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Day Duties for the Night Workers by Robert Taylor.
With its mission completed, the mighty Lancaster slowly rolls to a halt on the lonely dispersal point, the roar of its four pulsating Merlin engines steadily slackens, replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the snapping cracks of cooling metal. Slowly the seven weary crew tumble out of the fuselage, their faces etched with strain, eyes rimmed red with tiredness. For them it is the final act of another long, arduous and nerve-wracking operation, another eight-hour ordeal to attack industrial targets in the Ruhr. This time they know they've been lucky, they reached the target and returned home safely, despite the deadly flak and prowling Luftwaffe night-fighters. For others, however, the work of war has just begun. As the massive Lancaster looms majestically over them, the ever vigilant ground crew begin the task of preparing their aircraft for the coming night's operation. Checking, repairing and double-checking again, making sure that nothing goes wrong on the next.........
More Text... |
| | Item Code : DHM6078 | Day Duties for the Night Workers by Robert Taylor. - Editions Available | |
| | DESCRIPTION | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | PRICE | PURCHASING | PACKS | | Signed limited edition of 200 prints. | Paper size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm) |
Bressloff, Boris | | Flight Lieutenant Boris Bressloff DFC |
| Having completed his training as a Bomb Aimer he joined 635 Sqn serving with W.O. Ernie Patterson and W.O. Harry Parker on over 50 Ops in Lancasters with Pilot Alex Throne DSO DFC. |
|
Cleaver, Reg | | Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver (deceased) |
| Served with 419 (Moose) Squadron RCAF. Reg Cleaver was a Flight Engineer and Co-pilot on Halifaxes until On his 17th operation on 24 June 1943, on a raid to Wuppertal, his aircraft was shot down by German Fw190 nightfighters. After initially evading capture he was eventually captured in Holland where he was beaten by the Gestapo and taken as a PoW to Stalag Luft 6 until the end of the war. He died aged 89 when his car hit a tree in Brandon, he was given a funeral with full military honours a |
|
Payne, Alan | | Flight Sergeant Alan Payne DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 and trained as an Observer in the UK and in South Africa but served as Bomb Aimer with 630 Squadron and later 57 Squadron on Lancasters completing 29 operations. Based at RAF East Kirkby Alan took part in the Battle of Berlin from November 1943, culminating with a raid on Nuremberg at the end of March 1944. Alan was then transferrred to Transport Command where he completed a full tour as a navigator on Halifaxes wtih 620 Sqn Transport Command in Palestine sup |
|
+ Artist : Robert Taylor | | £70.00 | | | Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm) |
Bressloff, Boris | | Flight Lieutenant Boris Bressloff DFC |
| Having completed his training as a Bomb Aimer he joined 635 Sqn serving with W.O. Ernie Patterson and W.O. Harry Parker on over 50 Ops in Lancasters with Pilot Alex Throne DSO DFC. |
|
Cleaver, Reg | | Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver (deceased) |
| Served with 419 (Moose) Squadron RCAF. Reg Cleaver was a Flight Engineer and Co-pilot on Halifaxes until On his 17th operation on 24 June 1943, on a raid to Wuppertal, his aircraft was shot down by German Fw190 nightfighters. After initially evading capture he was eventually captured in Holland where he was beaten by the Gestapo and taken as a PoW to Stalag Luft 6 until the end of the war. He died aged 89 when his car hit a tree in Brandon, he was given a funeral with full military honours a |
|
Payne, Alan | | Flight Sergeant Alan Payne DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 and trained as an Observer in the UK and in South Africa but served as Bomb Aimer with 630 Squadron and later 57 Squadron on Lancasters completing 29 operations. Based at RAF East Kirkby Alan took part in the Battle of Berlin from November 1943, culminating with a raid on Nuremberg at the end of March 1944. Alan was then transferrred to Transport Command where he completed a full tour as a navigator on Halifaxes wtih 620 Sqn Transport Command in Palestine sup |
|
Bell, William | | Warrant Officer William Bell |
| Bill joined the RAF in 1941 and was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds as a Navigator on Halifaxes. He was later transferred to 166 Squadron, and was on his 20th operation, flying to Berlin in November 1943 when he was shot down and ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft IVb. He escaped on three separate occasions but was recaptured every time - the war finished just before his fourth attempt! |
|
Booker, Jim | | Warrant Officer Jim Booker |
| A Navigator on 625 Sqn Lancasters, flying operationally from late 1944, he flew on the last bombing mission of the European war to Berchtesgaden and supplied relief drops to the Dutch in Operation Manna. |
|
Carlton, Ken | | Flight Lieutenant Ken Carlton |
| Flight Engineer, 156, 7 and 635 Squadrons. |
|
Clarke, Eric | | Weapons Operator, 49 Squadron. |
|
Curnock, Richard | | Warrant Officer Richard Curnock |
| Richard Curnock was posted to 425 Squadron RCAF where he served as a Rear Gunner. He was only on his second operation on 25th February 1944 to Augsburg when his aircraft was shot down and he ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI until the end of the war. |
|
Evans, Eric | | Warrant Officer Eric Evans |
| After qualifying as a Rear Gunner he served with 463 RAAF Sqn serving on Lancasters from Waddington. In November 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a German night fighter whilst on a mission over Germany and he served the rest of the War as a PoW. |
|
Eves, Reg | | Rear and Middle Upper Air Gunner, 550 Squadron. |
|
Field, Dennis | | Flight Lieutenant Dennis Field |
|
French, George | | Flying Officer George French |
|
Gough, Harry | | Warrant Officer Harry Gough |
| Harry joined the RAF in 1943 as a Rear Gunner in 10 Squadron affectionately known as Shiny 10 at RAF Melbourne, part of 4 Group. At the beginning of the war they were equipped with Whitleys, upgrading to the Halifax in December 1941. On 8th July 1940, they moved to RAF Leeming, Yorkshire and again on 19th August 1942 to RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire. Harry completed 33 operations. |
|
Hadley, Les | | Flying Officer Les Hadley |
| As a Navigator Les did a full Tour with 40 Squadron on Wellingtons. His second tour was completed on Mosquitos with 139 PFF, from where he later transferred back to heavy Bombers with 156 PFF, completing his war-time service. |
|
Hall, JohnNO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
 |
| | Squadron Leader John Hall, DFC* (deceased) |
| John Anthony Sanderson Hall was born in Oxford on Christmas Day 1921. His father was William Glenvil Hall, MP for Colne Valley and Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Attlee's government. From his father, a life-long Quaker, John inherited a belief in practical action rather than ideology, along with a sense of decency and respect for the rights of individuals. He attended the Quaker co-educational Leighton Park School, Reading, then worked briefly as a publisher's reader and studied |
|
Hildreth, Jeff | | Warrant Officer Jeff Hildreth (deceased) |
| A Wireless Operator/Air Gunner who joined the recently reformed 170 Sqn at Hemswell in October 1944. He went on to complete 28 Ops on Lancasters over North West Europe before the War finished in May 1945. He died in 2017.
|
|
Jenkinson, Ken | | Flight Sergeant Ken Jenkinson |
| Initially on Lancasters with 57 Sqn, as Radio Operator to pilot Ian Ross, he remained with the crew when they joined 617 Sqn and their aircraft crash landed in Russia after the first raid on the Tirpitz. |
|
Johnson, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken Johnson |
| As a Mid-Upper Gunner he flew on Lancasters with 9 and 61 Squadrons taking part in many raids including the final attack to sink the Tirpitz in November 1944 along with attacks on Berchtesgaden, Hitlers alpine home. |
|
Jones, Norman | | Warrant Officer Norman Jones |
| Flight Engineer, 625 Squadron. |
|
Kelbrick, William | | Flight Lieutenant William J Kelbrick |
| Gunner, No.50 and No.9 Squadrons. |
|
Kirtland, Bert | | Flight Lieutenant H W Bert Kirtland DFC* |
|
Lusher, Norman | | Flight Sergeant Norman Lusher |
|
Mannion, Frank | | Warrant Officer Frank P Mannion |
|
OBrien, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken OBrien DFM |
|
Parsons, Lou | | Warrant Officer Lou Parsons |
| Flight Engineer, 75 Squadron. |
|
Rowland, John | | Squadron Leader John Rowland DSO DFC* (deceased) |
| Pilot, No.12, No.613 and No.625 Squadrons. Squadron Leader John Rowland was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice in three days in 1943; later, on completion of 50 bombing operations, he received the Distinguished Service Order. Rowland joined No.12 Squadron in June 1943 at the height of what became known as the Battle of the Ruhr – a sustained campaign against the huge industrial complexes in the region. Over the next five months he attacked most of the major cities. He went to Cologn |
|
Staves, Malcolm | | Flying Officer Malcolm Staves |
|
Worrall, Raymon | | Flying Officer Raymond Worrall |
|
Lasham, Bob | | Pilot, 9 and 97 Squadrons. |
|
Leksinski, Rudolf | | Weapons Operator, 30 Squadron. |
|
Linaker, Jack | | Warrant Officer Jack Linaker |
| As a Rear Gunner on Lancasters he was posted to 9 Sqn which was one of only two squadrons equipped with the Tallboy bomb used for precision bombing and went on to lead the final raid on Berchtesgaden. He completed 18 Ops.
|
|
MacNamara, Len | | A Rear Gunner with 10 Squadron at Melbourne, before being transferred to 158 Squadron at Lissett. He completed 36 Operations, then after a spell at OTU, completed 10 more Operations with 75 New Zealand Squadron. |
|
Maltas, Fred | | Warrant Officer Fred Maltas |
| Fred joined the RAF as a Flight Engineer and was originally sent to 51 Squadron at RAF Snaith on Halifaxes. He then joined 35 Squadron as they undertook their Pathfinder duties. On his 2nd operation to Krefeld on 21st June 1943 his Halifax HR799 was shot down, and Fred ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI. |
|
Manning, Len | | As a Rear Gunner on Lancasters with 57 Sqn, his aircraft was shot down by a German Night Fighter on only his 3rd Operation on 18th April 1944. Taken in by local French civilians, they kept him in hiding until the Allies advanced through Northern France before he finally got back to Britain on 5th September 1944. |
|
Morrison, John | | Warrant Officer John Morrison (deceased) |
| With 35 Sqn he flew as a WOP/Air Gunner on Halifaxes taking part in 24 'Ops' but was shot down on the attack on the Tirpitz in April 1942. After being captured he spent the rest of the War as a PoW in several camps including Stalag Luft III. We have learned that John Morrison has now sadly passed away. |
|
Mottershead, Bluey | | Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC |
| Completed a full tour of Operations in 1943 flying Halifaxes for 158 Sqn at Lissett. |
|
Oakeby, Henry | | Posted to 432 Sqn RCAF, Henry Oakeby served as a Navigator. |
|
Patterson, Ernie | | Warrant Officer Ernie Patterson DFC |
| Joining the Royal Air Force in 1942, he served with 635 Sqn Pathfinder Force until the end of the war. As a WOP/Air Gunner he completed 51 Ops on Lancasters – all of which were with Flt Lt Boris Bressloff and W.O. Harry Parker. |
|
Pearl, John | | Warrant Officer John Pearl |
| As a Mid-Upper Gunner he served with 207 Sqn on Lancasters. On his 8th Operation in April 1945 his aircraft was shot down and he then spent three days evading capture before finding his way into US occupied territory. |
|
Rogers, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken Rogers |
| As a Radio Operator he served with 9 Sqn similar to W.O. Jack Linaker. He completed 34 Ops on Lancasters including precision bombing on Bergen, Munich and the Arnsberg Viaduct in the German Rhine River Valley. |
|
Smith, Ron | | Air Gunner, 617 Squadron. |
|
Statham, Rex | | Warrant Officer Rex Statham |
| Flight Engineer, 158 Squadron. |
|
Starkey, Richard | | Pilot Officer Richard Dick Starkey |
| Dick Starkey was with 106 Sqn as a pilot on Lancasters when his aircraft was shot down in March 1944. After hospitalisation he moved to Stalag Luft III arriving within days of the execution of 50 escapees. |
|
Tetlow, Phil | | Flying Officer Phil Tetlow |
| Joining the RAF in August 1942 he soon began wireless training and, after a spell with 17 OTU, joined 9 Sqn at Bardney. He completed a total of 42 ops including all three raids against the Tirpitz. |
|
Thompson, Sam | | Warrant Officer Sam Thompson |
| As a Mid Upper Gunner he was posted to 103 Sqn on Halifaxes before transferring to 9 Sqn where he completed 3 raids on the Tirpitz and also Berchtesgaden, completing 50 Ops in total. |
|
Tunstall, Fred | | Flight Lieutenant Fred Tunstall DFC |
| Rear Gunner, 158 Squadron. |
|
Varney, Eric | | Flight Sergeant Eric Varney |
| Joining 207 Sqn he served as a Mid-Upper Gunner on over 20 Ops on Lancasters including the controversial joint RAF and USAAF raids on Dresden in February 1945. |
|
Wheeler, FrankNO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
 |
| | Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC (deceased) |
| Frank Wheeler joined the RAF in 1941, training in England as a pilot after which he completed a period of instructing. In January 1944 he was posted to join 174 Typhoon Fighter Squadron at Westhampnett, his first operation being as an escort to the Mosquitos taking part in Operation Jericho, the Amiens Jailbreak. He stayed with 174 Squadron for the remainder of the War, serving throughout occupied Europe, and in 1945, at the end of his tour of operations, he was awarded the DFC. We have learn |
|
Wesolowski, Andrzej | | Warrant Officer Andrzej Wesolowski |
| He was a wireless operator/air gunner and was born on 17th November 1916 at Alexandrow Kujowski near Torun. He initially served with the Polish Army and was captured in 1939, by the Russians, during the September Campaign. He escaped and was later captured by the Germans and held as a POW in France where he volunteered to work in the Commandant’s garden, thereby supplementing his diet with the odd potato he was able to liberate! He escaped again and made it to England in early 1943 where he jo |
|
Winser, Tony | | Warrant Officer Tony Winser (deceased) |
| Called up one day after his 18th birthday to join the Royal Air Force on 16th July 1943. After basic training as an Air Gunner he served on operations in September 1944. Tony Winser served as a Rear Turret Air Gunner in Lancasters with 12 and 626 Squadrons, completing 31 Ops and was the second highest scoring Bomber Command Ace of the war shooting down 7 enemy aircraft. Sadly, we have learned that Tony Winser passed away on 13th November 2011. |
|
+ Artist : Robert Taylor | | £295.00 | | | Bomber Command edition of 125 prints.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm) |
Bressloff, Boris | | Flight Lieutenant Boris Bressloff DFC |
| Having completed his training as a Bomb Aimer he joined 635 Sqn serving with W.O. Ernie Patterson and W.O. Harry Parker on over 50 Ops in Lancasters with Pilot Alex Throne DSO DFC. |
|
Cleaver, Reg | | Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver (deceased) |
| Served with 419 (Moose) Squadron RCAF. Reg Cleaver was a Flight Engineer and Co-pilot on Halifaxes until On his 17th operation on 24 June 1943, on a raid to Wuppertal, his aircraft was shot down by German Fw190 nightfighters. After initially evading capture he was eventually captured in Holland where he was beaten by the Gestapo and taken as a PoW to Stalag Luft 6 until the end of the war. He died aged 89 when his car hit a tree in Brandon, he was given a funeral with full military honours a |
|
Payne, Alan | | Flight Sergeant Alan Payne DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 and trained as an Observer in the UK and in South Africa but served as Bomb Aimer with 630 Squadron and later 57 Squadron on Lancasters completing 29 operations. Based at RAF East Kirkby Alan took part in the Battle of Berlin from November 1943, culminating with a raid on Nuremberg at the end of March 1944. Alan was then transferrred to Transport Command where he completed a full tour as a navigator on Halifaxes wtih 620 Sqn Transport Command in Palestine sup |
|
Bell, William | | Warrant Officer William Bell |
| Bill joined the RAF in 1941 and was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds as a Navigator on Halifaxes. He was later transferred to 166 Squadron, and was on his 20th operation, flying to Berlin in November 1943 when he was shot down and ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft IVb. He escaped on three separate occasions but was recaptured every time - the war finished just before his fourth attempt! |
|
Booker, Jim | | Warrant Officer Jim Booker |
| A Navigator on 625 Sqn Lancasters, flying operationally from late 1944, he flew on the last bombing mission of the European war to Berchtesgaden and supplied relief drops to the Dutch in Operation Manna. |
|
Carlton, Ken | | Flight Lieutenant Ken Carlton |
| Flight Engineer, 156, 7 and 635 Squadrons. |
|
Clarke, Eric | | Weapons Operator, 49 Squadron. |
|
Curnock, Richard | | Warrant Officer Richard Curnock |
| Richard Curnock was posted to 425 Squadron RCAF where he served as a Rear Gunner. He was only on his second operation on 25th February 1944 to Augsburg when his aircraft was shot down and he ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI until the end of the war. |
|
Evans, Eric | | Warrant Officer Eric Evans |
| After qualifying as a Rear Gunner he served with 463 RAAF Sqn serving on Lancasters from Waddington. In November 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a German night fighter whilst on a mission over Germany and he served the rest of the War as a PoW. |
|
Eves, Reg | | Rear and Middle Upper Air Gunner, 550 Squadron. |
|
Field, Dennis | | Flight Lieutenant Dennis Field |
|
French, George | | Flying Officer George French |
|
Gough, Harry | | Warrant Officer Harry Gough |
| Harry joined the RAF in 1943 as a Rear Gunner in 10 Squadron affectionately known as Shiny 10 at RAF Melbourne, part of 4 Group. At the beginning of the war they were equipped with Whitleys, upgrading to the Halifax in December 1941. On 8th July 1940, they moved to RAF Leeming, Yorkshire and again on 19th August 1942 to RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire. Harry completed 33 operations. |
|
Hadley, Les | | Flying Officer Les Hadley |
| As a Navigator Les did a full Tour with 40 Squadron on Wellingtons. His second tour was completed on Mosquitos with 139 PFF, from where he later transferred back to heavy Bombers with 156 PFF, completing his war-time service. |
|
Hall, JohnNO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
|
| | Squadron Leader John Hall, DFC* (deceased) |
| John Anthony Sanderson Hall was born in Oxford on Christmas Day 1921. His father was William Glenvil Hall, MP for Colne Valley and Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Attlee's government. From his father, a life-long Quaker, John inherited a belief in practical action rather than ideology, along with a sense of decency and respect for the rights of individuals. He attended the Quaker co-educational Leighton Park School, Reading, then worked briefly as a publisher's reader and studied |
|
Hildreth, Jeff | | Warrant Officer Jeff Hildreth (deceased) |
| A Wireless Operator/Air Gunner who joined the recently reformed 170 Sqn at Hemswell in October 1944. He went on to complete 28 Ops on Lancasters over North West Europe before the War finished in May 1945. He died in 2017.
|
|
Jenkinson, Ken | | Flight Sergeant Ken Jenkinson |
| Initially on Lancasters with 57 Sqn, as Radio Operator to pilot Ian Ross, he remained with the crew when they joined 617 Sqn and their aircraft crash landed in Russia after the first raid on the Tirpitz. |
|
Johnson, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken Johnson |
| As a Mid-Upper Gunner he flew on Lancasters with 9 and 61 Squadrons taking part in many raids including the final attack to sink the Tirpitz in November 1944 along with attacks on Berchtesgaden, Hitlers alpine home. |
|
Jones, Norman | | Warrant Officer Norman Jones |
| Flight Engineer, 625 Squadron. |
|
Kelbrick, William | | Flight Lieutenant William J Kelbrick |
| Gunner, No.50 and No.9 Squadrons. |
|
Kirtland, Bert | | Flight Lieutenant H W Bert Kirtland DFC* |
|
Lusher, Norman | | Flight Sergeant Norman Lusher |
|
Mannion, Frank | | Warrant Officer Frank P Mannion |
|
OBrien, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken OBrien DFM |
|
Parsons, Lou | | Warrant Officer Lou Parsons |
| Flight Engineer, 75 Squadron. |
|
Rowland, John | | Squadron Leader John Rowland DSO DFC* (deceased) |
| Pilot, No.12, No.613 and No.625 Squadrons. Squadron Leader John Rowland was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice in three days in 1943; later, on completion of 50 bombing operations, he received the Distinguished Service Order. Rowland joined No.12 Squadron in June 1943 at the height of what became known as the Battle of the Ruhr – a sustained campaign against the huge industrial complexes in the region. Over the next five months he attacked most of the major cities. He went to Cologn |
|
Staves, Malcolm | | Flying Officer Malcolm Staves |
|
Worrall, Raymon | | Flying Officer Raymond Worrall |
|
Lasham, Bob | | Pilot, 9 and 97 Squadrons. |
|
Leksinski, Rudolf | | Weapons Operator, 30 Squadron. |
|
Linaker, Jack | | Warrant Officer Jack Linaker |
| As a Rear Gunner on Lancasters he was posted to 9 Sqn which was one of only two squadrons equipped with the Tallboy bomb used for precision bombing and went on to lead the final raid on Berchtesgaden. He completed 18 Ops.
|
|
MacNamara, Len | | A Rear Gunner with 10 Squadron at Melbourne, before being transferred to 158 Squadron at Lissett. He completed 36 Operations, then after a spell at OTU, completed 10 more Operations with 75 New Zealand Squadron. |
|
Maltas, Fred | | Warrant Officer Fred Maltas |
| Fred joined the RAF as a Flight Engineer and was originally sent to 51 Squadron at RAF Snaith on Halifaxes. He then joined 35 Squadron as they undertook their Pathfinder duties. On his 2nd operation to Krefeld on 21st June 1943 his Halifax HR799 was shot down, and Fred ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI. |
|
Manning, Len | | As a Rear Gunner on Lancasters with 57 Sqn, his aircraft was shot down by a German Night Fighter on only his 3rd Operation on 18th April 1944. Taken in by local French civilians, they kept him in hiding until the Allies advanced through Northern France before he finally got back to Britain on 5th September 1944. |
|
Morrison, John | | Warrant Officer John Morrison (deceased) |
| With 35 Sqn he flew as a WOP/Air Gunner on Halifaxes taking part in 24 'Ops' but was shot down on the attack on the Tirpitz in April 1942. After being captured he spent the rest of the War as a PoW in several camps including Stalag Luft III. We have learned that John Morrison has now sadly passed away. |
|
Mottershead, Bluey | | Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC |
| Completed a full tour of Operations in 1943 flying Halifaxes for 158 Sqn at Lissett. |
|
Oakeby, Henry | | Posted to 432 Sqn RCAF, Henry Oakeby served as a Navigator. |
|
Patterson, Ernie | | Warrant Officer Ernie Patterson DFC |
| Joining the Royal Air Force in 1942, he served with 635 Sqn Pathfinder Force until the end of the war. As a WOP/Air Gunner he completed 51 Ops on Lancasters – all of which were with Flt Lt Boris Bressloff and W.O. Harry Parker. |
|
Pearl, John | | Warrant Officer John Pearl |
| As a Mid-Upper Gunner he served with 207 Sqn on Lancasters. On his 8th Operation in April 1945 his aircraft was shot down and he then spent three days evading capture before finding his way into US occupied territory. |
|
Rogers, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken Rogers |
| As a Radio Operator he served with 9 Sqn similar to W.O. Jack Linaker. He completed 34 Ops on Lancasters including precision bombing on Bergen, Munich and the Arnsberg Viaduct in the German Rhine River Valley. |
|
Smith, Ron | | Air Gunner, 617 Squadron. |
|
Statham, Rex | | Warrant Officer Rex Statham |
| Flight Engineer, 158 Squadron. |
|
Starkey, Richard | | Pilot Officer Richard Dick Starkey |
| Dick Starkey was with 106 Sqn as a pilot on Lancasters when his aircraft was shot down in March 1944. After hospitalisation he moved to Stalag Luft III arriving within days of the execution of 50 escapees. |
|
Tetlow, Phil | | Flying Officer Phil Tetlow |
| Joining the RAF in August 1942 he soon began wireless training and, after a spell with 17 OTU, joined 9 Sqn at Bardney. He completed a total of 42 ops including all three raids against the Tirpitz. |
|
Thompson, Sam | | Warrant Officer Sam Thompson |
| As a Mid Upper Gunner he was posted to 103 Sqn on Halifaxes before transferring to 9 Sqn where he completed 3 raids on the Tirpitz and also Berchtesgaden, completing 50 Ops in total. |
|
Tunstall, Fred | | Flight Lieutenant Fred Tunstall DFC |
| Rear Gunner, 158 Squadron. |
|
Varney, Eric | | Flight Sergeant Eric Varney |
| Joining 207 Sqn he served as a Mid-Upper Gunner on over 20 Ops on Lancasters including the controversial joint RAF and USAAF raids on Dresden in February 1945. |
|
Wheeler, FrankNO
PHOTO
AVAILABLE
|
| | Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC (deceased) |
| Frank Wheeler joined the RAF in 1941, training in England as a pilot after which he completed a period of instructing. In January 1944 he was posted to join 174 Typhoon Fighter Squadron at Westhampnett, his first operation being as an escort to the Mosquitos taking part in Operation Jericho, the Amiens Jailbreak. He stayed with 174 Squadron for the remainder of the War, serving throughout occupied Europe, and in 1945, at the end of his tour of operations, he was awarded the DFC. We have learn |
|
Wesolowski, Andrzej | | Warrant Officer Andrzej Wesolowski |
| He was a wireless operator/air gunner and was born on 17th November 1916 at Alexandrow Kujowski near Torun. He initially served with the Polish Army and was captured in 1939, by the Russians, during the September Campaign. He escaped and was later captured by the Germans and held as a POW in France where he volunteered to work in the Commandant’s garden, thereby supplementing his diet with the odd potato he was able to liberate! He escaped again and made it to England in early 1943 where he jo |
|
Winser, Tony | | Warrant Officer Tony Winser (deceased) |
| Called up one day after his 18th birthday to join the Royal Air Force on 16th July 1943. After basic training as an Air Gunner he served on operations in September 1944. Tony Winser served as a Rear Turret Air Gunner in Lancasters with 12 and 626 Squadrons, completing 31 Ops and was the second highest scoring Bomber Command Ace of the war shooting down 7 enemy aircraft. Sadly, we have learned that Tony Winser passed away on 13th November 2011. |
|
+ Artist : Robert Taylor | | £250.00 | | | | Victoria Cross edition of 25 matted prints. | Paper size 20 inches x 14 inches (51cm x 36cm) Overall size 25 inches x 22 inches (64cm x 56cm) |
Bressloff, Boris | | Flight Lieutenant Boris Bressloff DFC |
| Having completed his training as a Bomb Aimer he joined 635 Sqn serving with W.O. Ernie Patterson and W.O. Harry Parker on over 50 Ops in Lancasters with Pilot Alex Throne DSO DFC. |
|
Cleaver, Reg | | Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver (deceased) |
| Served with 419 (Moose) Squadron RCAF. Reg Cleaver was a Flight Engineer and Co-pilot on Halifaxes until On his 17th operation on 24 June 1943, on a raid to Wuppertal, his aircraft was shot down by German Fw190 nightfighters. After initially evading capture he was eventually captured in Holland where he was beaten by the Gestapo and taken as a PoW to Stalag Luft 6 until the end of the war. He died aged 89 when his car hit a tree in Brandon, he was given a funeral with full military honours a |
|
Payne, Alan | | Flight Sergeant Alan Payne DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 and trained as an Observer in the UK and in South Africa but served as Bomb Aimer with 630 Squadron and later 57 Squadron on Lancasters completing 29 operations. Based at RAF East Kirkby Alan took part in the Battle of Berlin from November 1943, culminating with a raid on Nuremberg at the end of March 1944. Alan was then transferrred to Transport Command where he completed a full tour as a navigator on Halifaxes wtih 620 Sqn Transport Command in Palestine sup |
|
Bell, William | | Warrant Officer William Bell |
| Bill joined the RAF in 1941 and was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds as a Navigator on Halifaxes. He was later transferred to 166 Squadron, and was on his 20th operation, flying to Berlin in November 1943 when he was shot down and ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft IVb. He escaped on three separate occasions but was recaptured every time - the war finished just before his fourth attempt! |
|
Booker, Jim | | Warrant Officer Jim Booker |
| A Navigator on 625 Sqn Lancasters, flying operationally from late 1944, he flew on the last bombing mission of the European war to Berchtesgaden and supplied relief drops to the Dutch in Operation Manna. |
|
Carlton, Ken | | Flight Lieutenant Ken Carlton |
| Flight Engineer, 156, 7 and 635 Squadrons. |
|
Clarke, Eric | | Weapons Operator, 49 Squadron. |
|
Curnock, Richard | | Warrant Officer Richard Curnock |
| Richard Curnock was posted to 425 Squadron RCAF where he served as a Rear Gunner. He was only on his second operation on 25th February 1944 to Augsburg when his aircraft was shot down and he ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI until the end of the war. |
|
Evans, Eric | | Warrant Officer Eric Evans |
| After qualifying as a Rear Gunner he served with 463 RAAF Sqn serving on Lancasters from Waddington. In November 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a German night fighter whilst on a mission over Germany and he served the rest of the War as a PoW. |
|
Eves, Reg | | Rear and Middle Upper Air Gunner, 550 Squadron. |
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Field, Dennis | | Flight Lieutenant Dennis Field |
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French, George | | Flying Officer George French |
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Gough, Harry | | Warrant Officer Harry Gough |
| Harry joined the RAF in 1943 as a Rear Gunner in 10 Squadron affectionately known as Shiny 10 at RAF Melbourne, part of 4 Group. At the beginning of the war they were equipped with Whitleys, upgrading to the Halifax in December 1941. On 8th July 1940, they moved to RAF Leeming, Yorkshire and again on 19th August 1942 to RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire. Harry completed 33 operations. |
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Hadley, Les | | Flying Officer Les Hadley |
| As a Navigator Les did a full Tour with 40 Squadron on Wellingtons. His second tour was completed on Mosquitos with 139 PFF, from where he later transferred back to heavy Bombers with 156 PFF, completing his war-time service. |
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Hall, JohnNO
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| | Squadron Leader John Hall, DFC* (deceased) |
| John Anthony Sanderson Hall was born in Oxford on Christmas Day 1921. His father was William Glenvil Hall, MP for Colne Valley and Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Attlee's government. From his father, a life-long Quaker, John inherited a belief in practical action rather than ideology, along with a sense of decency and respect for the rights of individuals. He attended the Quaker co-educational Leighton Park School, Reading, then worked briefly as a publisher's reader and studied |
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Hildreth, Jeff | | Warrant Officer Jeff Hildreth (deceased) |
| A Wireless Operator/Air Gunner who joined the recently reformed 170 Sqn at Hemswell in October 1944. He went on to complete 28 Ops on Lancasters over North West Europe before the War finished in May 1945. He died in 2017.
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Jenkinson, Ken | | Flight Sergeant Ken Jenkinson |
| Initially on Lancasters with 57 Sqn, as Radio Operator to pilot Ian Ross, he remained with the crew when they joined 617 Sqn and their aircraft crash landed in Russia after the first raid on the Tirpitz. |
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Johnson, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken Johnson |
| As a Mid-Upper Gunner he flew on Lancasters with 9 and 61 Squadrons taking part in many raids including the final attack to sink the Tirpitz in November 1944 along with attacks on Berchtesgaden, Hitlers alpine home. |
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Jones, Norman | | Warrant Officer Norman Jones |
| Flight Engineer, 625 Squadron. |
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Kelbrick, William | | Flight Lieutenant William J Kelbrick |
| Gunner, No.50 and No.9 Squadrons. |
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Kirtland, Bert | | Flight Lieutenant H W Bert Kirtland DFC* |
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Lusher, Norman | | Flight Sergeant Norman Lusher |
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Mannion, Frank | | Warrant Officer Frank P Mannion |
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OBrien, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken OBrien DFM |
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Parsons, Lou | | Warrant Officer Lou Parsons |
| Flight Engineer, 75 Squadron. |
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Rowland, John | | Squadron Leader John Rowland DSO DFC* (deceased) |
| Pilot, No.12, No.613 and No.625 Squadrons. Squadron Leader John Rowland was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice in three days in 1943; later, on completion of 50 bombing operations, he received the Distinguished Service Order. Rowland joined No.12 Squadron in June 1943 at the height of what became known as the Battle of the Ruhr – a sustained campaign against the huge industrial complexes in the region. Over the next five months he attacked most of the major cities. He went to Cologn |
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Staves, Malcolm | | Flying Officer Malcolm Staves |
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Worrall, Raymon | | Flying Officer Raymond Worrall |
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Lasham, Bob | | Pilot, 9 and 97 Squadrons. |
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Leksinski, Rudolf | | Weapons Operator, 30 Squadron. |
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Linaker, Jack | | Warrant Officer Jack Linaker |
| As a Rear Gunner on Lancasters he was posted to 9 Sqn which was one of only two squadrons equipped with the Tallboy bomb used for precision bombing and went on to lead the final raid on Berchtesgaden. He completed 18 Ops.
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MacNamara, Len | | A Rear Gunner with 10 Squadron at Melbourne, before being transferred to 158 Squadron at Lissett. He completed 36 Operations, then after a spell at OTU, completed 10 more Operations with 75 New Zealand Squadron. |
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Maltas, Fred | | Warrant Officer Fred Maltas |
| Fred joined the RAF as a Flight Engineer and was originally sent to 51 Squadron at RAF Snaith on Halifaxes. He then joined 35 Squadron as they undertook their Pathfinder duties. On his 2nd operation to Krefeld on 21st June 1943 his Halifax HR799 was shot down, and Fred ended up as a PoW in Stalag Luft VI. |
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Manning, Len | | As a Rear Gunner on Lancasters with 57 Sqn, his aircraft was shot down by a German Night Fighter on only his 3rd Operation on 18th April 1944. Taken in by local French civilians, they kept him in hiding until the Allies advanced through Northern France before he finally got back to Britain on 5th September 1944. |
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Morrison, John | | Warrant Officer John Morrison (deceased) |
| With 35 Sqn he flew as a WOP/Air Gunner on Halifaxes taking part in 24 'Ops' but was shot down on the attack on the Tirpitz in April 1942. After being captured he spent the rest of the War as a PoW in several camps including Stalag Luft III. We have learned that John Morrison has now sadly passed away. |
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Mottershead, Bluey | | Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC |
| Completed a full tour of Operations in 1943 flying Halifaxes for 158 Sqn at Lissett. |
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Oakeby, Henry | | Posted to 432 Sqn RCAF, Henry Oakeby served as a Navigator. |
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Patterson, Ernie | | Warrant Officer Ernie Patterson DFC |
| Joining the Royal Air Force in 1942, he served with 635 Sqn Pathfinder Force until the end of the war. As a WOP/Air Gunner he completed 51 Ops on Lancasters – all of which were with Flt Lt Boris Bressloff and W.O. Harry Parker. |
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Pearl, John | | Warrant Officer John Pearl |
| As a Mid-Upper Gunner he served with 207 Sqn on Lancasters. On his 8th Operation in April 1945 his aircraft was shot down and he then spent three days evading capture before finding his way into US occupied territory. |
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Rogers, Ken | | Warrant Officer Ken Rogers |
| As a Radio Operator he served with 9 Sqn similar to W.O. Jack Linaker. He completed 34 Ops on Lancasters including precision bombing on Bergen, Munich and the Arnsberg Viaduct in the German Rhine River Valley. |
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Smith, Ron | | Air Gunner, 617 Squadron. |
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Statham, Rex | | Warrant Officer Rex Statham |
| Flight Engineer, 158 Squadron. |
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Starkey, Richard | | Pilot Officer Richard Dick Starkey |
| Dick Starkey was with 106 Sqn as a pilot on Lancasters when his aircraft was shot down in March 1944. After hospitalisation he moved to Stalag Luft III arriving within days of the execution of 50 escapees. |
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Tetlow, Phil | | Flying Officer Phil Tetlow |
| Joining the RAF in August 1942 he soon began wireless training and, after a spell with 17 OTU, joined 9 Sqn at Bardney. He completed a total of 42 ops including all three raids against the Tirpitz. |
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Thompson, Sam | | Warrant Officer Sam Thompson |
| As a Mid Upper Gunner he was posted to 103 Sqn on Halifaxes before transferring to 9 Sqn where he completed 3 raids on the Tirpitz and also Berchtesgaden, completing 50 Ops in total. |
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Tunstall, Fred | | Flight Lieutenant Fred Tunstall DFC |
| Rear Gunner, 158 Squadron. |
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Varney, Eric | | Flight Sergeant Eric Varney |
| Joining 207 Sqn he served as a Mid-Upper Gunner on over 20 Ops on Lancasters including the controversial joint RAF and USAAF raids on Dresden in February 1945. |
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Wheeler, FrankNO
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| | Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC (deceased) |
| Frank Wheeler joined the RAF in 1941, training in England as a pilot after which he completed a period of instructing. In January 1944 he was posted to join 174 Typhoon Fighter Squadron at Westhampnett, his first operation being as an escort to the Mosquitos taking part in Operation Jericho, the Amiens Jailbreak. He stayed with 174 Squadron for the remainder of the War, serving throughout occupied Europe, and in 1945, at the end of his tour of operations, he was awarded the DFC. We have learn |
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Wesolowski, Andrzej | | Warrant Officer Andrzej Wesolowski |
| He was a wireless operator/air gunner and was born on 17th November 1916 at Alexandrow Kujowski near Torun. He initially served with the Polish Army and was captured in 1939, by the Russians, during the September Campaign. He escaped and was later captured by the Germans and held as a POW in France where he volunteered to work in the Commandant’s garden, thereby supplementing his diet with the odd potato he was able to liberate! He escaped again and made it to England in early 1943 where he jo |
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Winser, Tony | | Warrant Officer Tony Winser (deceased) |
| Called up one day after his 18th birthday to join the Royal Air Force on 16th July 1943. After basic training as an Air Gunner he served on operations in September 1944. Tony Winser served as a Rear Turret Air Gunner in Lancasters with 12 and 626 Squadrons, completing 31 Ops and was the second highest scoring Bomber Command Ace of the war shooting down 7 enemy aircraft. Sadly, we have learned that Tony Winser passed away on 13th November 2011. |
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Cheshire, Leonard (matted) | | Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased) |
| One of the most courageous and determined bomber leaders of World War II, Leonard Cheshire flew four operational tours, starting in June 1940 with 102 Squadron on Whitley bombers at RAF Driffield. In November 1940, he was awarded the DSO for getting his badly damaged aircraft back to base. He completed his first tour in January 1941, but immediately volunteered for a second tour, this time flying Halifaxes with 35 Squadron. He became Squadron Leader in 1942, and was appointed commanding offic |
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Jackson, Norman (matted) | | Warrant Officer Norman Jackson VC (deceased) |
| Norman Jackson joined 106 Squadron as a flight engineer, and his 30th operational raid earned him the Victoria Cross. While climbing out of the target area over Schweinfurt, his Lancaster was hit by an enemy night-fighter and the inner starboard engine set on fire. Although injured by shrapnel he jettisoned the pilots escape hatch and climbed out on to the wing clutching a fire extinguisher, his parachute spilling out as he went. He succeeded in putting out the fire just as the night-fighter |
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Learoyd, Roderick (matted) | | Wing Commander Roderick Learoyd VC (deceased) |
| On the day that war was declared Rod Learoyd was on patrol flying Hampdens with 49 Sqn. Continually involved with low level bombing, on the night of 12th August 1940, he and four other aircraft attempted to breach the heavily defended Dortmund - Ems canal. Of the four other aircraft on the mission, two were destroyed and the other two were badly hit. Learoyd took his plane into the heavily defended target at only 150 feet, in full view of the searchlights, and with flak barrage all around. H |
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Reid, Bill (matted) | | Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased) |
| Volunteering for RAF aircrew in 1940, Bill Reid learned to fly in California, training on the Stearman, Vultee and Harvard. After gaining his pilots wings back in England he flew Wellingtons before moving on to Lancasters in 1943. On the night of Nov 3rd 1943, his Lancaster suffered two severe attacks from Luftwaffe night fighters, badly wounding Reid, killing his navigator and radio operator, and severely damaging the aircraft. Bill flew on 200 miles to accurately bomb the target and get his |
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+ Artist : Robert Taylor | | SOLD
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