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| Aviation Art Collecton - Beaufighter |
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| Squadrons for : Beaufighter | ||
| A list of all squadrons from known to have used this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
No.141 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st January 1918 Fate : Disbanded 31st March 1964 Caedimus noctu - We slay by night | No.141 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.143 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st February 1918 Fate : Disbanded 25th May 1945 Vincere est vivere - To conquer is to live | No.143 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.144 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 20th March 1918 Fate : Disbanded 23rd August 1963 Who shall stop us | No.144 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.17 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st February 1915 Excellere contende - Strive to excel | No.17 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.217 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st April 1918 Fate : Disbanded 13th November 1959 Woe to the unwary | No.217 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.235 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : August 1918 Fate : Disbanded 10th July 1945 Jaculamur humi - We strike them to the ground | No.235 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.236 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : August 1918 Fate : Disbanded 25th May 1945 Speculati nuntiate - Having watched, bring word | No.236 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.248 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : August 1918 Fate : Disbanded 30th September 1946 Il faut en finir - It is necessary to make an end of it | No.248 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.25 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 25th September 1915 Feriens Tego - Striking I defend | No.25 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.254 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : May 1918 Fate : Disbanded 23rd June 1963 Fljua vakta ok ljosta - To fly, to watch and to strike | No.254 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.272 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 25th July 1918 Fate : Disbanded 30th April 1945 On, on! | No.272 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.29 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 7th November 1915 Impiger et acer - Energetic and keen | No.29 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.404 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Founded : 15th April 1941 Fate : Disbanded 25th May 1945 Ready to fight | No.404 Sqn RCAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.46 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 19th April 1916 Fate : Disbanded 31st August 1975. Uganda We rise to conquer | No.46 Sqn RAF No. 46 Squadron was formed on the 19th April 1916 and based at RAF Wyton base. In October 1916, 46 Squadron moved to France and was equipped with the two seater Nieuport. 46 Squadrons role was artillery spotting and reconnaissance until May 1917 when 46 squadron were re equipped with the fighter the Sopwith Pup. 46 Squadron operated as part of the 11th Army Wing, and saw many engagements with the enemy. Returning to England and based at Sutton's Farm, Essex, the squadron took part in the defence of London, in July 1917. London had been bombed several times by German Gotha Bombers but after 46 Squadrons patrols no enemy aircraft managed to bomb London in their area. Later 46 squadorn returned to France at the end of August 1917 and in November the squadorn was re equipped with the Sopwith Camel and participated in the Battle of Cambrai protecting the ground troops. In November 1917, Lieutenant (later Major) Donald Maclaren joined 46 Squadron. His first dogfight was not until February 1918, but in the last 9 months of the war Donald Maclaren was credited with shooting down 48 aeroplanes and six balloons, making him one of the top aces of World War I. By November 1918, 46 Squadron had claimed 184 air victories, creating 16 aces. After the First World War had ended the squadorn returned to England and was disbanded on the 31st of December 1919. The outbreak of war found 46 Squadron at RAF Digby, equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. Action with the enemy came quickly when, at the end of October 1939, Squadron Leader Barwell and Pilot Officer Plummer attacked a formation of 12 Heinkel 115s, destroying one each, and scattering the remainder. The next six months were uneventful, consisting in the main of providing air cover for the shipping convoys steaming along the East Coast - a few enemy aircraft were sighted but no contacts were made. In May 1940, the squadron was selected to form part of the Expeditionary Force in Norway, which had been invaded by the Germans on 9th April. The Hurricanes were embarked on HMS Glorious and, despite doubts that a Hurricane could take off from a carrier flight deck in a flat calm, they all took to the air without difficulty, thanks to the efforts of the ship's engineers, who managed to get the Glorious up to a speed of 30 knots. No.46 Squadron assembled at Bardufoss and began operation on 26 May. Patrols were maintained over the land and naval forces at Narvik without respite, some of the pilots going without sleep for more than 48 hours. Conditions on the ground were very basic with poor runways and primitive servicing and repair facilities. Many air combats took place, and in its brief campaign in Norway the squadron accounted for at least 14 enemy aircraft, besides probably destroying many others. On 7th June the squadron was ordered to evacuate Norway immediately and, on the night of 7th through 8th June, the Hurricanes were successfully flown back to Glorious — a dangerous procedure as none of the aircraft were fitted with deck arrester hooks. The ground parties embarked on HMS Vindictive and SS Monarch of Bermuda and reached the UK safely, but the squadron's aircraft and eight of its pilots were lost when Glorious was sunk by German warships on 9th June 1940. The two pilots who survived were the Squadron Commander, Squadron Leader (later Air Chief Marshal) Bing Cross, and the Flight Commander, Flight Lieutenant (later Air Commodore) Jamie Jameson. | |
No.488 Sqn RNZAF Country : New Zealand Founded : 1st September 1941 Fate : Disbanded 26th April 1945 Ka ngarue ratau - We shake them | No.488 Sqn RNZAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.489 Sqn RNZAF Country : New Zealand Founded : 12th August 1941 Fate : Disbanded 1st August 1945 Coastal Command Whakatanagata kia kaha - Quit ye like me, be strong | No.489 Sqn RNZAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.603 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 14th October 1925 Fate : Disbanded 10th March 1957 City of Edinburgh (Auxiliary) Gin ye daur - If you dare | No.603 Sqn RAF No 603 Squadron was formed on 14 October 1925 at Turnhouse as a day bomber unit of the Auxiliary Air Force. Originally equipped with DH9As and using Avro 504Ks for flying training, the squadron re-equipped with Wapitis in March 1930, these being replaced by Harts in February 1934. On 24 October 1938, No 603 was redesignated a fighter unit and flew Hinds until the arrival of Gladiators at the end of March 1939. Within two weeks of the outbreak of war in September 1939, the squadron began to receive Spitfires and passed on its Gladiators to other squadrons during October. It was operational with Spitfires in time to intercept the first German air raid on the British Isles on 16 October, when it destroyed the first enemy aircraft to be shot down over Britain in the Second World War. It remained on defensive duties in Scotland until the end of August 1940, when it moved to southern England for the remaining months of the Battle of Britain, returning to Scotland at the end of December. In May 1941, the squadron moved south again to take part in sweeps over France until the end of the year. After a further spell in Scotland, No.603 left in April 1942 for the Middle East where its ground echelon arrived early in June. The squadron's aircraft were embarked on the US carrier 'Wasp' and flown off to Malta on 20 April to reinforce the fighter defences of the beleaguered island. After nearly four months defending Malta, the remaining pilots and aircraft were absorbed by No.229 Squadron on 3 August 1942. | |
No.604 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 17th March 1930 Fate : Disbanded 10th March1957 County of Middlesex (Auxiliary) Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war | No.604 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.68 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 30th January 1917 Fate : Disbanded 20th January 1959 Vzdy pripraven - Always ready | No.68 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
No.85 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st August 1917 Fate : Disbanded 19th December 1975 Noctu diuque venamur - We hunt by day and night | No.85 Sqn RAF No. 85 Squadron was formed on the 1st of August 1917 at Uphaven. Shortly afterwards the squadron moved to Mousehold Heath nea Norwich under the command of Major R A Archer. The squadron transferred to Hounslow in November 1917 and in March 1918 received its new commander Major William Avery Bishop VC, DSO, MC. On 1st April 1918 No.85 Squadron was transferred into the new Royal Air Force and went to France in May1918 flying the Sopwith Dolphin and later SE5A's. 85 Squadron duties were fighter patrols and ground attack sorties over the western front until the end of the war. On 21st June 1918 Major Edward Mannock DSO MC became commanding officer. On the 26th July 1918 during a patrol with Lt DC Inglis over the front line Major Mannock failed to return and on the 18th of July 1919 Major Mannock was awarded a posthumous VC. No. 85 Squadron had 99 victories during their stint on the western front, returning to the UK in February 1919, and being disbanded on the 3rd of July 1919. 85 Squadron was reformed on June 1st, 1938, as part of A Flight of 87 Squadron based at RAF Debden commanded by Flight Lieutenant D E Turner. The squadron started training on the Gloster Gladiator until the 4th of September when Hawker Hurricanes were supplied. On the outbreak of World War Two the squadron moved to Boos as part of the Air Component of the BEF 60th Fighter Wing, and their Hurricanes were given the role to support the squadrons of Bristol Blenheims and Fairey Battles. By 1st November 85 Squadron's Hurricanes were moved to Lille Seclin. 85 Squadron scored its first victory of World War Two when Flight Lieutenant R.H.A. Lee attacked an He111 which crashed into the Channel, exploding on impact while on patrol over the Boulogne area. In May 1940, during the German advance, 85 Squadron were in combat constantly and over an 11 day period the squadron confirmed 90 enemy kills. When their operating airfields were overun the squadron's last remaining three Hurricanes returned to England. The squadron lost 17 pilots (two killed, six wounded and nine missing). During the Battle of Britian the squadron took part in the conflict over southern England and in October the Squadron moved to Yorkshire and were given the new role of night fighter patrols. 85 Squadron continued in the night fighter role for most of the war, with only a brief period as bomber support as part of 100 group. | |
| Signatures for : Beaufighter | |||||||
| A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||||||
| Name | Info | ||||||
 Flt Lt Mike Allen DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Mike Allen DFC
| Flt Lt Mike Allen DFC Michael Seamer Allen was born in Croydon, Surrey on March 15th 1925, and educated at Hurstpierpoint College, Sussex. He then studied mechanical engineering at night school before being apprenticed to Fairey Aviation. Mike Allen managed with the help of his father to get Fairey Aviaiton to release him, so that he could join the RAF. Allen joined the RAF as a navigator in June 1941 and two months later was paired with Harry White at No 54 Training Unit, at Church Fenton, Yorkshire. They remained together throughout the war. They both joined No 29, a Beaufighter night squadron at West Malling, in Kent before going to No.534 at Tangmere, Sussex, from where they flew Havoc night fighters (converted Douglas Bostons), each equipped with a Turbinlite searchlight in the nose. The notion was that the Havocs would use their radar to search out enemy aircraft, which would then be picked out with the searchlight and shot down by an accompanying Hurricane. In practice, the scheme was none too successful, but Allen regarded the 15 months that he and White spent in Havocs as invaluable training in the art of night fighting. Allen along with Harry White spent a few months ferrying Beaufighters to the Middle East before Mike Allen and Harry White moved to No.141 Squadron having won two Bars to his DFC 1944. Sadlly around this time his parents were killed when a V2 rocket destroyed their house in July 1944. In January 1945 Allen and White had a close shave while taking off on their 91st operational sortie on a bleak evening in January 1945. The engine of their Mosquito failed as the aircraft left the ground, and the fighter nose-dived into a field. White and Alien found themselves in a heap in the cabin, with Allens foot jammed in the fuselage, White pinned underneath him, and the aircraft on fire, Fortunately, a farmer and two labourers who had seen the crash managed to pull them to safety just as the Mosquito went up in flames. Over the course of their partnerhsip they successfully destroyed at least 12 enemy aircraft. Flt Lt Mike Allen left the Royal Air Force in 1946, and began his civilian career working for Avro, the Manchester-based aircraft company, Pye Telecommunications, BTR and Rank Hovis McDougall. In 1966 he moved to South Africa, where he became chairman of the Pretoria branch of the South African Air Force Association. He returned to Britain in 1982 and worked for the Officers Association. In 1999 Mike Allen published the book Pursuit through Darkened Skies. Flight Lieutenant Mike Allen sadly died at the age of 78 on the 6th of June 2001. Mike Allen had won three DFCs as a navigator and radar operator in night fighters.
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 Wing Commander Eric Barwell Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Eric Barwell
| Wing Commander Eric Barwell Born in Suffolk in August 1913, Eric Barwell joined the RAFVR in 1938 to train as a pilot. He was commissioned into No.264 Sqn in February 1940, flying the Boulton-Paul Defiant. His squadron flew in support of the evacuation of Dunkirk, and he claimed two Me109s, two Ju87 Stukas and a Heinkel during this evacuation. However, in the combat with the Heinkel, his aircraft was damaged and he was forced to ditch, managing to put it down in the water between two British destroyers. He and his gunner were rescued by HMS Malcolm. On 24th August, while scrambling to intercept bombers, he and his wingman were attacked by five fighters, his wingman being immediately shot down. His gunner managed to shoot down one of the enemy fighters before the Defiant managed to escape, but it was clear that the aircraft was no match for the German fighters. They were withdrawn from combat and used in a night-time training role. Barwell was awarded the DFC for the six victories scored. In April 1941, he scored a night-time victory over a Heinkel, with a second also probable. He transferred to No.125 Sqn flying Beaufighters, claiming a Dornier damaged on 1st July 1942. By March 1943, No.125 Sqn were equipped with Mosquitoes. He shot down two Ju-88s in this aircraft, and also recorded his final victory, over a V-1 rocket. He was awarded the bar to his DFC and transferred to various experimental squadrons before leaving the RAF in September 1945. Sadly, Eric Barwell died on 12th December 2007. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Bent Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Bent | Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Bent Having joined the RAF in 1937, he flew with 25 Sqn as a Radar /Wireless Operator on Blenheims on night fighter duties throughout the Battle of Britain, assisting in five successful interceptions on his first tour. After a spell as an instructor, he reclassified a Navigator rejoining 25 Sqn on Beaufighters and then Mosquitoes, assisting in a total of eight victories including the first enemy aircraft shot down on D-Day. | ||||||
Flight Lieutenant Ron Bramley Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Ron Bramley | Flight Lieutenant Ron Bramley With 22 and 44 Squadrons he served on Bristol Beauforts as a W/Op and Air Gunner during the Battle of Britain and later attacked the German Battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and attacked Channel Ports and airfields on the French Coast including Cambrai. Also spending time on Beaufighters, he went on to serve in Malta and the Far East completing a total of over 220 operations. | ||||||
Flying Officer Philip Brett DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Flying Officer Philip Brett DFC | Flying Officer Philip Brett DFC Joining the RAF in 1942 and gaining his wings in Canada, Philip Brett became operational with No.144 Squadron flying Beaufighters in July 1944. From then until the end of the war he flew anti-flak, torpedo and finally rocket-projectile equipped Beaufighter Xs on 37 operational sorties against enemy shipping along the Dutch and Norwegian coasts. He was awarded the DFC. On his 38th operation on 3rd May 1944 he was shot down en route to Kiel Bay and spent four days in a dinghy before being rescued. | ||||||
Group Captain R E Paddy Burns CBE, DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Group Captain R E Paddy Burns CBE, DFC | Group Captain R E Paddy Burns CBE, DFC Paddy Burns is unusual in having been awarded a DFC before the outbreak of the Second World War when flying against dissident Arabs in Palestine in 1936. His early war years were to be mainly taken up with technical appointments but in June 1942 he was appointed Commanding Officer, The Aircraft Torpedo Development Unit at Gosport where he played a key role in developing torpedoes which allowed the Beaufighter to be cleared as a torpedo aircraft. Unofficially known as the Torbeau, this aircraft was employed with great success until the end of hostilities. Taking his technical experience into action, Paddy Burns was posted to North Coates to command No.254 Squadron in January 1944. During this tour he carried out over 40 operational sorties and was awarded a bar to his DFC. After the war he occupied a number of RAF posts including Commandant of the Empire Test Pilot School at Farnborough | ||||||
Warrant Officer Tom Calladine Click the name above to see prints signed by Warrant Officer Tom Calladine | Warrant Officer Tom Calladine A pilot on Beaufighters with 217 Sqn during 1943/44, Tom flew many anti-shipping operations against the Japanese in the Far East. | ||||||
Wing Commander David L Cartridge DSO, DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Wing Commander David L Cartridge DSO, DFC | Wing Commander David L Cartridge DSO, DFC A Strike Wing leader who also excelled as a fighter pilot and was credited with destroying eight enemy aircraft. David Cartridges entire operational career was spent on Beaufighters. Joining on a short service commission in 1938, he spent three years as a flying instructor before joining No.248 Squadron Coastal Command in 1941. A variety of operations under the general classification Long Range Fighter Reconnaissance included detachment in support of Operation Pedestal, the convoy which broke the siege of Malta, and brought both a DFC and bar. After a period as a flying instructor he returned to operations in August 1944, leading No.254 Squadron of the North Coates Strike Wing until the end of the war including its very last operation during which four U-boats were sunk. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark | Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark Terry Clark was born in Croyden on 11th April 1919. Terry Clark joined 615 RAuxAF in March 1938 in Kenley, as an Aircrafthand. Called up in 1939, he joined 615 Squadron, Auxiliary Air force, and flew as a gunner in Hawker Hectors before he qualified as an Air Gunner and also a Radio Observer. He joined No.219 Sqn at Catterick in July 1940 and flew on Beaufighters throughout the Battle of Britain. By September 1940, the conflict had reached its zenith and at night the feared Blitz began in earnest. More radar specialists were needed to deal with the threat so Mr Clark was sent to Beaufighters. He did not receive any training and still wore the AG brevet, but people began to ask why a plane without a gun turret had an air gunner on board, so he was given a badge that said RO. Eventually, in recognition of his new role, Mr Clark was awarded his third flying badge – N for Navigator. His job was to track enemy aircraft and guide the pilot towards the selected contact. It was while flying the Beaufighter that he was awarded the DFM on 8th July 1941 after assisting his pilot to down three aircraft at night. He joined 1455 Flight in 1941, forming at Tangmere with Turbinlite Havocs, then flew the same aircraft with 1451 Flight at Hunsdon, locating enemy aircraft by Radar in the Havoc for accompanying fighters to attack and destroy. Commissioned in May 1942 from Warrant Officer and in May 1943 he was posted to No.488 Sqn RNZAF. | ||||||
 Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM | Flying Officer Harold Corbin CGM Harold Corbin joined the RAF in November 1940 and was sent to the United States to train as a pilot. On completion he returned to England as a Sergeant and after several positions was posted to 235 Squadron at RAF Portreath flying operations on Beaufighters. He completed many missions attacking various ports and enemy shipping on the French coast and in the Bay of Biscay. In 1944 he converted onto Mosquitos and joined 248 Squadron at RAF Banff, part of the Banff Strike Wing. The Banff Wing was to become immortalised for undertaking some of the most dangerous and concentrated attacks on German surface vessels and U-boats in the North Sea and on the Norwegian coastline. He was awarded the CGM in August 1944, and was given a full commission in December 1944. He had flown as co-pilot / observer with Maurice Webb from 1943 until the end of the war.
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Squadron Leader Bob Cowper DFC* Click the name above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Bob Cowper DFC* | Squadron Leader Bob Cowper DFC* Joining 153 Sqn flying Defiants, changing to Beaufighters. In 1943 he flew Beaufighters in Malta. With 89 Sqn he crashed in Tunisia, having to walk home 65 miles through the Sahara Desert. Went from 89 Sqn to 108 Sqn and then as an instructor teaching night flying. Joined 456 Sqn RAAF before D-Day, finishing the war on Intruder missions and 6 air victories. He became acting CO of 456 Sqn. | ||||||
  Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS
| Group Captain John Cunningham CBE DSO DFC AE DL FRAeS John Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 with 604 Squadron. At the outbreak of World War Two he was based at North Weald flying Blenheims on day escort and night fighter operations. In September 1940 he converted onto Beaufighters equipped with radar, the first aircraft that made night fighting really possible. In November he had the Squadrons first successful night combat. He took command of 604 Squadron in August 1941. After a period at HQ81 Group, he was posted on his second tour to command 85 Squadron equipped with Mosquitoes. In March 1944 with 19 night and 1 day victory he was posted to HQ11 Group to look after night operations. The most famous Allied night fighter Ace of WWII - 20 victories. He died 21st July 2002. Born in 1917, Group Captain John Cunningham was the top-scoring night fighter ace of the Royal Air Force. Cunningham joined the RAF in 1935 as a Pilot Officer. He learned to fly in the Avro 504N and was awarded his wings in 1936. While assigned to the Middlesex Squadron Auxiliary based at Hendon, Cunningham received instruction in the Hawker Hart prior to moving on the Hawker Demon. The Demon was a two-seat day and night fighter. Cunningharns squadron was mobilized in 1938 following the Czechoslovak crisis. His No. 604 unit was moved to North Weald. Later in 1938 his unit returned to Hendon and was reequipped with the more modern Blenheim 1 fighter. In August of 1939 the unit was again mobilized and returned to North Weald. The Squadron was primarily utilized to provide daylight air cover for convoys. Lacking radar the Blenheim was relatively useless as a night fighter. In September of 1940 the unit was moved to Middle Wallop and the first Bristol Beaufighters arrived. The Beatifighter had a modestly effective, although often unreliable radar. It was an excellent aircraft with reliable air-cooled engines and four 20mm cannons. Cunningham attained the units first night victory in the Beaufighter, and his tally rose steadily. He was promoted to Wing Commander of 604 Squadron in August of 1941. Cunningham completed his first combat tour of duty in mid-1942 with a total of 15 victories. He was then posted to H.Q. 81 Group, which was an operational training group under the Fighter Command. In January of 1943 Cunningham was transferred to command of No. 85 Squadron which was equipped with the Mosquito. With the higher speed of the Mosquito, Cunningham was successful at downing Fw-190s, something impossible in the slower Beaufighter. Cunningham completed his second tour in 1944 with a total of nineteen victories at night and one by day. He was promoted to Group Captain at that time, and was assigned to H.Q. 11 Group. Cunninghams radar operator Sqd. Ldr. Jimmy Rawnsley participated in most of Cunninghams victories. The 604 Squadron was disbanded in 1945, but in 1946 Cunningham was given the honor of reforming the Squadron at Hendon - flying the Spitfire. Cunningham left the RAF in 1946 and joined the De Havilland Aircraft Co. at Hatfield as its Chief Test Pilot. Cunningham had a long and distinguished career in the British aviation industry, retiring from British Aerospace in 1980. Cunningham was appointed OBE in 1951 and CBE in 1963. He was awarded the DSO in 1941 and Bars in 1942 and 1944; the DFC and Bar in 1941, also the Air Efficiency Award (AE). He also held the Soviet Order of Patriotic War 1st Class and the US Silver Star. Group Capt John Cunningham died at the age of 84 on the 21st July 2002. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Des Curtis DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Des Curtis DFC | Flight Lieutenant Des Curtis DFC Originally a Wireless Operator / Gunner with No.235 Sqn on Beaufighters before converting to Mosquitos as a Navigator. He helped form 618 Sqn for ops against the Tirpitz, and then had success against U-boat pens om the French coast. In September 1944 he joined 248 Sqn Banff Strike Wing in Scotland. | ||||||
 Group Captain Dennis David CBE DFC AFC Click the name above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Group Captain Dennis David CBE DFC AFC
| Group Captain Dennis David CBE DFC AFC Dennis David served with distinction in both the Battle of France and Battle of Britain. He regards the RAFs success in the former - during which he was credited with 11.5 victories - as crucial to victory in the Battle of Britain. He was a member of 87 Squadron at the outbreak of war and was posted to France in 1939 as part of the Air Component. When the Blitzkrieg began on 10th May 1940, he was a Flying Officer. He destroyed a Do17 and shared a He111 on the first day, and by the time the squadron withdrew to the United Kingdom late in the month he had brought his score to 11.5 and been awarded the DFC and Bar. He continued to fly during the Battle of Britain, destroying a Ju88 and a Bf109 on the 11th August, a Ju87, a Bf110 and another shared on the 15th and a Ju88 and Bf109 on the 25th. He shot down a He111 on 15th September and the following month was posted as a Flight Commander to 213 Squadron. On 19th October he destroyed a Ju88 to bring his score to 20 and in November was posted to 152 Squadron. In 1943, with the rank of Wing Commander, he was posted to the Middle East to command 89 Squadron on Beaufighters. In November he led the Squadron to Ceylon and early the following year was promoted again to Group Captai. He served in Burma until the end of the war, after which he remained in the RAF with the Rank of Wing Commander. He died 25th August 2000. | ||||||
Warrant Officer Les Doughty DFM Click the name above to see prints signed by Warrant Officer Les Doughty DFM | Warrant Officer Les Doughty DFM Joining the RAF in 1939 as a driver, Les Doughty was posted overseas to serve in Iraq. In 1941 he applied for, and was accepted, to be a pilot and went on to train in Rhodesia. In 1943 his first operational posting was to 248 Squadron flying Beaufighters from RAF Predannack, providing fighter escorts and coastal patrols, with combat strikes mostly against enemy shipping. He moved with 248 Squadron to RAF Portreath and converted to Mosquitos. In early 1944 whilst out on a strike mission, he attacked submarine U-155 whilst under heavy fire as it was entering the French harbour of Lorient. The submarine was put out of action for the duration of the war, and Les was awarded an immediate DFM. | ||||||
 Wing Commander Peter Dunning-White DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Peter Dunning-White DFC
| Wing Commander Peter Dunning-White DFC Joining 601 Squadron in 1938, Peter Dunning-White was called up to full-time service in August 1939, being posted to 29 Squadron in May 1940, then a few weeks later to 145 Squadron at Westhampnett, flying Hurricanes. He was soon in action over the Channel, sharing in the destruction of an HeIll on 18 July. Transferring to 615 Squadron in March 1941, on 15 April his victory over an Me109 confirmed him as an Ace. In 1942 he was attached to 409 Squadron RCAF, and then to 255 Squadron on Beaufighters. He went to North West Africa with this squadron, being made Flight Commander in March 1943. In July 1944 he was posted to 100 Group, Bomber Command. Sadly, he died on 27th December 2008. | ||||||
 Air Chief Marshal Christopher Foxley-Norris Click the name above to see prints signed by Air Chief Marshal Christopher Foxley-Norris
| Air Chief Marshal Christopher Foxley-Norris Christopher Neil Foxley-Norris, (DSO 1945; OBE 1956; CB 1966, KCB 1969, GCB 1973 ) was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire 16 March 1917. Initially wanting to become a barrister, Foxley-Norris read Law at Trinity College, Oxford, but after he had learned to fly with the University Air Squadron his academic career was cut short by the outbreak of the Second World War, and in early 1940 he was piloting Lysanders with 13 Squadron in France. Then, having participated in the Battle of Britian, Christopher Neil Foxley-Norris trained as a flying instructor and applied his newly acquired skills in Canada under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Christopher Foxley-Norris was posted to the Middle East where he first teamed up with Pat Tuhill, initially on Beaufighters. Returning to Europe in 1943, he flew Beaufighters on anti-shipping operations over the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Foxley-Norris took command of 143 Squadron flying Mosquito IIs and VIs as part of the Banff Strike Wing, led by Max Aitken, for attacks on enemy shipping off Norway. Hazardous operations against heavily defended ships, using rockets and cannon, were made even more dangerous by the weather and fjords which the Mosquitos often had to negotiate below cliff height. Christopher Foxley-Norris went on to a distinguished career in the post-war RAF. His experience was now broadened with a variety of staff and command appointments, including a spell on the Directing Staff at Bracknell and command of the Oxford University Air Squadron and in 1953 his staff skills were recognised when he took over the air planning in Singapore at the height of the Malayan Emergency. Back home in 1956, Foxley- Norris found himself commanding a fighter station, Stradishall, at the time of the Sandys cuts in Fighter Command and in 1963 he served in the recently formed Defence Staff under Earl Mountbatten of Burma, where he gained invaluable experience of Nato and Commonwealth affairs. He was thus an excellent choice to return to Singapore to command 224 Group during the confrontation with Indonesia in 1964. There he commanded a miniature air force of some 300 aircraft in a joint-service campaign where air mobility was the key; this highly cost-effective exercise, as he called it, contributed much to the subsequent stability of South East Asia. Director-General, RAF Organisation, Ministry of Defence 1967-68, Chief of Personnel and Logistics 1971-74; Commander-in-Chief, RAF Germany and Commander, Nato 2nd Tactical Air Force 1968-70; Chairman, Cheshire Foundation (later Leonard Cheshire) 1974-82 (Emeritus), President 2001-03; Chairman, Battle of Britain Fighter Association 1978-2003. Sadly Air Chief Marshal Christopher Foxley-Norris passed away on 28th September 2003. | ||||||
Wing Commander Moose Fumerton DFC* AFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Moose Fumerton DFC* AFC
| Wing Commander Moose Fumerton DFC* AFC One of the finest Canadian Beaufighter and Mosquito Aces, 14 victories. Moose Fumerton flew in the Battle of Britain with 32 Sqn before joining 1 RCAF Sqn. Converting to night fighting, he flew successfully in Egypt with 89 Sqn. In June 1942 he and his radar operator Sgt L.P.S. Bing flew with the squadron detachment to Malta. Here they were rapidly to become the islands top scoring night fighter team with 9 victories, Fumerton receiving the DFC and bar, and Bing the DFC and bar and a commission. On his second tour Fumerton commanded 406 Sqn on Mosquitoes, where he claimed the last of his 14 victories. He died 10th July 2006. | ||||||
 Group Captain A K Gatward DSO, DFC, AE Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Group Captain A K Gatward DSO, DFC, AE
| Group Captain A K Gatward DSO, DFC, AE A pre-war RAFVR pilot, Gatward completed his first tour of operations in 1940-41 with 53 Squadron Bomber Command, flying Blenheims. His second tour was to take him into Coastal Command, on Beaufighters, and considerable fame. Gatward and his navigator, Sergeant George Fern, now of 236 Squadron, were selected for a special mission. Shortly before midday on 12th June 1942, they left Thorney Island and set course for Paris where their brief was to beat up the routine daily parade of German occupation troops along the Champs Elysees, dropping two French national flags at the same time. Achieving their objective and strafing the German Maritime HQ in Paris on the way out, they returned home without incident and shortly afterwards Gatward completed his second tour, receiving a DFC for his Paris sortie. In June 1943 he began a third tour as a Flight Commander of the famous No.404 Buffalo Squadron RCAF at Wick, again piloting Beaufighters. Afters 404s CO was lost in action, Gatward took over the Squadron, ending the war with a bar to his DFC and a DSO. He passed away in 1998. | ||||||
Flight Lieutenant Herbert Bert Graham Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Herbert Bert Graham | Flight Lieutenant Herbert Bert Graham Bert Graham joined the RAF in 1941 and was immediately posted to a pilot training station in Torquay, Devon. After passing his final exams he then went on to fly Tiger Moths, before being posted to RAF Brize Norton flying Oxfords. In 1942 Bert transferred to start flying with 143 Squadron on Blenheims, but quickly moved on to Beaufighters with the North Coates Strike Wing. For his second tour Bert was posted to Scotland flying Mosquitos, where, before the end of hostilities, he completed many port and shipping strikes over Norway and occupied Europe. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Albert E Gregory DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Albert E Gregory DFC
| Flight Lieutenant Albert E Gregory DFC Albert Gregory was born in Derby on 9th May 1917. Gregory joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in April 1939 as an Airman u/t Wop/Air Gunner. Called up on 1st September and posted to Aldegrove in October to commence Air Gunnery training in December 1939, Albert joined 141 Squadron at Grangemouth as an Air Gunner flying in Blenheims before the squadron converted to Defiants. He could not fly in the Defiant because he was too tall for the turret, so transferred to 219 squadron based at Catterick in May 1940 with whom he served throughout the Battle of Britain on Beaufighters. In September 1940 the introduction of Radar equipped Beaufighters meant Albert Gregory retrained as a Radio Observer and in March 1941 his aircraft accounted for the destruction of a He111. In May 1941, he went to no 2 Radio School at Yatesbury for a Wireless Operators course and passed out from this in September 1941. Albert then served with 23 Sqn in Boston IIIs on intruder patrols over occupied France, Belgium and Holland on bombing and strafing missions, before spending time with 275 and 278 (ASR) Squadrons. On 2nd April 1942 he damaged two Do 17s and in July 1942, Albert Gregory was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was commissioned in August 1942. Albert later served with 278 (ASR) squadron and was released from the RAF in November 1945 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. In July 1947 Albert Gregory rejoined the RAF and in February 1948 he was posted to 52 Squadron at Changi, Singapore. The squadron was engaged in Army support supply dropping and troop carrying in the anti-terrorist campaign in Malaya. In 1950 following his return to Britain, Albert became a signals instructor and retired from the RAF in May 1955. Sadly, he passed away on 12th November 2010. | ||||||
Wing Commander William Gregory DSO, DFC*, AFC, DFM Click the name above to see prints signed by Wing Commander William Gregory DSO, DFC*, AFC, DFM
| Wing Commander William Gregory DSO, DFC*, AFC, DFM Radar Operator to Ace Bob Braham, flying Defiants, Beaufighters and Mosquitos, and contributing to 29 victories. Wing Commander Bill Sticks Gregory was Air Interception (AI) radar operator to the Second World War night fighter ace Wing Commander Bob Braham. William James Gregory, was born on November 23rd 1913 at Hartlepool, where he attended the Lister Sealy School. Before the war, he worked for his father as a plasterer, and was drummer in the Debroy Somers Band - earning the nickname Sticks. William James Gregory enlisted in the RAF soon after the outbreak of war, and in May 1940 was posted to No 29.Squadron as a wireless operator/air gunner. Subsequently, he was redesignated observer/radio operator and then radar operator. Before teaming up with Braham, Gregory had a nasty experience when he and his pilot were, as he noted in his logbook, scrambled to intercept Huns raiding Liverpool. They were about to shoot down a Do17 when their Beaufighter was hit in the starboard wing by friendly anti-aircraft fire. Having baled out at 16,000 feet, Gregory landed on the roof of Lime Street station - and as he climbed down to the ground rail passengers mistook him for a German airman and roughed him up. Flight Sergeant William Gregory joined Wing Commander Bob Braham when he stood in temporarily for Brahams usual radar operator, Gregorys superb radar skills helped Braham to destroy 29 German aircraft in the night skies over Britain and occupied Europe - a tally which was among the highest of any wartime RAF fighter pilot, flying by day or night. Their first combat took place in early July 1941. Flying in a twin-engine Bristol Beaufighter of No.29 Squadron over a moonlit Thames Estuary, Gregory called to Braham: Contact dead ahead and at 2,000 yards.As Braham went into a gentle dive to close the range and to get below a Ju 88 bomber, the enemy opened fire. When Gregory urged Braham to open up, Braham said calmly: No, not yet. We must get closer to make sure of him. Despite heavy fire from the Ju88, Braham continued to delay firing, until with three short bursts he sent the bomber blazing down into the Thames. Later that year, after a brief detachment in Scotland to assist No.141 Squadron convert from obsolescent Boulton Paul single-engine Defiants to Beaufighters, Braham and Gregory returned to No.29 at West Malling in Kent. Early in 1942, Gregory was commissioned a pilot officer - a promotion for which Braham had been pressing - and he and Braham were posted as instructors to No.51, a night fighter Operational Training Unit at Cranfield. Keen to return to operations, in early June the two men slipped away for an unofficial weekend visit to their old squadron, No.29, in Kent. During a night sortie, Gregory positioned Braham to attack a Do217 bomber. Braham soon set it alight, and it dived into the sea off Sandwich. Bad weather then caused them to divert to Manston, on the Kent coast. With fog rolling in from the sea, Braham overshot and crash-landed in a ploughed field. After the mishap at Manston, Gregory and Braham returned to No.29 Squadron where Braham became a flight commander. In December 1942 Braham, aged only 22, received command of No.141 Squadron at Ford on the south coast; Gregory, at 29 the old man of the team, stayed with him. One moonlit night, Gregory and most of the squadron aircrew were having a party at Worthing, on the Sussex coast, when they heard enemy aeroplanes overhead. Racing back to their airfield they took off in their waiting Beaufighter. Gregory brought the aircraft to within visual range of a Do 217 bomber, flying at 15,000 feet. There was an exchange of fire in which Braham, having rather enjoyed himself at the party, opened up at too long a range. Gregorys caustic comments quickly sobered Braham up, and in four long bursts he sent the Dornier diving ablaze into the sea. Early in 1943 the squadron moved west to Predannack, near the Lizard Point in Cornwall, mainly for night training. Visiting Fighter Command, Braham urged the use of AI night fighters in support of the bomber offensive over occupied Europe, in which heavy losses were being incurred. Although his proposal was not accepted at this stage, he won approval for moonlight attacks on rail and road traffic on the Brest peninsula. At the end of April 1943 Braham and Gregory led No.141 Squadron to Wittering, near Stamford, Lincolnshire. Their aircraft were now fitted with Serrate, a radar device which enabled Gregory and his fellow operators to home in on enemy fighter transmissions from a distance of up to 100 miles. This was an ideal aid in Gregorys new night-intruding role, and after he and Braham had exchanged their Beaufighter for a de Havilland Mosquito equipped with Serrate, the two men went into action in support of Sir Arthur Harriss bomber formations. One night, flying over Cologne, they were attacked by two enemy night fighters, one of which shot out their port engine, obliging them to make a perilous return back to base. Another night, supporting a raid over Mannheim, Gregory logged a hell of a dogfight. In a 25-minute battle, they destroyed one German aircraft - an Me 110 fighter - and drove off another. In March 1944, Gregory, by now highly experienced, joined the night operations staff at No 2 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force (2nd TAF) headquarters, where Braham had preceded him. Such was his and Brahams hunger for action that from time to time they would slip away from their desks to freelance on sorties over Europe with various Mosquito squadrons. On one daylight sortie, they destroyed an He 177 heavy bomber which was circling Chateaudun airfield in France at 1,000 feet. Caught in a stream of fire from their Mosquitos nose guns, the bomber, Gregory recalled, reared up like a wounded animal, winged over on its back and dived vertically into the ground. On May 12 1944, Gregory and Braham - truanting again from the operations room - had just taken part in the destruction of a Fw190 fighter off the Danish coast when an Me 109 fighter struck. Short of fuel, and further damaged by anti-aircraft fire, Braham coaxed the stricken aircraft towards home until he had to ditch 70 miles off the Norfolk coast, where they were rescued by two minesweepers. Shortly after that, the team broke up. Braham was shot down and ended the war as a prisoner; Gregory continued staff duties. While Braham accumulated three DSOs, three DFCs and an AFC in the course of his wartime service, Gregory was awarded a DSO, two DFCs, an AFC and a DFM. At the end of the war, Gregory accepted a permanent commission, specialising in navigation and fighter control. He received the Air Efficiency Award in 1946, and after commanding RAF Wartling, in East Sussex, retired in 1964. Thereafter, until final retirement, he worked as an estate agent at Eastbourne. He was a member of Cooden Beach golf club and, having retained his drumming skills, played with a local band. Later in life, so as to be near his daughter, he moved to Camberley, Surrey, where golf, bowls and darts - he was known as The Demon - brought him much enjoyment. Sadly Wing Commander Gregory passed away at the age of 87, on the 6th October 2001 | ||||||
Group Captain Richard Haine OBE DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Group Captain Richard Haine OBE DFC
| Group Captain Richard Haine OBE DFC Richard Dickie Haine was born in St Stephens in October 1916. In 1936, he qualified as an RAF pilot, and flew the Hawker Fury with No.25 Sqn, which re-equipped with Bristol Blenheims prior to the outbreak of war. In February 1940, he transferred to No.600 Sqn. Shortly afterwards, he piloted one of six Blenheims tasked with attacking an airfield where Ju52 transport aircraft and their cargo of paratroops were reported to be landing during the Blitzkrieg on Holland. During this action he was shot down and crash landed, escaping back to Britain on the destroyer HMS Hereward, the destroyer which evacuated Queen Wilhelmina and her government. He was awarded the DFC for his actions over Holland that day. On his return to England, he flew night patrols on Blenheims, Defiants and Beaufighters, but rarely intercepted any aircraft due to poor radar. In January 1944 he took the post of Commanding Officer of No.488 Sqn flying Mosquitoes. With this squadron he flew beachhead patrols on D-Day, and had victories over two Ju88s. He was appointed to No.302 Sqn in the Pacific but had yet to arrive when the Japanese surrendered. He continued his career in the RAF until his retirement. Sadly, Richard Haine died on 30th September 2008 | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Ray Harington Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Flight Lieutenant Ray Harington | Flight Lieutenant Ray Harington Ray joined the RAF in 1941, completing his training in South Africa. In January 1944 he was posted to 603 Squadron flying Beaufighters in North Africa. Here he teamed up with navigator, Warrant Officer A.E. ‘Bert’ Winwood, and from where they launched attacks across the Mediterranean into Crete, Greece and the Aegean Islands against shipping, harbour installations and enemy aircraft with much success. In December 1944 they were posted to 235 Squadron Coastal Command, part of the Banff Strike Wing, converting to Mosquitos. In April 1945 they were shot down following a strike in the Kattegat, but avoided capture and with the help of the Danish resistance made it home, where they continued to fly again from Banff.
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Flight Lieutenant Frank Hawthorne Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Frank Hawthorne | Flight Lieutenant Frank Hawthorne Joining the RAF in 1940, Frank Hawthorne trained on Mosquitos as a Navigator and Observer. Between 1942 and 1944 he completed a tour on Beaufighters, and was then posted to fly a tour with 333 Squadron, Royal Norwegian Air Force, at Banff. Owing to their knowledge of the Norwegian coast, 333 Squadron flew in advance of the rest of the Wing, seeking targets for the main Banff Strike Wing force. Frank retired from the RAF in 1946. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Aubrey Hilly Hilliard Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Aubrey Hilly Hilliard | Flight Lieutenant Aubrey Hilly Hilliard 'Hilly' Hilliard trained as a pilot on Blenheims and Beaufighters, and in April 1943 was posted to 618 Squadron on Mosquitos, specially formed to carry Barnes Wallis's famous bouncing bomb. In August he transferred to the Mosquitos of the Banff Strike Wing. Whilst attacking and damaging a number of U-boats, one of which returned fire, damaging his aircraft. Forty years later 'Hilli' met the U-boat's capitan, Gunther Heinfich, and became good friends. | ||||||
 W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope | W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope W/O S. F. (Paddy) Hope joined the RAFVR in July 1940 and trained as a WOP/Nav at Blackpool, Yatesbury, Torquay and Staverton, joining 236 Squadron, Coastal Command at Carew Cheriton, S. Wales in October 1941 on Blenheims. After 3 operations, he converted to Beaufighters before moving to Wattisham, where he did 3 operations on Beaufighters over the German Bight. Paddy then transferred to PRU Benson on Mosquitoes in May 1942. He completed 20 more ops with F/O F McKay (N.Z.) before baling out over Belgium in December 1942 after engine failure. After evading for one month, he was captured at the Spanish frontier with Comete Line leader (A deJongh) and held by the Gestapo for questioning, for four months. He was made a P.o.W. in Germany until returning home on 11 May 1945. | ||||||
 Wing Commander James Lindsay DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Wing Commander James Lindsay DFC
| Wing Commander James Lindsay DFC Born in September 1922, James Doug Lindsay joined the RCAF in February 1941, training on Harvards. He was posted to the UK, arriving in March 1943 and joining 403 Sqn in October that year. In his first tour, he claimed 5 Me109s as well as 2 Fw190s, plus another damaged. Of the Me109s he shot down, three of these were in a single minute, earning him a DFC. For his second tour, he rejoined 403 Sqn in April 1945, claiming a probable Fw190 during his short time with this squadron before he moved to 416 squadron until the end of the war in Europe. After the war he stayed with the air force, and in 1952 served during the Korean war with the USAF. He flew F-86 Sabres with the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 51st Fighter Wing, claiming victories over two MiG-15s and damaging 3 others. In 1953, he returned to the UK with No.1 Fighter Wing leading Sabres in formation at the Queen's Coronation. He retired in 1972, having flown more than 30 different types of aircraft (excluding different Mks). These included, Harvard, Anson, Master, Spitfire, Typhoon, Tempest, Hurricane, Mustang, Beaufort, Beaufighter, Oxford, Dakota, Tiger Moth, Vampire and Sabre. | ||||||
 W O Donald J Jimmy Lowrie Click the name above to see prints signed by W O Donald J Jimmy Lowrie | W O Donald J Jimmy Lowrie Joined the RAF in late 1941. His initial training was at Booker and Rhodesia. He qualified as a pilot in November 1942 before returning to the UK for AFU training at Perton until July 1942. The next six months was spent training aircrew on A.I. (Aircraft Interception). After this he was posted to 54 OTU Charterhall, where he crewed up with F/Sgt. Tom Davie. Jimmy then trained on Beaufighters based at 85 Squadron, West Malling, from March to May 1944. Thence to 239 Squadron, West Raynham on the formation of 100 Group. Jimmy completed 34 sorties before returning to 62 OTU to train more aircrew on A.I. | ||||||
 Flt Lt Bob Milne DFM Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Bob Milne DFM | Flt Lt Bob Milne DFM Flt Lt Bob Milne DFM joined the RAF and on 13th March 1942 sailed for Canada escorted by two Canadian Corvettes. Off Iceland the escort changed to American warships including a battleship, cruisers and destroyers. After thirteen days he landed in New York having been diverted from New Brunswick, due to U-boat activity. Flying Training School was on an RCAF camp at Hagersville, Ontario, and there he gained his Wings. Coming second on the reconnaissance course, Milne was recommended for Sunderland flying boats. On return to Britain on the Queen Elizabeth I, this was changed to Beaufighters due to heavy losses of torpedo carrying Beaufighters meant that replacement crews were a constant requirement. On 23rd August 43 he joined 47 Squadron at Tunis at the end of the Sicily Campaign and just prior to the invasion of Italy. His duties were attacking shipping in the area between Sardinia and the Italian mainland. Milne and the other crews would fly at fifty feet to avoid radar detection, no lower because this would leave slipstream trails on the water which would be visible to enemy aircraft. If a target ship was located the four aircraft without torpedoes would fire on the ship while the Torpedo carrying Beaufighters positioned themselves to deliver the torpedoes. Having assessed the type of ship and its speed they would climb up to 150 feet, aimed ahead of the ship according to the speed estimated, and then at 1000 yards range with wings level, level fore and aft, and speed 180 knots drop the torpedo. Shortly afterwards the squadron were moved from Tunis to El Adem in Libya where they were there to locate a German invasion fleet which was leaving Athens to cross the Aegean sailing from island to island until it could invade Leros where Allied troops were held up. During the next three weeks they lost thirteen of the eighteen crews ending up with no usable planes and only three available crews. Leros fell on the 16th November 1943. The squadron had to reform with new planes and crews to get up to strength, and then moved to nearby Gambut III in the Western Desert. There 47 Squadron would continue operations in the Aegean for another three months before going to the Far East to stand by for the Japanese Fleet. One operation carried on 22nd February 44 was written up in a magazine called Parade. They were to attack the last ship of any size left in the Mediterranean. It was approaching Heraklion in Northern Crete with an escort of two destroyers and the usual Me109s. No.47 Squadron Torbeaus were escorted by fighter Beaus of Nos.47 and 603 Squadrons and approached from the east. A flight of American Mitchells then turned back drawing off the German fighters so that the ship could be attacked without their interference. This worked perfectly and the ship was hit with torpedoes and sank before the 109s realised what was happening. Three Beaufighters were then shot down. The strike was thus very successful. In March 1944 a Torpedo squadron was needed in the Far East and 47 Squadron was ordered to go. Milne was now tour expired along with two of his colleagues, but it was realised that if they left there would be no one apart from the CO who had actually dropped torpedoes. They were therefore booked for a second tour with the same squadron. They flew out from near Cairo to Baghdad, Bahrain, Sherja, Karachi, Hyderabad and finally Madras to await the Japanese Fleet. After six months the Japanese were suffering reverses so the Fleet finally went to the Pacific instead of into the Indian Ocean. They then changed to bombs and rockets on the Beaufighters and then later onto Mosquitoes in order to fight in Burma. He completed a second tour but had difficulty getting a transport plane out of Burma so two months later, when the war ended, he was still there. Then on the first day of peace a Japanese raiding party raided the camp and Milne was wounded, ending up in hospital. He was on an airfield north of Rangoon and returned there on discharge from hospital. The first prisoners of war to be freed were brought here by Dakotas. Late in August 1945, two years after joining 47 Squadron Milne left in a Dakota bound for Calcutta and then on to Bombay where he boarded a ship, destination England. | ||||||
 Wing Commander Roger Morewood Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Roger Morewood | 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.
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Wing Commander Douglas Oxby DSO DFC DFM* Click the name above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Douglas Oxby DSO DFC DFM*
| Wing Commander Douglas Oxby DSO DFC DFM* Wing Commander Douglas Oxby, DSO, DFC, DFM and Bar, wartime night fighter navigator, was born on July 10, 1920. Douglas Alfred Oxby was born in Cardiff in 1920 and educated at Canton High School there. He worked as a barrister’s clerk before enlisting in the RAF in 1940. Wing Commander Douglas Oxbys combat career lasted, with one rest from operations, from the autumn of 1941 until the spring of 1945. Douglas Oxby was responsible for 22 successful interceptions, making him the RAF’s top-scoring radar operator of the Second World War. These combat victories were achieved first in Beaufighters with the Australian pilot Flight Lieutenant Mervyn Shipard,with 68 squadron there first air victory was a Heinkel HE 111 bomber which they shot down over llangefri in North Wales. They were next posted to 89 Squadron, operating first out of Egypt and then, as a detachment of the squadron, sent to join in the desperate air defence of Malta, where they were in the thick of the action. From July 1942, a particularly intense month, they often took off to intercept the enemy with bombs falling on their airfield all around them. In this month and during the resumption of the enemy’s air offensive in October that year they accounted for about eight Axis aircraft, mainly Ju88s and He111s. Oxby took part in the defenc eof Tobruk and in June 1943 Oxby was posted back to the UK where he was commissioned. In August 1944 Oxby was posted to 219 Squadron (Mosquitoes) commanded by Peter Green, fresh himself from a busy summer intercepting V1 “buzz bombs”. Green and Oxby now embarked on a period of remarkable success as the RAF’s night fighters grappled with the enemy’s tactical bombers and fighters over the battlefields of northwest Europe. Their most spectacular achievement was the destruction of three Ju87s in a single sortie over Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and they continued to take a toll both of this type and the Ju88. Once feared as the “Stuka” by the Polish, French and British armies to which its presence had been the bane in the early battles of the war, the Ju87 had by this time been exposed as a lumbering anachronism. For his service and achievement he was awarded two Distinguished Flying Medals (he had begun flying as a sergeant) a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Distinguished Service Order. His combat Service saw him in North Wales, and the Mediterranean and North Africa and operations supporting the North West Europe campaign over the Netherlands and Germany. After the war Oxby was granted a permanent commission and rose to the rank of wing commander. After appointments that included directing staff of the Joint Services Staff College and assistant air adviser, British High Commission, Ottawa, he retired from the RAF in 1969. Thereafter he made his home in Canada where he was a civil servant in the Ministry of Health in Ontario until 1984. Sadly he died on April 10, 2009, aged 88. | ||||||
Warrant Officer Martin Sawyer Click the name above to see prints signed by Warrant Officer Martin Sawyer | Warrant Officer Martin Sawyer Originally a Pilot with 153 Squadron flying Beaufighters in North Africa during 1943, Martin returned to England in 1944 and was posted to Number 1 PRU Benson flying Mosquitoes in photo reconnaissance missions over NW Europe. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Merv Shipard DFC* Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Merv Shipard DFC*
| Flight Lieutenant Merv Shipard DFC* In August 1941 Australian Merv Shipard was posted to 68 Sqn, along with his radar operator Douggie Oxby (later to become the RAFs top scoring radar operator, assisting in 22 kills), here they scored their first victory. On the 1st of November 1941 Mervyn Shipard DFC intercepted and destroyed a bomb laden Heinkel III headed for Liverpool. The stricken aircraft crashed into farmland near Llangefni on Anglesey – which is an island off Wales. Shipard and Oxby deliberately sought out more opportunities together to become involved in the thick of the action. In early 1942 they were posted to Egypt to join 89 Sqn, before being sent to Malta on 22nd June, where they quickly scored six confirmed kills, and probably one more. They the claimed 6 kills in North Africa. Merv Shipard was posted back to Australia, having achieved 13 confirmed victories. Merv Shipard joined Qantas in 1957 he started flying L1049, Electras and then 707s his final flight was in June 1973 after which he was appointed B707 flight simulator instructor, retireing from Qantas in June 1979. Sadly Mervyn Charles Shipard DFC and Bar passed away on the 1st March 2003. | ||||||
Flight Lieutenant F S Fred Stevens Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant F S Fred Stevens | Flight Lieutenant F S Fred Stevens After training in Australia and Canada, Fred Stevens found himself in October 1941 flying Bolton Paul Defiants, converting shortly after to Beaufighters, which he throughout 1942. In early 1943 he converted to the Mosquito Mk2 Night Fighter with A1 radar. This was with 456 Squadron (RAAF), they later re-equipped with the Mosquito Night Fighter Mk17. Before D-Day they transferred to Ford in West Sussex for the build up to the invasion, carrying out numerous operations. Later Fred and 456 were involved with attacking V1s at night. | ||||||
Flight Lieutenant Peter Tipple DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Peter Tipple DFC | Flight Lieutenant Peter Tipple DFC Qualified as a Pilot and joined 272 Coastal Command Squadron on Beaufighters with whom he served on 68 ops over Malta, North Africa and the Mediterranean. | ||||||
 Flight Lieutenant Pat Tuhill DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Pat Tuhill DFC | Flight Lieutenant Pat Tuhill DFC Pat Tuhill was navigator to Christopher Foxley Norris on Moquitos. After taking part in the Battle of Britain as a fighter pilot, Christopher Foxley-Norris was posted to the Middle East where he first teamed up with Pat Tuhill, initially on Beaufighters. A return to Britain brought Foxley-Norris command of 143 Squadron flying Mosquito IIs and VIs as part of the Banff Strike Wing, led by Max Aitken, for attacks on enemy shipping off Norway. Hazardous operations against heavily defended ships, using rockets and cannon, were made even more dangerous by the weather and fjords which the Mosquitos often had to negotiate below cliff height. Christopher Foxley-Norris went on to a distinguished career in the post-war RAF. Pat Tuhill was Vice-Chairman of the Aircrew Association. | ||||||
Flying Officer Doug Waite Click the name above to see prints signed by Flying Officer Doug Waite | Flying Officer Doug Waite Volunteered at the age of 18 and went solo at Brough in Yorkshire, from where he went to Canada for further training at EFTS and SFTS with a final period at Spitalgate near Grantham flying Blenheims, Beauforts and Beaufighters. Doug then joined 169 Squadron Mosquito night-fighter unit attached to 100 group, conducting various deployments. The last one being 48 hours before the war ended, flying to Sylt at low-level dropping Napalm jelly 100 gallon drop tanks as bombs. | ||||||
 Group Captain Brian Black Jack Walker Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Group Captain Brian Black Jack Walker
| Group Captain Brian Black Jack Walker Brian Walker joined the RAAF in 1935. The outbreak of World War Two found him with 25 Squadron RAAF flying Wirraways. After a period of instructing he went to 12 Squadron before joining 30 Squadron RAAF as Command Officer. This was the first RAAF Beaufighter Squadron. He then went north to New Guinea where his exploits on Beaufighters are legendary. In 1944 he was seconded to de Havilland as test pilot on Mosquitoes. At the end of the year, until the conclusion of the war, he commanded No. 1 Fighter Wing in Darwin flying Spitfires and Mustangs. Brian Walker passed away on 21st April 1997, aged 84. | ||||||
 Flying Officer Maurice Webb DFM Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flying Officer Maurice Webb DFM | Flying Officer Maurice Webb DFM Maurice joined the RAF in 1942, and trained as an observer/ wireless operator/ gunner. In October 1943 he was posted to 235 Squadron based at RAF Portreath, flying Beaufighters attacking shipping and harbour installations. In 1944 he converted to Mosquitos, and joined 248 Squadron, moving on to serve with the Banff Strike Wing until March 1945. He was awarded the DFM in August 1944, and then spent time flying in a RAF Walrus on Air Sea Rescue operations. He had flown with Harold Corbin as his co-pilot / observer from 1943 until the end of the war.
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 Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC
| Air Chief Marshal Sir Neil Wheeler GCB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC An ex-Cranwell entrant who had graduated in 1937, Wheeler had served in Bomber Command before the war. In 1940 he joined the Photographic Development Unit at Heston pioneering photographic reconnaissance, flying unarmed Spitfires deep into enemy territory. In November 1942 he was just completing his OTU on Beaufighters when the posting arrived to 236 Squadron and the North Coates Wing shortly after its first disastrous strike attack on 28th November 1942. Wheelers review and revision of the tactics involved in Strike Wing attacks, and the intensive training program he introduced, were to prove critical to the success of the whole concept. On 18th April 1943, Wheeler led the North Coates Wing in its first successful attack, on a German convoy off Ijmuiden. Leading the Wing until September 1944, Neil Wheeler went on to hold high command in the post-war RAF. Sadly, Neil Wheeler died on 9th January 2009. | ||||||
Flight Lieutenant S J 'Stan' Williams Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant S J 'Stan' Williams | Flight Lieutenant S J 'Stan' Williams Joining the RAAF in May 1941, Stan Williams left for the U.K. via the U.S., arriving in England after a five month trip. Initially flying Blenheims and Beaufighters, he eventually joined 456 Squadron (RAAF) in 1943 on Mosquitoes, flying out of RAF Ford. The role of 456 at this time was to include Ranger and Intruder missions, as well as night defense, especially prior to D-Day. They also defended against V1s at night. Their last mission of the war was against He177s towing glider bombs en-route to Scapa Flow, they destroyed the lot. | ||||||
  Colonel Richard Willsie Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Colonel Richard Willsie | Colonel Richard Willsie Joining up in 1942, Dick Willsie was posted to North Africa with the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, where he flew 31 missions on the Beaufighter. He transferred to the 96th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group, flying the P38 Lightning on 82 day missions through to the end of hostilities in Europe. He notched up a large number of ground attack victories as well as three aerial victories in his P38 'Snake Eyes'.On one mission Captain Richard Dick Willsie's P-38 was damaged by flak near Ploesti, Romania. After both engines failed, Willsie crash-landed but was rescued from capture when Flight Officer Dick Andrews landed his P-38 on the field, squeezed Willsie into the cockpit, and flew back to base. Willsie would go on to serve in both Korea and Vietnam, and Willsie became the commanding officer of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron and retired in 1974. | ||||||
 Warrant Officer Bert Winwood Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Warrant Officer Bert Winwood
| Warrant Officer Bert Winwood WO A.E. 'Bert' Winwood was a Navigator on Mosquitoes and Beaufighters, flew only with pilot Ray Harrington attached to 603 sqn in the Greek Campaign. Bert did his Navigator training in Canada and in January 1944 was posted to 603 Squadron on Beaufighters, based at Gambut, near Tobruk. From here they launched attacks right across the Mediterranean into Crete, Greece and the Aegean Islands against shipping, harbour installations and enemy aircraft with much success. In December 1944 he was posted to 235 Squadron at RAF Banff flying as navigator on Mosquito's flying in the Banff Strike Wing. In April 1945 he was shot down when returning from a strike in the Kattegat, he and his pilot Ray Harrington avoided capture, and with the help of the Danish resistance made it home to England. After a short rest he continued to fly again from RAF Banff, he left the RAF in 1946. Bert Winwood passed away in 2012.
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 Flying Officer Jim York DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Flying Officer Jim York DFC | Flying Officer Jim York DFC Joined the RAFVR in 1941 when he was just 19 and early in 1942 he was sent to America for pilot training as a cadet in the US Army Air Corps in Alabama and Georgia. After operational training in 1943 he spent some time ferrying Beaufighters around the Middle East. Early in 1944 he joined 85 Night Fighter Squadron, 11 Group Fighter Command, at West Malling in Kent, where he flew Mosquitoes on defensive night fighter patrols. In May 1944, 85 Squadron was transferred to 100 Group Bomber Command at Swannington in Norfolk where the Squadron initiated Bomber Support. This meant changing from defensive night fighting to offensive night fighting, attacking Luftwaffe night fighters over Germany. Each aircraft was a predator on its own without the benefit of any Ground Control. They patrolled Luftwaffe airfields, radar beacons and accompanied bomber streams, generally creating havoc amongst the German night fighters. Jim York stayed with the Squadron until the end of the war and completed 39 Operations over the continent destroying two enemy aircraft. Shortly after moving to Swannington, the Squadron was switched back to West Malling for a short spell to help deal with the VI flying bomb menace and Jim went on to destroy four of the V1 bombs over the English Channel. After the war he resumed his career as a Chartered Surveyor. | ||||||
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