Frontier 1930–1931, North-West Frontier 1935–1939, East Africa 1940, Egypt and Libya 1940–1942, Greece 1941, Syria 1941, Ceylon April 1942, Arakan 1943–1944, North Burma 1943–1944, Manipur 1944, Burma 1944–1945.



No.111 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , JU, TM,


No.111 Sqn RAF

Adstantes - Standing by



No.126 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1946
Known Codes : , 5J, MK, MT, TD,


No.126 Sqn RAF

Persian Gulf

Foremost in attack

Flew Mustangs from December 1944.



No.154 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 31st March 1945
Known Codes : , HT,


No.154 Sqn RAF

His modus ad victoriam - By this means to victory



No.17 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , YB, UT, UV,


No.17 Sqn RAF

Excellere contende - Strive to excel

No 17 Squadron was formed at Gosport on 1 February 1915 and after a period of training embarked for Egypt in November. On 24 December, it began to make reconnaissance flights over the Turkish lines in Sinai, also flying in support of troops engaged with Turkish army units in the Western Desert. Detachments were also to be found in Arabia until July 1916, when the Squadron was sent to Salonika as a mixed unit of twelve BE2cs for reconnaissance and a scout component of two DH2s and three Bristol Scouts. At first it was the only RFC unit in Macedonia but was later joined by others in April 1918, handed over its fighters to a newly-formed No 150 Squadron. For the rest of the war, it was engaged in tactical reconnaissance and artillery spotting on the Bulgarian border. In December 1918, the squadron re-equipped with twelve DH9s and six Camels, sending A Flight to Batum to support the White Russian forces and B and C Flights to Constantinople in January 1919. On 14 November 1919, No 17 was disbanded. Reforming at Hawkinge on 1 April 1924, with Snipes No 17 formed part of the fighter defence of the UK until the outbreak of World War Two. Successively equipped Woodcocks, Siskins, Bulldogs and Gauntlets, the squadron remained in the UK during the Abyssinian crisis but lost most of its Bulldogs as reinforcements for squadrons moving to the Middle East and had to fly Harts for a period. In June 1939 Hurricanes were received and flew defensive patrols until the German attack on France in May 1940. Fighter sweeps were then flown over the Netherlands, Belgium and French airfields to cover the retreat of allied troops. In June the squadron moved to Brittany as the remnants of BEF and RAF units in France were evacuated, retiring to the Channel Islands two days before returning to the UK. No 17 flew over southern England throughout the Battle of Britain, being moved to northern Scotland in April 1941. In November 1941, the squadron sailed for the Far East where war broke out in December. Diverted to Burma, it arrived in January 1942, as Japanese troops neared Rangoon. Defensive patrols were flown until the Rangoon airfields were overrun and No 17 moved north, eventually being cut off from India while operating from Lashio. The surviving aircraft were flown out and the ground personnel made their way across Burma to the Indian border. By the end of May, the squadron had re-assembled at Calcutta and in June received aircraft again for the defence of the area. Ground attack missions began in February 1943 and continued until August, when the squadron moved to Ceylon. Spitfires began to arrive in March 1944 and were taken back to the Burma front in November to fly escort and ground attack missions. In June 1945, it was withdrawn to prepare for the invasion of Malaya and was taken by carrier to the landing beaches near Penang in early September soon after the Japanese capitulation. On 11 February 1949, No 691 Squadron based at Chivenor for anti-aircraft co-operation duties was renumbered No 17 Squadron, being officially disbanded on 13 March 1951, passing its tasks to No 3 CAACU which was formed five days later. No 17 reformed at Wahn on 1 June 1956 as a Canberra photographic reconnaissance squadron in Germany, disbanding on 31 December 1969. On 1 September 1970, No 17 reformed at Bruggen with Phantoms, which were flown until December 1975. Conversion to Jaguars began in September. In January 1985 the squadron began to convert to Tornado GR1s, the Jaguar element disbanding on 1 March 1985 when No 17 became fully equipped with Tornados. In 2003 No 17 became the first RAF squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon. Based a Warton it's responsibilities include the evaluation of the new aircraft and its integration into full squadron service. On 19 May 2005, the Squadron officially reformed with the presentation of the Squadron Standard at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, to become No 17 (Reserve) Squadron, the Typhoon Operational Evaluation Unit.



No.19 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , QV, WZ,


No.19 Sqn RAF

Possunt quia posse videntur - They can because they think they can

o. 19 Squadron was formed from a nucleus provided by No. 5 Reserve Squadron at Castle Bromwich on 1 September 1915. It was almost a year later that the Squadron went to France, flying contact patrols with BE12s before re-equipping with French-built Spads. These were used to strafe ground troops during the battles at Arras, Messines Ridge and Ypres. Early in 1918, Sopwith Dolphins arrived and these were used in bomber escort duties. A year after the end of the War, the Squadron was disbanded reforming on 1 April 1924 at Duxford. The Squadron remained at Duxford throughout the inter-war years with a succession of fighters: Siskins, Bulldogs and Gauntlets receiving Spitifre on the 4th August 1938 The Squadron was stationed in the UK after the outbreak of the Second World War,the Squadron fought well over the evacuation at Dunkirk where they lost 4 aircraft for the destruction of 13 E.A.'s. The Squadron destroyed 2 He 111's on the night of the 19th of June 1940, and was part of No. 12 Group RAF, RAF Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain. 19 Squadron formed part of the Duxford Wing, 12 Group's 'Big Wing' formation. Later versions of Spitfires were flown until the arrival of Mustangs for close-support duties in early 1944. After D-Day, No. 19 briefly went across the English Channel before starting long-range escort duties from RAF Peterhead for Coastal Command off the coast of Norway. After world war two the squadron flew at first de Havilland Hornets and later a variety of jet fighter aircraft including the Hawker Hunter fighter then re-equipping with English Electric Lightning, (1962 - 1964) at that time 19 Sqdn was based at RAF Station Leconfield. The Squadron and the sister Squadron 92 were called upon as fast response interceptors during the "cold war", later being disbanded on 9 January 1992. Their final location before being disbanded was RAF Wildenrath in Germany near Geilenkirchen



No.242 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 30th September 1964
Known Codes : , LE,


No.242 Sqn RAF

Canadian

Toujours pret - Always ready



No.249 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 24th February 1969
Known Codes : , GN,


No.249 Sqn RAF

Gold Coast

Pugnis et cacibus - With fist and heels



No.274 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 7th September 1945
Known Codes : , JJ,


No.274 Sqn RAF

Supero - I oversome

274 squadron was formed as a heavy bomber squadron at Bircham Newton in April 1918, and disbanded shortly after the Armistice. On 19th August 1940 it was reformed as a fighter squadron at Amriya with ten pilots from No.80 squadron and initially equipped with Hurricanes and Gladiators. The squadron was soon to become the first in the western desert to be fully equipped with Hurricanes. They became operational in September, destroying their first enemy aircraft (two SM79s) over Maaten Bagush on 10th September. Between December and February 1941, the squadron was employed on various duties including patrols, strafing Italian troops/transport and escort work. During February it was rested and some of its pilots ferried aircraft to Greece. In April they encountered German aircraft and were involved in the intense fighting over Tobruk. These operations continued until May, when they began strafing targets in Crete and providing cover for naval ships. Until March 1942 the squadron was involved in ground attack, protective patrols and bomber escorts. In May they began to receive the first Hurri-bombers, using them for the first time against enemy transport on 8th June 1942. There now began a period of intense activity including the battle of Alamein and more shipping patrols. This continued until the Autumn when the squadron was employed on coastal defence for the rest of 1942 and the majority of 1943. January 1944 saw a move to Italy and the beginning of a period of offensive sorties against enemy roads which continued until April. The squadron was then transferred to the UK and re-equipped with Mk IX Spitfires commencing fighter sweeps and bomber escorts until June, when it was transferred to anti V-1 patrols. In August, No.274 was re-equipped with the Hawker Tempest and commenced attacks against airfields on the continent, moving to Belgium in September. Throughout the winter it was involved on mainly armed reconnaissance patrols and had several combats with Me262 jet fighters - destroying one on the 11th February 1945. The squadron maintained its program of patrols and attacks against enemy airfields with great success, its last being on 4th May. Following VE Day (8th May 1945) No.274 Squadron moved into the Occupied Zone until September 1945 when they effectively disbanded by re-numbering as No.174 Squadron.



No.331 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 21st November 1945
Known Codes : , AR, FN,


No.331 Sqn RAF

Norwegian

For Norge - For Norway



No.332 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 21st November 1945
Known Codes : , AH,


No.332 Sqn RAF

Norwegian

Samhold i strid - Together in battle



No.402 Sqn RCAF
Country : Canada
Disbanded 24th July 1945
Known Codes : , AE,


No.402 Sqn RCAF

City of Winnipeg

We stand on guard



No.41 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , EB, PN,


No.41 Sqn RAF

Seek and destroy

Founded in 1916, 41 Squadron was disbanded at the end of World War One, but reformed on 1st April 1923.



No.501 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , SD, RAB, ZH,


No.501 Sqn RAF

County of Gloucester, City of Bristol (Auxiliary)

Nil time - Fear nothing



No.54 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , KL, DL, HF,


No.54 Sqn RAF

Audax omnia perpeti - Boldness to endure anything

No. 54 Squadron was formed on the 5th of May 1916 at Castle Bromwich. The squadron was equipped with BE2C's and Avro 504's and was part of the home defence force. Shortly after 54 squadron changed to day fighter duties and moved to France then equipped with Sopwith Pups. Their role was to escort bombers and attack observation balloons. Near the end of the great war 54 squadron was re -quipped with Sopwith Camels and tasked with ground attack as well as fighter sorties. In February 1919, the squadron returned to RAF Yatesbury and on 2nd October 1919 54 squadron was disbanded. On the 15th of January 1930, 54 squadron was reformed at RAF Hornchurch as a fighter squadron equipped initially with Siskin aircraft. The Siskins were subsequently replaced with Bulldog fighters and in September 1936 54 squadron was re-equipped with Gloster Gauntlets and in April 1937, they recieved Gloster Gladiators. In March 1939 the squadron recieved the new Supermarine Spitfire. After the outbreak of world war two, 54 Squadron was given the duties of patrolling the Kent coast, until having to support and give air cover to the evacuation of Dunkirk in May and June 1940. The squadron was heavily involved during the Battle of Britain until November 1940 and after the Battle of Britain had ceased the squadron moved in November 1940 to RAF Castletown where its duties were coastal patrols. In June 1942 the squadron moved to RAF Wellingore to prepare for the squadron moving to Australia. In January 1943 54 squadron joined No.1 Wing of the Royal Australian Air Force. The Spitfires of the squadron were given the role of air defence duties against Japanese air attacks in the Darwin area. After the war had ended 54 squadron was disbanded in Melbourne on the 31st of October 1945, although the squadron name continued when on the 15th of November 1945 No.183 Squadron was renumbered 54 Squadron and flew initially Hawker Tempests. Taking up jet aircraft, the squadron subsequently used Vampires, Meteors, Hunters, Phantom and Jaguars before disbanding on 11th March 2005. 54 Squadron reformed on 5th September 2005 as an ISTAR (Intelligence Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance ) unit equipped with Sentry, Nimrod and Sentinel aircraft.



No.601 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , UF, HT, YN,


No.601 Sqn RAF

County of London (Auxiliary)



No.603 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , XT, RL,


No.603 Sqn RAF

City of Edinburgh (Auxiliary)

Gin ye daur - If you dare

No 603 Squadron was formed on 14 October 1925 at Turnhouse as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. Originally equipped with DH9As and using Avro 504Ks for flying training, the squadron re-equipped with Wapitis in March 1930, these being replaced by Harts in February 1934. On 24 October 1938, No 603 was redesignated a fighter unit and flew Hinds until the arrival of Gladiators at the end of March 1939. Within two weeks of the outbreak of war in September 1939, the squadron began to receive Spitfires and passed on its Gladiators to other squadrons during October. It was operational with Spitfires in time to intercept the first German air raid on the British Isles on 16 October, when it destroyed the first enemy aircraft to be shot down over Britain in the Second World War. It remained on defensive duties in Scotland until the end of August 1940, when it moved to southern England for the remaining months of the Battle of Britain, returning to Scotland at the end of December. In May 1941, the squadron moved south again to take part in sweeps over France until the end of the year. After a further spell in Scotland, No.603 left in April 1942 for the Middle East where its ground echelon arrived early in June. The squadron's aircraft were embarked on the US carrier 'Wasp' and flown off to Malta on 20 April to reinforce the fighter defences of the beleaguered island. After nearly four months defending Malta, the remaining pilots and aircraft were absorbed by No.229 Squadron on 3 August 1942.



No.609 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , PR, BL,


No.609 Sqn RAF

West Riding (Auxiliary)

Tally ho!

609 (West Riding) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force: 609 Squadron came into being on the 10th February 1936 as part of the expanding Auxiliary Air Force. Initially a bomber squadron equipped with Hawker Harts. On 8th December, 1938, the Squadrons role was changed from bomber to fighter and the squadron took delivery of its first Spitfires Mk I during August 1939. The squadrons first victory was a Heinkel HE111 H-2 of 2/KG26 which was shot down near St. Abbs Head, 27th February 1940, by Flying Officer G. D. Ayre, Pilot Officer J R Buchanan and Flying Officer D Persse-Joynt. 609 squadron was, it is said, the first Spitfire Squadron to reach 100 victories (Ju88 A-5 1/KG51) on 21st October 1940. The victory was shared by Flight Lieutenant F J Howell and Pilot Officer S J Hill. During April 1942, 609 began to replace its Spitfires with Hawker Typhoons, and went on to become the first Typhoon squadron with 227 victories. Based at many RAF Stations 609 was in action throughout WWII, covering the Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain and supporting the D-Day landings as part of the 2nd TAF. There were many decorations awarded to squadron members, these included 3 DSOs, 22 DFCs and Bars and 4 DFMs. On 16th December 1947, King George VI gave permission for use of the Royal Prefix for all Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons. 609 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force was disbanded on 10th March 1957, whilst equipped with Gloster Meteors F8 at RAF Church Fenton, Yorkshire. On 1st October, 1999, 609 (west Riding) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, was re-formed at RAF Leeming operating in the guise of Air Defence Support Squadron (ADSS).



No.610 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , DW, JE,


No.610 Sqn RAF

County of Chester (Auxiliary)

Alifero tollitur axe ceres - Ceres rising in a winged car

610 squadron was formed AT Hooton Park, Wirral in Cheshire on 10 February 1936 as one of the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons equipped with the light bomber the Hawker Hart. In May 1938 610 Squadron aircraft were upgraded to the new Hawker Hind. On 1 January 1939 the squadron role was changed into that of a fighter squadron, and on the outbreak of war in September 1939, he Squadron began receiving the new Hawker Hurricane. By the end of that same month it was flying the Supermarine Spitfire. During the Battle of Britain 610 Squadron was attached to No. 3 Group and was initially based at RAF Gravesend but moved to Biggin Hill before the German offensive began and was one of the units bearing the brunt of German attacks. It moved to RAF Acklington for the rest and recuperation at the end of August, having sustained severe casualties. During the Battle of Britain the squadron included Pilot Officer, later Squadron Leader, Constantine Pegge. In 1941, the squadron moved south to RAF Tangmere where it became part of the Tangmere wing, a three squadron wing under the command of Douglas Bader. 610 Squadron remained based in the UK until 1945, when it moved to the continent to provide fighter cover as the allies entered Germany. 610 Squadron was disbanded before the end of the war at RAF Warmwell in March 1945.



No.611 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , FY, AF,


No.611 Sqn RAF

West Lancashire (Auxiliary)

Beware, beware

Formed 10th February 1936, at RAF Hendon. Initially flew Hawker Hart aircraft then Hawker Hinds, before converting to a number of variants of Spitfires throughout the war. During the war, they were present at Dunkirk and fought in the Battle of Britain. The squadron converted to Mustangs in March 1945, but disbanded in August 1945. The squadron reformed in May 1946, again with Spitfires, beforing converting to Meteor jets in May 1951. The squadron finally disbanded on 10th March 1957.



No.64 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 16th June 1967
Known Codes : , SH, GR, XQ,


No.64 Sqn RAF

Tenax proposite - Firmness of purpose

Flew Mustangs from November 1944.



No.65 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 30th June 1992
Known Codes : , FZ, YT,


No.65 Sqn RAF

East India

Vi e tarmis - By force of arms

Flew Mustangs from December 1943.



No.74 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , GM, JH, 4D, ZP,


No.74 Sqn RAF

Trinidad

I fear no man

Hurricane of 56 Squadron was shot down by mistake by No. 74 Squadron and Pilot Officer M L Halton-Harrop of 56 sqd was killed on the 6th September 1939



No.91 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 31st January 1947
Known Codes : , DL,


No.91 Sqn RAF

Nigeria

We seek alone



No.92 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 1st October 1994
Known Codes : , GR, QJ, DL, 8L,


No.92 Sqn RAF

East India

Aut pugna aut morere - Either fight or die

92 Squadron was formed in the First World War, as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps, on 1st September 1917. It flew Pups, Spads and SE5s during the war, becoming an RAF squadron on the formation of the RAF on 1st April 1918, before being disbanded on 7th August 1919. On the outbreak of hostilities of World War Two, 92 Sqn reformed on 10th October 1939, flying Blenheims before converting to Spitfires. It transferred to North Africa, and for some time flew as part of 244 Wing RAF. After the war, the squadron was disbanded on 30th December 1946. On 31st January 1947, the former 91 Squadron was redesignated 92 Squadron, flying the Meteor before re-equipping with the Sabre and then the Hunter. While flying the Hunter in 1960, the squadron was designated as the RAF's aerobatic squadron, with the name Blue Diamonds, a name the squadron carried on after tranferring to the Lightning. The squadron then re-equipped with Phantoms, before being disbanded on 1st July 1991. It was reformed from a rserve squadron on 23rd September 1992, and became No.92 (Reserve) Squadron, flying the Hawk aircraft before being disbanded once more on 1st October 1994.




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