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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Squadrons UK and Commonwealth No.151 Sqn to No.222 Sqn  No.175 Sqn |
[UP] - No.151 Sqn - No.152 Sqn - No.154 Sqn - No.156 Sqn - No.157 Sqn - No.158 Sqn - No.161 Sqn - No.166 Sqn - No.174 Sqn - No.175 Sqn - No.1770 Sqn FAA - No.181 Sqn - No.182 Sqn - No.185 Sqn - No.193 Sqn - No.197 Sqn - No.198 Sqn - No.199 Sqn - No.201 Sqn - No.207 Sqn - No.210 Sqn - No.213 Sqn - No.217 Sqn - No.218 Sqn - No.222 Sqn |
Stop at nothing
| No.175 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Running Up by Ivan Berryman (PC) Hawker Typhoon Mk 1bs of 175 Sqn warm up for a daylight sortie from Lydd, Kent, in August 1943. Centre aircraft, JP496, HH-W, is that of Squadron Leader R.T.P. Davidson |
| No.175 Sqn RAF Aircraft details |
 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. |
 Typhoon Manufacturer : Hawker Built : 3330 | Typhoon Single engine fighter with a maximum speed of 412 mph at 19,000 feet and a ceiling of 35,200 feet. range 510 miles. The Typhoon was armed with twelve browning .303inch machine guns in the wings (MK1A) Four 20mm Hispano cannon in wings (MK!B) Two 1000ilb bombs or eight 3-inch rockets under wings. The first proto type flew in February 1940, but due to production problems the first production model flew in May 1941. with The Royal Air Force receiving their first aircraft in September 1941. Due to accidents due to engine problems (Sabre engine) The Hawker Typhoon started front line service in December 1941.The Hawker Typhoon started life in the role of interceptor around the cost of England but soon found its real role as a ground attack aircraft. especially with its 20mm cannon and rockets. This role was proved during the Normandy landings and the period after. The total number of Hawker typhoons built was 3,330. |
| No.175 Sqn RAF Pilot and aircrew signature details |
 Air Commodore J W Frost CBE, DFC, DL Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2010 | Air Commodore J W Frost CBE, DFC, DL Jack Frost commenced flying training in July 1941, completing his training in the USA. After a short period as a flying instructor he returned to the UK for operational training on Hurricanes. In February 1944 Jack Frost joined No 175 Squadron which was converting to the rocket-firing role. In April the squadron moved to the New Forest and started operations over northern France. Leading up to D-Day, Jack Frost flew 12 sorties, attacking vital radar stations that had to be put out of action before the invasion. On June 6 he flew an armed-reconnaissance sortie to attack enemy transports taking reinforcements to the beachhead. 175 Squadron equipped with Typhoons in January 1944. On August 7th 1944 a major German counter-attack, spearheaded by five Panzer divisions, was identified moving against just two US infantry divisions. The Panzers were threatening to cut off the US Third Army near the town of Mortain. More than 300 sorties were flown by the squadrons on the 'Day of the Typhoon'. Frost claimed a Tiger tank and a troop carrier, as well as two unidentified targets as ''. Frosts Typhoon was hit by 20mm flak but he managed to return to his airstrip. The intense effort of the Typhoon squadrons defeated the German counter-attack, which the Chief of Staff of the Seventh German Army reported had come to a standstill due to 'employment of fighter-bombers by the enemy and the absence of our own air support'. Frost and his fellow Typhoon pilots were made available immediately to be called down over the radio by ground controllers as the Allied armies encircled the German Forces at Falaise and the break out from Normandy that followed. Jack Frost carried out many attacks against gun positions, tank and transport concentrations, all in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire. The Typhoon squadrons suffered heavy casualties. He completed an operational tour of 100 sorties in December 1944 and after the war went on to a distinguished career with the peacetime RAF. Flying Typhoons and the Tempest, based in Schleswig-Holstein then moving to Kastrup in Denmark. Jack frost would later command No 26 Squadron at Gutersloh in Germany. In 1948 he was appointed RAF Liaison Officer to HQ BETFOR, responsible for air advice and control of air support for the British Army Brigade, based in Trieste. During this sensitive period, Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia was causing some difficulties and Frost led a four-aircraft dummy attack on his headquarters as a reminder of the RAFs continued, and potent, presence in the area. In May 1949 he returned to Britain to command No 222 (Natal) Squadron, equipped with Meteor day fighters, as air defences were rebuilt with the emergence of the Soviet threat. Frost served in Malaya at the Air Headquarters during the communist insurrection, when he was involved with planning the development of airfields and air defence radar. After service in Hong Kong he returned to flying duties when he took command of No 151 Squadron, flying the delta-wing Javelin night fighter from Leuchars in Scotland. After a series of senior appointments in the MOD, Jack Frost was posted in August 1970 to the Joint Warfare Establishment. After a four-year appointment as Deputy and Chief of Staff to the UK Military Representative to Nato Headquarters in Brussels, he retired from the RAF in October 1976. Sadly Jack Frost passed away on August 7th 2010. |
Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Warrant Officer Jack Hodges DFC Jack Hodges joined the RAF in late 1940, and after completing his pilot training in Canada he returned to England and was then briefly sent to a Photo Reconnaissance Unit flying Spitfires. He moved to a OTU in Annan, Scotland on Hurricanes before finally moving to a holding unit in Redhill, flying Typhoons. In 1944 he was posted to join 175 Squadron. Shortly after this he moved to 174 Squadron at Westhampnett. He served on operations throughout occupied Europe until the end of the war, being awarded the DFC in 1945 for successfully leading a group of Typhoons against a German Armoured Division. |
  Wing Commander M R Ingle-Finch DFC, AFC Our estimated value of this signature : £60 Died : 2002 | Wing Commander M R Ingle-Finch DFC, AFC Michael Ingle-Finch commenced his operational RAF career flying Hurricanes during and after the Battle of Britain. He then joined 56 Squadron based at Duxford and was amongst the first squadron pilots to fly a Typhoon when the first operational Typhoons came into service on that significant day, 11th September 1941. In September 1942, by now promoted to Flight Commander, Ingle-Finch achieved another first - 56 Squadrons first air victory in a Typhoon when he shot down a Junkers Ju88 off the east coast. Having been involved with Typhoons since they became operational, Ingle-Finch went on to fly them throughout their operational life. On 31st December 1943, he was promoted to command 175 Squadron during the decisive campaign in Normandy. In that same year he was awarded the DFC. His distinguished wartime service in the RAF culminated in promotion to Wing Commander Flying of 124 Wing. Passed away 2002. |
Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen Our estimated value of this signature : £45 | Flying Officer Kenneth Junior Kneen Training overseas, on arriving back in the UK Ken was posted to Holland joining 175 Squadron flying Typhoons. The squadron at the time being heavily engaged in low level bombing strikes against rail and armoured targets along the Dutch German border region. He remained with the squadron until the end of the war, then joined the RAFVR. |
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. |
Flt. Lt. Harry Pears D.F.C. Our estimated value of this signature : £35 Died : 2016 | Flt. Lt. Harry Pears D.F.C. Thank you to Mike Pears, the son of Harry who provided us with the obituary shown below, which he wrote for his father drawing on content in Harry's draft memoirs and other sources, after the death of his father in 2016: Squadron Leader Harry Pears, who died two months short of his 93rd birthday, was a former World War 2 and post-War Royal Air Force fighter pilot, and long served Air Training Corps (ATC) Civilian Instructor. Born in Durham on 30th May 1923, in the summer of 1941 (at the age of 18) Harry volunteered (after service in the Home Guard) for service as aircrew in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), and was called forward for pilot training on 8th September 1941. After initial training and a grading course on De Havilland (DH) Tiger Moth aircraft at RAF Peterborough, Harry was dispatched by sea to Canada to undertake flying training in the United States, under the Admiral Towers scheme. However, upon arrival in Moncton, in Canada he was given the choice of either training in Canada or at No.1 British Flying Training School (BFTS) based at Terrell, in Texas. Harry chose the latter and in May 1942, he began his formal flying training as part of No.9 Course, No. 1 BFTS on the Boeing PT 17 Stearman and the Vultee BT 13A Valiant basic trainers, and then the North American (NA) AT6 Texan advanced trainer (known as the Harvard in RAF service). After gaining his pilot's wings and having been commissioned as a Pilot Officer, he was one of a number of newly trained RAF pilots retained for a year in the US, to act as flying instructors, in his case at Waco Army Air Field in Texas, training prospective US Army Air Corps and RAF pilots on the Vultee Valiant basic trainer under the 'Arnold (Flying Training) Scheme'. Having completed his time as an instructor, he returned to the UK at the end of 1943, whereupon he volunteered to re-train to fly the rocket-equipped Hawker Typhoon IB fighter-bomber aircraft. Upon completing his operational training, Harry joined the Typhoon-equipped No 175 Squadron, 171 Wing, 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (2 ATAF), flying from a range of Allied advance landing grounds in the Low Countries, and then occupied Germany, during the period September 1944 – May 1945. It was whilst serving with 175 Sqn that Harry was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for having completed over 81 operational sorties, shooting down one enemy aircraft and damaging two others. At the end of the War in Europe, Harry, by now a Flight Lieutenant, was posted to India in late 1945, eventually joining No 5 (Army Cooperation - AC) Squadron, flying the Hawker Tempest Mk II fighter bomber aircraft, until the squadron was disbanded in 1947. Having returned to the UK from India, Harry (who had in May 1946 been granted a permanent commission in the RAF), was appointed as a weapons instructor – flying a wide range of aircraft including the DH Mosquito, Hornet and Vampire, also the Supermarine Spitfire and Gloster Meteor - serving initially at RAF Acklington, then with the Central Fighter Establishment and Air Fighting Development Squadron (AFDS) based at RAF West Raynham. During his time with CFE/AFDS Harry was one of the RAF team who undertook the pre-RAF service assessment of the NA F86N Sabre aircraft. At the end of 1951, Harry was promoted to Squadron Leader and posted to HQ RAF Cyprus, at RAF Nicosia, as Officer-in-Charge of No. 2 Armament Practice School. In 1953, he returned to the UK to reform and command 111 (Fighter) Squadron at North Weald, with the squadron been re-born on 2 December 1953, flying the Gloster Meteor Mk 8 fighter aircraft. Having completed his task of reforming 111 Squadron, in January 1955, Harry was posted to the Air Ministry as Officer-in-Charge Air Weapons Ranges. After two years at the Air Ministry, he was then posted to Head Quarters RAF Bomber Command where again he was concerned with air weapons policy. Part of his new role was to oversee the introduction of new weapons systems into service. One of the new systems Harry was involved with was the Douglas Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic (Nuclear) Missile (IRBM), with him having been part of the Thor missile 'Project Emily' team who led on the survey, and then the development of the 20 identified deployment sites for the RAF's four Thor missile squadrons. Whilst with Bomber Command, Harry also undertook an English Electric Canberra conversion course at RAF Bassingborne, and in late 1960, having completed his Canberra conversion course he was posted as Squadron Leader Bomber Operations to 224 Group RAF, based at RAF Changi, in Singapore. In this new role Harry took on responsibility for the provision of live weapons training for the three Canberra bomber squadrons (one each from the RAF, RAAF and RNZAF) based in that Theatre. He was also required to provide similar facilities and opportunities for the two fighter squadrons in the area – i.e. 1x Hawker Hunter Squadron (RAF) and 1x NA F-86 Sabre Squadron (RAAF). Unfortunately, early on in his tour with 224 Group, Harry attended a Full Medical Board at HQ RAF Changi. Sadly, the result of this Board was the loss of his flying category due to the deterioration of his eye-sight. With this he was given the option of continuing to serve in a ground role or to retire from (RAF) service on medical grounds. Luckily, Harry was given the opportunity by his Air Officer Commanding to continue as Squadron Leader Bomber Operations even though he was now deemed a non-flyer. During the remainder of his tour, Harry led on the conversion of the High-level Bombing Role of the Canberra to that of High-level (Target Area) Approach / Low-level Weapons Release – this technique being better suited for the weapons systems then being developed and introduced for the Canberra. In May 1963, Harry returned to the UK to start his last tour before his retirement from RAF service. As he wanted to be based post-retirement in the North of England the RAF arranged for him to be posted to HQ No.23 Group, which was then based at RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire. Finally, on 30th May 1965, (aged 42 years) Harry retired from the RAF as a Squadron Leader. Squadron Leader Harry Pears DFC, born 30th May 1923, died 11th March 2016. |
Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend Our estimated value of this signature : £45 | Pilot Officer Rusty Townsend Australian Rusty Townsend joined the RAF in 1941, trained in the USA, before returning to join 175 Squadron on rocket firing Typhoons at Warmwell. Being in the thick of the action over France against retreating German Forces, he was shot down and taken prisoner of war. |
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