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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth M Morewood, Roger

Wing Commander Roger Morewood

An uncle suggested to Roger Morewood that he should join the RAF so Roger did at the age of 17. Roger said : I was going be a pilot, that was the only reason to join. Roger trained to fly in a Tiger Moth biplane before joining 56 Squadron - regarded within the RAF as an elite unit - flying open cockpit Gauntlet fighters. The squadron were then re-equipped with Gloster Gladiators - the last RAF biplane - then the Hawker Hurricanes that would join Spitfires in fighting off Hitlers Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. While serving with 56 Squadron Roger Morewood was assigned the dangerous role of long-range fighter sweeps over the coast of occupied France and Holland but left to help form 248 Sqn at Hendon with whom he served throughout the Battle of Britain flying Blenheims. Roger said: We had a few panic station alerts when we were scrambled. We wouldd be leaping into our aircraft with flying suits over our pyjamas as we tried to get into the air in a minute and a half. In July 1942 Morewood went to 9 OTU and later HQ Transport Command. After a long post-war career in the RAF he retired in 1957. Roger Morewood once said of his squadron: It was damned dodgy. We had a high loss rate on operations. And on one sortie - then aged 21 - he nearly met his maker : I flew across to Den Helder (Northern Holland) in a long-nosed Blenheim to look after this battleship at the entrance to the Zuiderzee. We flew round this thing and sure enough I saw some aircraft coming up. They were twin-engine bombers naturally - Messerschmitt 110s. That was a bit hairy. My two blokes (other pilots) shoved off in a hurry into a cloud, and there was me popping away until I ran out of ammunition. There was just me left. I realised there was no point chasing - I was not going to knock his wings off. So I started flying home. After making hardly any noise all flight the chap (navigator) in the back said you haveve got somebody on your tail now - you had better move swiftly. So I moved to left and right. We got a pretty hefty clobbering. His turret disappeared at the back. My poor navigator wore a tin hat and I dont blame him. He got a bullet half way through his armour. He was alright. I had a dreadful wound. If I shook my hand really hard I could get blood out of one finger. I was hit all over the place. We took dozens of bullets. The aircraft was ruined. That is all there was to it. We were still going home - even with the North Sea to go across. So I trundled off back and ditched the damn thing. Thank God it didnt blow up. We literally got away with it. It was the hairiest trip I ever did. On another occasion, Roger intercepted a German weather forecasting flying boat called Weary Willy : I was in a Beaufighter at this time. I flew upwind and had a shot at him downwind. Then all the guns jammed. So I pulled alongside him - not too close - and waved him good luck lad. Anyway he sank when he got back to Norway. That was that one finished. Flying from Shetland, his squadron attacked German shipping off Norway. Roger was rested and spent two years training new Beaufighter pilots but still managed to go on some operations, mainly attacking convoys off the coast of Holland. Roger Morewood said: job was to attack the flak ships, floating anti-aircraft batteries, so other Beaufighters could attack the cargo ships. It could be pretty hairy as 12 Beaufighters lined up to have a crack at the target. You wouldd see tracer shells from your mates plane whizzing over your head or underneath you. They were a bigger danger than the Germans Wing Commander Roger Morwood was posted to the Mediterranean where he contracted TB. He recalled: "In hospital, they treated you with whisky in milk and a pint of Guinness for breakfast, very primitive stuff." When the war ended and the RAF were scaled down, Roger continued to serve in various postings around the UK until 1947. after leaving the RAF Roger was recalled again as an instructor at the Central Flying School, but with the rank of flight lieutenant. He was posted to Edinburgh and then Glasgow University squadrons. finnaly leaving service in 1957. Wing Commander Roger Morewood notched up more than 5000 flying hours in 32 different types of aircraft. Roger Morewood died in early December 2014.

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Wing Commander Roger Morewood - Signed Aviation Art

Close Encounter by Ivan Berryman. 13 editions. 7 of the 13 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £2.90 - £2500.00

Ltn. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG21 Becomes an Ace by Ivan Berryman. 10 of 11 editions available. All 5 editions featuring up to 4 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £3400.00

Billy Drake - First of Many by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £100.00 - £520.00

Taxi Service by David Pentland. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £400.00

Doe's Griffin by David Pentland. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 6 additional signature(s). £70.00 - £480.00

Fairey Battle Mk.I by Ivan Berryman. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £290.00

Avro Anson by Ivan Berryman. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £40.00 - £400.00

Sqn Ldr Maurice Brown - No.41 Sqn by Ivan Berryman. 5 editions. 4 of the 5 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £2.90 - £400.00

Hornchurch Scramble by Robert Taylor. 2 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 23 additional signatures. £215.00 - £295.00

Mk.I Blenheims of No.141 Sqn by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £440.00

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

501 Squadron Hurricanes by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £580.00

Star of Africa by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. One edition features 2 additional signatures. £60.00 - £400.00

Beaufighter Attack by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £360.00

Air Taxi by David Pentland. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s). £55.00 - £320.00

High Five by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature an additional signature. £60.00 - £400.00

Battle of Britain by Graeme Lothian. 8 editions. 3 of the 8 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £65.00 - £2500.00

501 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman. 5 editions. 4 of the 5 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £2.90 - £600.00

First Combat by David Pentland. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s). £80.00 - £480.00

Portrait of Flight Lieutenant Roger Morewood, 248 Sqn by David Pritchard One edition. The edition features an additional signature. £40.00

Coastal Command - Avro Anson Mk.I by Ivan Berryman. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 3 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £400.00

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Text for the above items :

Close Encounter by Ivan Berryman. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1As of No.610 (County of Chester) Sqn RAAF, intercept incoming Heinkel 111H-16s of the 9th Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 Legion Condor during the big daylight raids on London of August and September 1940 - the climax of the Battle of Britain. Spitfire N3029 (DW-K) was shot down by a Bf109 on the 5th of September 1940 and crash-landed near Gravesend, Kent, thankfully without injury to Sgt Willcocks, the pilot. For the record, N3029 was rebuilt and, following some brief flying in the UK, was sent overseas by convoy to the Middle East. Ironically, the ship carrying this aircraft was torpedoed en route and both ship and all its cargo were lost.

Ltn. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG21 Becomes an Ace by Ivan Berryman. Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob is shown claiming his 5th victory - a Blenheim - 60km west of Rotterdam on 26th June 1940. Bob went on to serve with JG.54, JG.51, JG.3, EJG2.2 and JV.44, scoring a total of 60 confirmed victories in the course of his Luftwaffe service. The Blenheim claimed as his 5th victory is likely to have been R3776 of No.110 Squadron, which was the only Blenheim recorded to have been lost participating in Operation Soest on that day - while another returned to base damaged and crash landed. The three crew of the Blenheim were all missing in action - P/O Cyril Ray Worboys, Sgt Gerald Patterson Gainsford and Sgt Kenneth Cooper.

Billy Drake - First of Many by Ivan Berryman. Group Captain Billy Drake in Hurricane JX-P of No.1 Sqn scoring his first victory, an Me109 during the Battle of France, on 20th April 1940.

Taxi Service by David Pentland. Flt Lt Alex Thom DFC of No. 87 Sqn is ferried back to the airfield of No.87 Sqn in a Master aircraft on 19th August 1942 after his Hurricane made a forced landing at East Den.

Doe's Griffin by David Pentland. Portland, England, 30th September 1940. Already an accomplished Spitfire ace with at least 10 confirmed kills, Bob Doe had just transferred from 234 squadron to 238 Hurricane squadron when he intercepted and brought down a Heinkel He111P-2 from I/KG55 Griffin Geschwader.

Fairey Battle Mk.I by Ivan Berryman. Fairey Battle HA-J of No.218 Sqn is taken by surprise by the close pass of a Bf109E over France. The squadron were based at Auberive-sur-Suippes in 1939, and as part of the Advance Air Striking Force of the RAF during the Battle of France, suffered heavy losses. An aircraft carrying the codes HA-J was shot down by flak on the afternoon of 12th May 1940. The three crew of aircraft K9353, J B Horner, L C Flisher and L D Davies were all lost.

Avro Anson by Ivan Berryman. An Avro Anson comes under attack from an Me109.

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.

Hornchurch Scramble by Robert Taylor. On August 12th, 1940 the Luftwaffe turned their full attention to the RAF's forward fighter bases and radar stations with the intent to obliterate them once and for all. The outcome of the Battle of Britain hung in the balance. It was late in the afternoon of Sunday, 18 August 1940. The previous week had seen the hardest days of fighting in the Battle of Britain as the young pilots of the RAF Fighter Command had engaged in deadly duels with the Luftwaffe. Bystanders gazed cautiously upwards at the weaving contrails in the clear blue skies over southern England as they anxiously awaited the outcome. For just a moment, all was at peace: A gentle breeze floated across the airfield at RAF Hornchurch as the exhausted young pilots of 54 Squadron could rest for a few brief minutes and reflect on their own previous two encounters with the enemy that day. The Luftwaffe had thrown everything at them in the past few days, but today had been the toughest of them all. And then the calm was shattered by the shrill tones of the alarm, the Luftwaffe had launched another huge raid of over 300 aircraft across the Channel, and it looked like Hornchurch was the target. Hornchurch Scramble, portrays the moment as 54 Squadron's commanding officer, Squadron Leader James Leathart, taxis out at Hornchurch to prepare for take-off. Quickly following, the aircraft of New Zealander Colin Gray is guided out from dispersal by his ground crew. Gray would claim 3 Bf110s in the encounter and would eventually become the top scoring New Zealand Ace of the war.

Mk.I Blenheims of No.141 Sqn by Ivan Berryman. Royal Air Force Blenheim Mk.I aircraft of No.141 Squadron.

Dornier's Demise by Ivan Berryman. Maurice Peter Brown damages a Dornier Do.17 in his 41 Squadron Spitfire on 30th September 1940.

501 Squadron Hurricanes by Ivan Berryman. Group Captain Byron Duckenfield on patrol in Hurricane P3059 of No.501 Squadron during the Battle of Britain.

Star of Africa by Ivan Berryman. Hans-Joachim Marseilles lines his Bf109 up on Hurricane of No.73 Sqn over North Africa on 17th June 1942.

Beaufighter Attack by Ivan Berryman. A pair of Beaufighters attacking Axis shipping in the North Sea. Without doubt one of the most outstanding and versatile aircraft in the Allied inventory during World War II, the Bristol Beaufighter was to endure a cautious reception by its crews when it first entered service, not least due to difficulties experienced by crews attempting to abandon a stricken aircraft in an emergency. Its performance and hard-hitting potential quickly overcame such doubts, however, and it went on to earn a commendable reputation - and the nickname Whispering Death.

Air Taxi by David Pentland. Southern England, 19th August 1942. Alex Thom arrives safely at the airfield of No.87 Squadron in a Miles Master. He would immediately take off to return to Dieppe in Hurricane LK-A, seen in the background.

High Five by Ivan Berryman. Hans-Ekkehard Bob claims his fifth victory, over a Bristol Blenheim, on 26th June 1940 in his Me109 of 3./JG21.

Battle of Britain by Graeme Lothian. Spitfires of No.19 Squadron RAF, including Flt Sgt George Unwin (QV-H) attack a formation of He111 bombers during the Battle of Britain.

501 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman. Byron Duckenfield and his 501 Squadron wingman struggle to get airborne in their Hurricanes as the spectacle of the scrambling squadron draws a group of passing motorists out of their vehicle to witness the thunderous noise of the aircraft.

First Combat by David Pentland. Franco-German border, 22md November 1939. While flying a routine border Frei Jagd for some reconnaissance Dorniers, eight Me109s of 3./JG2 were engaged by fourteen French Curtiss Hawks of GC II/4. During the ensuing dogfight, the first combat for the Richthofen Geschwader since WW1, two of the French fighters were shot down. The first by Lt Helmut Wick, was flown by the French ace Adjutant Camille Plubeau (14 victories) the other by Ofw Erwin Kley. Wick was to go on to become one of the great aces of the Battle of Britain, achieving 56 victories before his death in November 1940.

Portrait of Flight Lieutenant Roger Morewood, 248 Sqn by David Pritchard No text for this item

Coastal Command - Avro Anson Mk.I by Ivan Berryman. An Avro Anson Mk.I from Coastal Command is attacked by an Me109.

Roger Morewood signing the print A Day for Heroes	Roger Morewood signing the print Ground Force

Beaufighter Manufacturer : Bristol Built : 5564

Beaufighter BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER The Bristol Beaufighter was a Torpedo Bomber and had a crew of two. with a maximum speed of 330mph and a ceiling of 29,000 feet. maximum normal range of 1500 miles but could be extended to 1750 miles. The Bristol Beaufighter carried four 20mm cannon in the belly of the aircraft and upto six .303in browning machine guns in the wings. it could also carry eight 3 -inch rockets, 1605 lb torpedo or a bomb load of 1,000 lb. The Bristol Beaufighter first flew in July 1939 and with some modifications entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1940. In the winter of 1940 - 1941 the Beaufighter was used as a night fighter. and in March 1941 the aircraft was used at Coastal Command as a long range strike aircraft. and in 1941, the Beaufighter arrived in North Africa and used as a forward ground attack aircraft. The Bristol Beaufighter was used also in India, Burma and Australia. A total of 5,564 Beaufighters were built until production in Britain finished in 1945, but a further 364 were built in Australia for the Australian Air Force

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Blenheim Manufacturer : Bristol Built : 4422

Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force.

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Gauntlet Manufacturer : Gloster

Gauntlet No profile available

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Gladiator Manufacturer : Gloster Built : 746

Gladiator GLOSTER GLADIATOR: A continuation form the Gloster Gauntlet aircraft the Gloster Gladiator (SS37) becoming designated the F.7/30 was named Gladiator on the 1st July 1935. The first 70 Gladiators had Under wing machine guns (Vickers or Lewis) before the browning became standard The first aircraft arrived at Tangmere airfield on in February 1937 to no. 72 squadron. at the outbreak of world war two a total of 218 Gladiators had been received by the Royal air force with a total of 76 on active service. They served also in the Middle eats and in 1940 when Italy joined the war was nearly the only front line fighter in the middle east. Between 1939 and 1941. the Gloster Gladiator flew in many war zones. flying in France, Greece, Norway, Crete Egypt Malta and Aden. The Aircraft claimed nearly 250 air victories. It stayed in front line duties until 1942, then becoming fighter trainer, and other sundry roles. It continued in these roles until the end of world war two. The Naval equivalent the Sea Gladiator a short service in the Middle east and European waters. A Total of 746 aircraft were built of these 98 were Sea Gladiators.. Performance. speed: 250mph at 17,500 feet, 257 mph at 14,600 Range 430 miles. Armament: Two fixed .3-03 browning machine guns

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Hurricane Manufacturer : Hawker Built : 14533

Hurricane Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.

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Tigermoth Built : 8800

Tigermoth The Royal Air Force last bi-plane, which served as a trainer from 1932 to 1947. Its design remained nearly the same throughout its history, and was well constructed and able to do aerobatics. A total of 8800 Tiger Moths were built which included 420 Radio Controlled Pilotless Target aircraft. (The Queen Bee). For the Royal Air Force. It was also used for a short period during the first months of world war two for coastal reconnaissance. Maximum speed 109 mph, Ceiling 14,000 feet, and can remain airborne for three hours.

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Wing Commander Roger Morewood Squadron details

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