Navigator on Stirlings, Lancasters and Mosquitos. In 1942 Reg Davey was with 218 Squadron flying Stirlings and was one of the decoys for Guy Gibson's dams raid. After leaving the RAF in 1946, Mr Davey joined the civil service, working for the labour exchange. Reg remembered a night where his plane was caught in searchlights and hit by ground fire. 'We got blasted to pieces. The windscreen bashed in. I lent the pilot my goggles from my navigation bag but all my maps and charts were blown away. I never got the goggles back.<\i>' The stricken plane was headed west. 'We landed with a burst tyre and crashed it in a heap.<\i>' He adopted a protective mindset regarding those who did not return from missions. 'You thought: 'That's OK, they're prisoners of war.' They weren't. They were blown to pieces.'
Reg Davie - Signed Aviation Art
Nursing Her Home by Ivan Berryman. 6 editions. 2 of the 6 editions feature an additional signature. £2.90 - £400.00
Night Raiders by Ivan Berryman. 8 editions. 3 of the 8 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £2.90 - £400.00
Avro Lancaster B.1 by Ivan Berryman. 14 of 15 editions available. All 8 editions featuring up to 2 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £500.00
Return From Leipzig by Anthony Saunders. 8 editions. 4 of the 8 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £20.00 - £300.00
Bombers by Keith Aspinall. 5 editions. 3 of the 5 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £11.00 - £45.00
Devastating Strike by Robert Taylor. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 8 additional signature(s). £165.00 - £345.00
Lincolnshire Winter 1943 by Keith Aspinall. All 3 editions sold out. 2 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s).
R5689 (VN-N) - a Lancaster B.1 of 50 Squadron based at Swinderby. This aircraft crash-landed in Lincolnshire while returning from a mission on 19th September 1942, after both port engines failed as the aircraft was preparing to land. The aircraft never flew again. The crew on the final mission were : Sgt E J Morley RAAF, P/O G W M Harrison, Sgt H Male, Sgt S C Garrett, Sgt J W Dalby, Sgt J Fraser and Sgt J R Gibbons RCAF, the sole member of the crew killed in the crash.
Mosquitos of 105 Squadron, Marham. No. 105 Squadron, stationed at Marham, Norfolk, became the first Royal Air Force unit to become operational flying the Mosquito B. Mk. IV bomber on 11th April 1942. The painting shows 105 Squadron on the raid of 10th April 1945, to the Wahren railway marshalling yards at Leipzig, Germany.
It was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the world, one of the most envied - and one of the most feared. Built almost entirely of wood and assembled by carpenters, the beautifully streamlined de Havilland Mosquito, or Wooden Wonder was a triumph of ingenuity at a time when resources of light alloys were in short supply. Its greatest attribute was speed. Powered by two phenomenal Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, the Mosquito became the finest multi-role combat aircraft of World War II. No other Allied military aircraft was built in so many versions for so many roles - a fast bomber which could carry a huge 4,000lb payload; a day or night fighter; a fighter-bomber; trainer; torpedo bomber; photo reconnaissance aircraft; maritime strike aircraft and U-boat hunter were just some of the 43 different variants produced during a long and distinguished career. Mosquitos had pioneered the role of daring precision attacks with the September 1942 raid on the Gestapo Headquarters in Oslo and were involved in the first unescorted high-speed bombing raids on Germany. It was the Mosquito strike wings of Coastal Command, however, that endured some of the fiercest battles of the war. Flying over the unforgiving icy waters of the North Sea to attack enemy shipping along the coasts of Norway, Denmark and Hollad meant that precision flying was essential for survival; especially in the deep, sheer fjords where even the slightest lapse in concentration could result in instant destruction. In this painting, Mosquito Mk.VIs from No.143 Sqn, part of the famous Banff Strike Wing, come under intense defensive fire whilst delivering a blistering strike on enemy shipping off the Norwegian coast in early 1945. Their salvo of rockets, however, will likely be enough to penetrate the hulls of the ships.
Avro Lancaster of Bomber Command take off on their next bombing misison over occupied Europe during the winter of 1943.
Reg Davie Aircraft details
Lancaster Manufacturer : Avro Built : 7377
Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992.
Mosquito Manufacturer : De Havilland Built : 7781
Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built.
Stirling Manufacturer : Short Built : 2381
Stirling The Royal Air Force's first four engined monoplane Bomber, the Short Stirling first flew in May 1939 and entered front line service in August 1940 with no. 7 squadron. Due to its poor operational ceiling the aircraft sustained heavy losses and by mid 1942 the Stirling was beginning to be replaced by the Lancaster. Improved versions of the Short Stirling were built for Glider towing, paratroopers and heavy transport. also from 1943 many of the Stirling's were used for mine laying. A total of 2381 Stirling's were built for the Royal air Force and from this total 641 Stirling bombers were lost to enemy action. Crew 7 or 8: Speed: 260 mph (MK1) 275mph (MKIII) and 280mph (MKV)Service ceiling 17,000 feet Range: 2330 miles. (MK1) 2010 miles (MKIII) and 3,000 miles (MKV) Armament: two .303 Vickers machine guns. in nose turret, two .303 in browning machine guns in dorsal turret , Four .303 Browning machine guns in tail turret. Bomb Load 14,000 Lbs Engines: four 1150 Hp Bristol Hercules II (MK1) four 1650 hp Bristol Hercules XVI (MK111 and MKV)
Reg Davie Squadron details
No.218 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 23rd August 1963 Known Codes : , HA, SV, XH,
