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| Aviation Art Collecton - Seafire |
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| Squadrons for : Seafire | ||
| 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.809 Sqn FAA Country : UK Fleet Air Arm Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.809 Sqn FAA | No.809 Sqn FAA Full profile not yet available. | |
| Signatures for : Seafire | |||||
| 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 | ||||
  Commander Mike Crosley DSC* Royal Navy Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Commander Mike Crosley DSC* Royal Navy
| Commander Mike Crosley DSC* Royal Navy Robert Michael Crosley was born on February 24 1920 , Mike Crosley was a Metropolitan Police constable (a reserved occupation) when war broke out, but volunteered on the day of the Fleet Air Arm strike on Taranto, November 11 1940. Fleet Air Arm Ace Mike Crosley joined the carrier HMS Eagle in late 1941, one of four FAA pilots flying Sea Hurricanes in defence of the Malta convoys, On June 12 he was on alert on the deck of HMS Eagle. After two hours strapped in his cockpit, he was expecting to stand down when he heard the klaxon sound. Within a few moments he was airborne, being directed by radar to an enemy aircraft; and when his flight leader turned back with engine trouble, Crosley decided to pursue the enemy alone. He closed until the wingspan of the three-engined Italian bomber filled his gunsight, then pressed the trigger. At that moment he noted sparks coming from the underside of the bomber – it was the enemy returning fire. Then smoke burst from the Italians engines and its wingtip came dangerously close as it dived towards the sea. Crosley followed, determined to finish it off; but as he emerged from the cloud he saw the bomber floating on the water with a yellow life raft beside it. The next day Crosley shot down a twin-engined German fighter-bomber. He wove in and out of the Germans slipstream, and when the target filled his gunsight he fired one long burst which hit the aircrafts wing, sparking like firecrackers. In August 1942, during Operation Pedestal, he was lucky to escape with his life after the carrier was torpedoed and sunk by U73. She capsized within 7 minutes. He later joined HMS Biter flying Sea Hurricanes, in Operation Torch. and on November 8 he shot down two Vichy French fighters in a dogfight over the airfield of La Senia, near Oran. He was awarded his first DSC. Mike Crosley was then selected to pass on his experience to new fighter pilots at HMS Dipper, near Yeovilton, where he flew the Royal Navys version of the Spitfire, known as the Seafire. By D-Day Crosley had joined 886 Naval Air Squadron, flying Seafires from Lee-on-the-Solent. His role was to direct the fire of the heavy ships which were bombarding the German defences. On the second day of the Allied landings he shot down a German Bf109, which crashed 15 miles south-west of Caen, and two days later damaged an Fw190 which he chased in a dogfight through the skies over Normandy. After D-Day Mike Crossley was appointed to command 880 Naval Air Squadron; this was based in Orkney as part of 30 Naval Air Wing, which embarked in the fleet carrier Implacable and carried out a series of attacks on German shipping in the fjords of Norway. By the time the war ended 880 Squadron and Implacable were prosecuting the war in the Pacific, striking at the Japanese mainland. Crosley was mentioned in despatches, and in August 1945 received a Bar to his DSC. he finished the war in the Far East, with 5.5 victories. After the war Mike Crosley joined No 6 Empire Test Pilots Course, and left the Navy to test Shorts flying boats under development in Belfast. On the outbreak of the Korean War he rejoined the Navy, helping to train new pilots and flying 75 missions over Korea from the carrier Ocean. He wrote pilots notes for a range of aircraft, which he flew to their limits, and was awarded the Queens Commendation for Valuable Services in the Air. In 1954-55 he was commanding officer of 813 Squadron, flying the Wyvern from the new HMS Eagle. In 1958 Crosley was promoted commander and returned to test flying at Boscombe Down, making the first deck landings of the Buccaneer low-level bomber. Mike Crosley logged 2,818 flying hours in 147 different types of aircraft and made 415 deck landings. Throughout the war he kept extensive diaries, on which he based two books: They Gave Me a Seafire (1986) and In Harms Way (1995). Sadly Mike Crosley died at the age of 90 on the 20th June 2010. | ||||
 Commander Tommy Handley Click the name above to see prints signed by Commander Tommy Handley | Commander Tommy Handley Commander Tommy Handley joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1940. During his first two years he served in many ships varying from destroyer to battleships, mainly on escort and convoy duties in the South Atlantic, but including two Russian convoys. After promotion to Sub Lieutenant he was in Combined Operations in landing craft and served in MV Durban Castle for Operation Torch, landing US Troops in North Africa. He started flying in 1943 and after training in Canada joined 885 Squadron flying Hellcats in the Woolworth carrier HMS Ruler. In early 1945 he was transferred to 1844 Squadron in HMS Indomitable and took part in Operation Iceberg against Japanese offshore islands. After the war he was a flying instructor with the Royal Air Force before becoming an Air Weapons Officer and joining 800 Squadron as senior Pilot, later commanding officer, flying Seafire 47s in HMS Triumph. She was the first British carrier to be involved in the Korean War and Tommy was the last pilot to fly an operational mission in a Seafire/Spitfire. He was therefore the Last of the Few. On promotion to Commander he was appointed to command HMS Bramble on fishery protection duties and employed in and around Norway and Iceland, as well as home water. Then he was off to flying duties again as Commander (Air) of HMS Centaur. Later he was appointed the Commander of the Naval Air Station Hal Far in Malta, before taking up further duties abroad as Naval Attache Istanbul, Naval Attache Tehran and finally Resident Naval Officer in Mombassa and Adviser to the Kenya Navy. He retired from the Navy in 1976. | ||||
  Chief Test Pilot Alex Henshaw Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Chief Test Pilot Alex Henshaw
| Chief Test Pilot Alex Henshaw Alex Henshaw perhaps understands the Spitfire better than any other pilot - for he was Vickers Chief Test Pilot on Spitfires at the new Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich during World War II. By the end of the war he had personally test flown a total of 2360 different Spitfires and Seafires - more than ten per cent of the entire production. It is often stated that those lucky enough to have seen Alex handle the Spitfire in flight, that it is an experience that can never be forgotten, he was acknowledged as a virtuoso in aerobatics. Alex Henshaw died 24th February 2007. | ||||
  Jeffrey Quill, OBE, AFC, FRAeS Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Jeffrey Quill, OBE, AFC, FRAeS
| Jeffrey Quill, OBE, AFC, FRAeS Jeffrey Quill was born at Littlehampton in Sussex in 1913, the youngest of five children. He was educated at Lancing College, overlooking Shoreham aerodrome (then a small grass field with old hangars and a wooden hut for the flying club). The frequent sight of aircraft at close quarters increased Quill’s already burning interest in aviation, and after leaving Lancing in 1931 he was accepted into the Royal Air Force at the age of 18, as an acting Pilot Officer. He learned to fly on Avro Tutor biplanes, and went solo after only 5 hours 20 minutes – well below the usual 9 hours. In September 1932 he joined No.17 (Fighter) Squadron at Upavon, where he flew Bristol Bulldogs. He was then posted to Duxford, to the RAF Meteorological Flight, where they flew open-cockpit Siskins to heights of up to 25,000 feet to collect weather data. In November 1934 Quill became Flight Commander, and set out with his team to achieve 100 per cent regularity in the scheduled climbs (twice every day, except Sundays, at 0700 and 1300 hrs) without missing a single flight, even in “unflyable” weather. For this outstanding achievement he was awarded the Air Force Cross. In January 1936 Jeffrey Quill became assistant to Mutt Summers, the chief test pilot at Vickers (Aviation) Ltd., and his initial task was the testing of the Wellesley bomber. On 26 March 1936 Quill made his first flight in the prototype Spitfire K5054. Much work was needed on the Spitfire before it was eventually cleared for squadron service in July 1938. Jeffrey Quill spent the entire war in charge of development and production flying, but insisted on having first-hand combat experience, and in August 1940 he was assigned to 65 (Spitfire) Squadron at RAF Hornchurch. During that month he shot down a Me109, and shared in a Heinkel He111 before being recalled to Supermarine to test the Spitfire Mk III. The Seafire, the naval version of the Spitfire used by the Fleet Air Arm, was suffering enormous losses in deck landing accidents. During 1944 Quill spent five months with the Royal Navy, and made more than 75 deck landings. By the end of the war, he had personally test-flown all 50-odd variants of Spitfire and Seafire. His personal favourite was the Spitfire Mk VIII. Jeffrey Quill continued as chief test pilot after the war, when Vickers – ever on the cutting edge of development – produced Britain’s third jet aircraft, the Attacker. On 27 July 1946 Quill made the first flight from Boscombe Down, and continued to undertake the testing, until one day the following June he passed out at about 40,000 feet. Fortunately he recovered at about 10,000 ft, in time to land safely. Quill had been flying continuously for 16 years, often at high altitude and without oxygen. He had logged over 5000 hours and flown more than 95 aircraft types. Jeffrey Quill died at Andreas, Isle of Man, on 20 February 1996.
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 Rear Admiral Ray Rawbone CB AFC RN Click the name above to see prints signed by Rear Admiral Ray Rawbone CB AFC RN | Rear Admiral Ray Rawbone CB AFC RN Joined the Royal Navy in 1942 under the Y scheme. He was trained by the RAF as a fighter pilot and joined 809 Squadron flying Seafires in 1943. Embarked in HMS Stalker he took part in operations in the Atlantic, the invasion of the South of France, Italy, Greece, Burma, Sumatra and Malaya. He served as Senior Pilot for the last six months of the war and remained with the Squadron until the end of 1945. Later qualified as a Flying Instructor, he was awarded the AFC whilst loaned to the RAF on the Staff of the Central Flying School. He has served in the aircraft carriers Stalker, Bulwark, Eagle and Ark Royal and was a member of the first Naval jet Squadron (800 Attackers). He commanded 736 (Attackers, Seahawks) and 897 (Seahawks) squadrons and the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton. He has flown over 40 different types of aircraft. He was the Captain (Air) on FONACs staff during the re-structioning of the Naval Air Command and his sea appointments included the command of HMS Loch Killisport, HMS Dido and HMS Kent. His final post was as DACOS (ops) in SHAPE. He was appointed ADC in 1973 and CB in 1976. | ||||
  Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC
| Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC Peter Twiss was born on the 23rd of July,1921 in Lindfield, West Sussex. Peter Twiss spent much of his early days on a farm near Salisbury. When war broke out later in 1939 he enlisted as a Naval Airman Second Class in the Fleet Air Arm, qualifying as a pilot after initial training at 14 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School at Castle Bromwich on Tiger Moths and then went on to fly Hawker Harts and Fairey Battles. Operational training followed at RNAS Yeovilton flying Blackburn Rocs and Skuas and Fairey Swordfish followed by a period at the Army School of Co-operation at Andover on Bristol Blenheims on twin conversion before being posted to the Orkneys to 771 Squadron. By then he had amassed 292 hours on 12 types and attained the rank of Midshipman. Peter Twiss flew with 807 Squadron FAA from the carrier HMS Furious during the Malta convoys, and later took part in the invasion of North Africa. Best known as a post-war test pilot, particularly of the Fairey Delta FD2 with which he set a World Absolute Speed Record, Peter Twiss also saw distinguished service as a Fleet Air Arm pilot. Flying Fulmars, he was with HMS Ark Royal when she was sunk in November 1941 and then served with his squadron on both Argus and Furious for several of the vital Malta convoys with Force H. He formed the first Seafire Squadron for Operation Torch and was awarded a Bar to his DSC. Returning to the UK, he was sent to the Night Fighter Development Unit. During the war Peter began to get opportunities to fly new aircraft and he started his test flying in America late 1944 and had his first opportunity to fly a jet aircraft. By now he had attained the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. In 1945 he attended the Empire Test Pilots School at Cranfield and then went to the Naval Squadron at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment based at Boscombe Down. In 1946 he joined Fairey Aviation as a test pilot. Lieutenant-Commander Peter Twiss test flew many of the Fairey aircraft including the Fairey Primer, Fairey Firefly, Fairey Gannet, the Fairey FD1, and the Fairey Rotadyne compound helicopter and in 1947 he entered the Lympne Air flying a Firefly IV winning the high speed race with 306 mph. His achievement in breaking the world air speed record in 1956 in the Fairey Delta 2 was recognised by receiving the Queens Commendation for Valuable Service and an OBE. By 1959 Peter was Chief Test for Fairey Aviation when the company was sold to Westland Aircraft and he decided to retire from test flying. He had then amassed 4,500 hours in 148 different types of aircraft. Sadly, Peter Twiss passed away on 31st August 2011. | ||||
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