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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth B  Bray, Robert |
Wing Commander Robert Bray
Robert flew his first tour of 32 ops in 75 (NZ) Squadron on Wellingtons. After a period instructing he joined 105 Squadron PFF on Mosquitos, flying Oboe operations, completing 87 ops by June 1944. In March 1945 he was posted to command 571 Squadron PFF, then commanded 128 Squadron PFF until Feb 1946. He died on 15th August 2014. Robert Walter Bray was born on May 5 1921 in Sheffield and educated at King Edward VII Grammar School in the city. He joined the RAF in June 1940 and trained as a pilot. In June 1941 he joined No 75 (NZ) Squadron to fly the Wellington, and over the next six months bombed many targets in Germany . In September he attacked La Spezia in Italy . On December 23 he took part in a raid on Düsseldorf, his 32nd and final operation with No 75 Squadron. He was later awarded his first DFC. During a rest period as an instructor, Bray flew a Wellington in the first '1,000 Bomber' raid, on Cologne. Two nights later he flew on the second raid, in which Essen was the target. After he had completed his tour with the Pathfinder Force Equipped with the new Oboe radar , the squadron's Mosquitos illuminated and marked targets with flares and target indicators for the main bomber force. Bray was in constant action from August 1943 during the Battle of the Ruhr, when industrial targets were attacked. On the night of March 26 1944 he was flying one of six Mosquitos which dropped target indicators on the Krupps works in Essen to provide an aiming point for a force of 705 bombers. Despite complete cloud cover, Bray dropped his markers using Oboe, and proof of their accuracy came in the form of a large red glow through the cloud followed by large explosions; the glow could be seen from as far away as the Dutch coast. On the night of May 4/5 Bray dropped a 4,000lb bomb on the IG Farbenindustrie AG chemical works at Leverkusen. Over the target, flak smashed into the starboard engine and his Mosquito lost height rapidly. Bray wrestled with the controls and managed to reach Kent flying at very low level. With one engine on fire and the other malfunctioning, he managed to land on the crash strip at Manston, near Ramsgate. In the lead-up to the Allied landings in Normandy, Bray marked railways, marshalling yards, night fighter airfields and oil installations, mostly in France. On D-Day, he took off before dawn and dropped his markers on the huge gun battery at Longines near Cherbourg, which posed a great threat to the invading naval forces. The main force of bombers destroyed it. After attacking airfields and the docks at Le Havre, he marked the V-1 site at Reneserve on June 16. It was his final sortie with No 105 after 15 months of continuous operations. Bray was rested until April 1945 when, at the age of 23, he was promoted to wing commander and given command of No 571 Squadron. Piloting the high-flying Mosquito, he attacked Berlin eight times in two weeks. On his eighth operation his aircraft was hit by flak but he managed to get back to base. On April 26 he bombed a seaplane base in Schleswig-Holstein. It was his 94th and final operation.
| Wing Commander Robert Bray - Signed Aviation Art |
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Clipped Signature - Robert Bray. Flew a tour with No.32 Sqn on Wellingtons before joining No.105 Sqn Pathfinder Force flying the Mosquito. He flew almost 100 operations as a Pathfinder, including important marking missions on D-Day. He died in 2014. |
Top Dog by Robert Taylor. Completing a record 213 operational sorties with Bomber Commands Pathfinder Force, Mosquito LR503 became one of the most successful aircraft in the Royal Air Force during World War II. It flew first with 109 Pathfinder Squadron, and then 105 Pathfinder Squadron, completing more combat missions than any other Allied aircraft. |
Mission by Moonlight by Gerald Coulson. To commemorate this much-loved and incomparable aircraft, Gerald Coulsons evocative painting depicts a Mosquito B Mk. XVI, a high altitude bomber version, on operations deep over occupied Europe. In this guise the Mosquito was by far the fastest piston-engine bomber of World War II, and also the only light bomber capable of delivering the devastating 4,000lb block-buster bomb. |
| Wing Commander Robert Bray Aircraft details |
 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. |
 Wellington Manufacturer : Vickers | Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a Bomber aircraft and also used for maritime reconnaissance. and had a normal crew of six except in the MKV and VI where a crew of three was used. Maximum speed was 235 mph (MK1c) 255 mph (MK III, X) and 299 mph (MK IIII), normal operating range of 1805 miles (except MK III which was 1470miles) The Wellington or Wimpy as it was known, was the major bomber of the Royal Air Force between 1939 and 1943. The Royal Air Force received its first Wellingtons in October 1938 to 99 squadron. and by the outbreak of World war two there were 6 squadrons equipped with the Vickers Wellington. Due to heavy losses on daylight raids, the Wellington became a night bomber and from 1940 was also used as a long range bomber in North Africa. and in 1942 also became a long range bomber for the royal Air Force in India. It was well used by Coastal Command as a U-Boat Hunter. The Wellington remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1953. Probably due to its versatile use, The aircraft was also used for experimental work including the fitting of a pressure cabin for High altitude tests. The Vickers Wellington could sustain major damage and still fly, probably due to its construction of its geodesic structure and practical application of geodesic lines. Designed by Sir Barnes Wallis |
| Wing Commander Robert Bray Squadron details |
No.105 Sqn RAF Country : UK On 20 January 1968 the squadron disbanded for the last timein Bahrain Known Codes : , GB, OM, MT, | No.105 Sqn RAF Fortis in proeliis - Valiant in battles |
No.128 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st March 1946 Known Codes : , M5, | No.128 Sqn RAF Fulminis instar - Like a thunderbolt |
No.571 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 20th September 1945 Known Codes : , 8K, | No.571 Sqn RAF |
No.75 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th October 1945 Known Codes : , AA, FO, JN, | No.75 Sqn RAF New Zealand Ake ake kia kaha - For ever and ever be strong |
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