|
Low cost aviation art prints of
Bomber Command's aircraft Handley Page Hampden, Avro Manchester and
Lancaster, Short Stirling, De Havilland Mosquito and Handley Page Halifax
by aviation artist M A Kinnear and pencil drawings by S J Kinnear
available from Cranston Fine Arts, the Military Art Company.
|
|
|
Handley Page Hampden Mk I AE193 ZN-A. by M A Kinnear.
Aircraft History: First Operation with 106 was a raid on the Nazi HQ at Aachen on 9/10th July 1941 with Fl Lt Stenner at the controls. Wg Cdr R S Allen, DFC, piloted this aircraft on 24th July 1941. The target was the German ship Gneisenau which was berthed at Brest. AE193s final operation with 106 was on the night of 28th/29th August 1941, with Sgt E R Lyon as pilot. Whilst returning from Duisburg, both the aircrafts engines cut out, and the crew were forced to ditch the aircraft in the North Sea. All four crew got into the dinghy and were rescued (after four days and nights at sea) by a Dutch fishing boat, and became prisoners of War.
Wing Commander Robert S Allen DSO, DFC: Born in Manchester in 1914, Robert Allen was educated at Westfield High School, Manchester and HMS Conway ( a training ship anchored in the River Mersey off Rock Ferry, Cheshire) and joined the RAF as a pupil pilot in 1935. He was promoted to squadron leader in 1939. During June 1940 whilst en-route to bomb a target, he observed an He III and despite bad weather conditions and intense darkness he manoeuvred his aircraft to enable Sergeant Williams (WOP/AG) to fire at the enemy aircraft and shoot it down. Soon after the same tactics were employed against a Ju87 with the same result. Squadron Leader Allen then continued to his objective and bombed the target successfully. He was flying Hampdens with No.49 Squadron at the time, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for this action. The award of the bar to his DFC followed in October 1940 while still with No.49 squadron. Following promotion to Wing Commander, he then went to No.106 Squadron at RAF Coningsby and on 24th July 1941, whilst flying AE193 Wing Commander Allen led a daylight attack through heavy anti aircraft fire and fighter opposition against the German battle cruiser Gneisenau, which was in dry dock at Brest. For his leadership on this operation he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) After leaving No.106 squadron, he served on the Air Staff Mission in China between 8th July 1943 - mid August 1945. On 13th February 1945 he was awarded the Cloud and Banner decoration (Special Rosette) and ward confirmed by the President of the Nationalist Government of China. After leaving the RAF, he became a publican. He died in 1982
Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE AP0011
|
|
|
De Havilland Mosquito FBVI HX922 EG-F. by M A Kinnear.
Group Captain P.C. Pick Pickard, DSO, DFC, CzMC: Born 16th May 1915, at Handsworth Sheffield, Percy Charles Pick Pickard stands out as one of the truly great characters of the 1939-45 Air War. His long operational career, covering many aspects of aerial conflict, included some of the most daring episodes in the RAFs history. In Air Force circles he was admired for his consistent leadership, determination and courage. Outside the RAF he was well known as Sqd Ldr Dickson, the skipper of Wellington, F for Freddie, in the popular Crown Film Unit 1941 production Target for Tonight. Back on operations he played a key role in the successful airborne Commando raid against the German Wurzburg Radar Installation near Bruneval, and flying numerous cloak and dagger sorties, carrying supplies and agents for the S.O.E. into Nazi occupied Europe. He was the leader of the legendary Amiens Prison Raid (Operation Jericho) which saved the lives of Resistance fighters. Operation Jericho was an immediate success as a positive direct result of the two leading squadrons (No.s 464 and 487) accurate bombing. On seeing the outcome, Pickard told the third wave (21 Squadron) to return to base. As Pickard and Broadley flew away from the target, at 500ft, their aircraft was attacked from astern by Fw190s and their first burst of fire severed the Mosquitos tail section. The aircraft flicked onto its back and dived into the ground, exploding in flames on impact. Pick Pickard and Bill Broadley, aged 28 and 22 respectively had made their last flight together.
Flight Lieutenant J. A. Bill Broadley, DSO, DFC, DFM: John Alan Broadley was born in Richmond, Yorkshire in 1921. Joining the RAF on leaving school, he trained as a Sergeant Observer, and flew many operations over Germany during the first two years of war. He joined No.9 Squadron May 1941, and became Pick Pickards regular navigator. During June-August he flew with Pickard against major German targets such as Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Cologne and was awarded the DFM for outstanding ability and courage. In August 1941 he was posted to No.138 Squadron, a special duties unit, supplying the resistance and dropping / recovering agents. November 18th 1941 he was commissioned as Pilot Officer and moved to No.51 squadron. During the night of February 27th/28th 1942, he flew with Pickard on Operation Biting, which involved dropping paratroops to recover parts of the German Wurzburg radar from Bruneral, near Le Havre. July 1942 he was posted to No.296 Squadron a glider towing unit. During November, Broadley moved to No.161 Squadron, another special duties unit and whilst here was awarded the DFC, DSO and also gained promotion to Flight Lieutenant. On 1st December 1943 he made his final move to No.21 Squadron part of 140 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force. Appointed Wing Navigational Officer during January 1944. Flew many low level raids with Pickard, culminating with Operation Jericho.
Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE AP0005
|
|
|
Avro Lancaster Mk III ND845 MG-C. by M A Kinnear.
Aircraft History: ND845 was one of 600 Mk III Lancasters delivered to the RAF from December 1943 to May 1944 by A V Roe (Chadderton) Delivered to No.7 Squadron, it was lost on the night of 19th/20th May 1944, whilst acting as Master Bomber on a raid against the railway marshalling yards at Le Mans. It is believed it was in collision with another No.7 Squadron Lancaster JB653 (MG - R) piloted by Squadron Leader J M Dennis - the Deputy Master Bomber. There were no survivors from either crew.
Wing Commander James Fraser Barron, DSO, DFC, DFM: Born on 9th January 1921 in Dunedin, New Zealand, James Fraser Barron commenced training in the RNZAF on 2nd July 1940. Following his qualification as a Sergeant pilot, he arrived in the UK and was selected for bomber training and after leaving No.20 Operational Training Unit at RAF Lossiemouth - where Barron and his crew survived a ditching in a Wellington- they were posted to Short Stirling equipped No.15 Squadron at RAF Wyton, completing his first tour. Posted to No.1651 Conversion Unit, Waterbeach as an instructor he was commissioned as Pilot Officer in March 1942 and in May 1942 was awarded the DFM for his service with No.15 squadron. During this period he managed to take part in further sorties including the One Thousand Bomber Raids against Cologne, Essen and Bremen. In September 1942, Barron joined No.7 squadron, flying 16 sorties on this tour - during which he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant, followed in December 1942 by the award of his Path Finder Force badge. At the end of his tour in February 1943, he was awarded the DFC and a fortnight later his first DSO. He was then posted to No.11 OTU, Wescott. Tiring of the training environment, Fraser Barron eventually persuaded Hamish Mahaddie (at one time his flight commander) to approve his return to operations - an approval regretted by Hamish. Fraser rejoined the now Lancaster equipped No.7 Squadron in December 1943, which was for Bomber Command a period of heavy losses. Fraser took part in several sorties including on the night of 19th/20th February 1944, the Leipzig raid - during which the RAF lost 78 bombers. He was promoted to Wing Commander in February 1944 and on 28th April was appointed C.O. of No.7 Squadron. Fraser and his crew were now often used as Master Bomber to control bomber attacks and for one such attack on Nantes on 7th May 1944 he was awarded the bar to his DSO. On the night of 19th/20th May 1944, whilst on his third tour - his 79th sortie in all, Fraser Barron and his crew were lost during a raid against the railway marshalling yards at Le Mans. He was twenty three years old.
Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE AP0018
|
|
|
Handley Page Halifax LK797 LK-E. by M A Kinnear.
Pilot Officer Cyril Joe Barton, VC: Born 5th June 1921 in Suffolk, Cyril Barton volunteered for aircrew duties and joined the RAFVR on 16th April 1941, qualifying as a Sergeant Pilot 10th November 1942. He and his crew went to No.1663 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) at Rufforth in Yorkshire. On 5th September 1943, they joined No.78 Squadron. Barton was commissioned as a pilot officer three weeks later. Undertaking their first operational sortie (a raid against Montlucon) they served with No.78 squadron until 15th January 1944. Having completed nine sorties, they were posted to No.578 Squadron. Their second sortie with the squadron, was against Stuttgart in Halifax LK797 which was a brand new aircraft. On 30th March 1944, having now completed six sorties in LK797 - which the crew had named Excalibur, they took off on a raid against Nuremburg. Whilst still 70 miles from the target, they were attacked head on by two enemy fighters. Excalibur had two fuel tanks punctured, both the radio and rear turret disabled, the starboard inner engine was on fire and the intercom lines were cut. Despite several determined attacks by a Ju88 nightfighter, and with the aid of his crew, Barton managed to avoid the attacks. Unfortunately following the first attack, the navigator, bomb aimer and wireless operator had misinterpreted signals given to them and bailed out. Despite these difficulties, Barton decided to press on to the target and drop his bombs. Guided only by the Pole Star and his pilots flight map, Barton started for home, crossing the English coast ninety miles north of Burn. Low on fuel he ordered the three remaining crew to crash positions behind the main spar. Soon after three engines cut out and Barton attempted the forced landing. He made a gallant attempt to put down clear of the houses over which he was flying and the aircraft ploughed through several gardens and greenhouses. The rear fuselage broke off and landed in a deep railway cutting with the three crewmen inside. Excalibur had crashed near Ryhope village colliery, Co. Durham. Pilot Officer Cyril Barton died of his injuries but as a result of his selfless actions, the three crewmen survived. On 27th June 1944, Cyril Barton was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE AP0019
|
|
|
Short Stirling MkI R9257 MG - C. by M A Kinnear.
Aircraft History: R9257 was one of a batch of 150 Mk I Stirlings delivered to the RAF by Short Brothers between January 1942 and January 1943. Initially with Telecommunications Flying Unit, R9257 went to No.7 Squadron, where it eventually became the personal aircraft of Hamish Mahaddie and his crew from 8th February 1943 until he completed his operational tour with the PFF (Path Finder Force) at the end of March 1943. The aircraft then went on to No.1657 Heavy Conversion Unit at Stradishall, before being sent to No.214 Squadron. On 12th August 1943, whilst leaving RAF Chedburgh for a raid against Turin, R9257 swung on take off and the undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft was categorised as damaged beyond repair (DBR). R9257 replaced Hamish and his crews earlier Stirling MK I, R9273 also MG- C which had been attacked six days earlier by a Ju88 nightfighter. After evading the attack, they managed to bring the aircraft home. Next morning, Hamish counted 174 cannon shell holes in the aircraft - which he named C for Colander.
Group Captain Thomas G Hamish Mahaddie DSO, DFC, AFC, CzMC: Born in Keith, Edinburgh on 19th March 1911, he joined the RAF as part of the 17th Entry at Halton in January 1928 and trained as a metal rigger, after which he was posted to Cranwell on ground servicing duties. In 1933 he boarded a troopship bound for the Middle East where he joined No.4 FTS at Abu Suier for pilot training. Gaining his wings in 1935, his first air crew posting was to No.55 Squadron at Hinaidi flying Westland Wapitis and on his return to England in 1937, he joined No.77 Squadron flying Whitleys from Driffield. During World War II he completed a tour of operations with No.77 Squadron before moving to Kinloss to instruct with No.14 OTU. On completing another tour, this time with No.7 Squadron (which he joined on 2nd August 1942) at Oakington on Stirlings, he joined HQ Staff of No.8 (Pathfinder) Group and Group Captain Mahaddie finished the war as Station Commander at RAF Warboys, home of PFF Navigation Training Unit. In June 1945 he was appointed to command No.111 Wing in Germany followed by a spell at the Staff College, Haifa in 1947. His postwar duties also included two tours of duty at the Air Ministry, as OC Flying Wing at Binbrook, and also as Station Commander at Sylt and Butzweilerhof in Germany. He finally retired from the RAF in March 1958 and became involved with the film industry as an aviation consultant working on many films including the Battle of Britain - for which he amassed an incredible number of Spitfires, Hurricanes, Messerschmitts and Heinkels. Thomas Hamish Mahaddie passed away on 16th January 1997.
Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE AP0017
|
|
|
Avro Manchester Mk Ia R5770 ZN - G. by M A Kinnear.
Wing Commander Guy P. Gibson VC, DSO, DFC: Born 12th August 1918, Guy Penrose Gibson commenced pilot training with the RAF 16th November 1936, gaining his wings in September 1937. His first posting was to 83 Squadron RAF Scampton. During his first operational tour (which he completed after 42 sorties in September 1940 and was awarded the DFC) Gibson managed to shoot down a Dornier bomber. Following a brief spell on instructor duties, Gibson returned to operational flying in November 1940, when he joined Bristol Beaufighter equipped 29 Squadron, which was based at RAF Digby on night defence duties. His tour with the squadron ended in December 1941, during which he completed 99 sorties, destroyed 3 enemy aircraft with 1 probable and 4 damaged. He received a bar to his DFC and was promoted to Squadron Leader. Following a 3 month period as Chief Flying Instructor at RAF Cranfield, Gibson on 13th April 1942 commenced his third tour as commander of Avro Manchesters, two of them (Rostock 25/4/42 and the Heinkel works at Warnemunde 8/5/42) in R5770. Soon after 106 re-equipped with the Avro Lancaster. Gibsons first operational sortie on Lancasters was 8th July 1942 bombing Wilhelmshaven. Gibson completed his 29th and final sortie (against Stuttgart) with 106 squadron on 11th March 1943. During this tour he dropped the first 8,000lb bomb from a Lancaster on Germany, was awarded the DSO and bar, had taken part in the famous Le Creusot raid - bombing the transformer station at Montchanin from 500ft - and on 16/17th January 1943 he took BBC radio broadcaster Richard Dimbleby on a sortie to Berlin. On 21st March 1943 Gibson was directed to form 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) at RAF Scampton. On the evening of 16th May 1943, following specialised low flying training in specially adapted Lancaster aircraft, 617 squadron attacked the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams. Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross and with the other surviving crews, was taken off operations. For the next year Gibson was officially rested, but managed to take part in 4 sorties. Eventually, he was granted one more operational sortie. On the night of 19th September 1944 Gibson took off in a 627 Squadron Mosquito with his navigator Sqd Ldr J Warwick DFC. They were to act as master bomber on raids against Rheydt and Munchen Gladbach. After the last aircraft had released its bombs, Gibson headed for home. His aircraft was seen in difficulties over Steenbergen, Holland, and its engines were heard spluttering and then stopping. The aircraft was seen to crash in flames. Both Guy Gibson and Jimmy Warwick are buried in Steenbergen Cemetery.
Open edition print. Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 30cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE AP0013
|
|
