
| Spitfires - Malta Bound by Philip West.
On the 11th August 1942, Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Wellum DFC, having just taken off from the deck of HMS Furious, leads his section of gathering Spitfires on the long journey to Malta. They are much-needed reinforcements for the beleaguered island, now in the twenty-sixth month of its siege. To enable each of the 38 Spitfires dispatched from Furious to reach Malta, over three hours flying time away, they carry maximum fuel together with a centre-line over-load tank. Even their ammunition is removed to save weight. Escorting Furious to her aft is the Cruiser HMS Manchester together with Destroyers Brave and Lithe. To their port side is the Ohio tanker laden with fuel during what became an epic voyage. In the distance HMS Eagle succumbs to an Axis torpedo attack. The success of Operation Pedestal was absolutely critical for the survival of Malta, bringing desperately needed fuel, food and ammunition to the Island. Losses were heavy but the courage and determination by all involved prev.........
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| | Item Code : DHM2310 | Spitfires - Malta Bound by Philip West. - Editions Available | |
| | DESCRIPTION | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | PRICE | PURCHASING | PACKS | | Signed limited edition of 400 prints. | Paper size 28 inches x 20 inches (71cm x 51cm) | Wellum, Geoffrey | | Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the RAF with a Short Service Commission in August 1939. He joined 92 Squadron flying Spitfires in June 1940 at the time of Dunkirk. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, later completing over 50 fighter sweeps and escorts over northern France and Belgium until August 1941. He then joined 65 Squadron as Flight Commander in March 1942 operating over northern France and flew off aircraft carrier HMS Furious on Operation Pedestal, to Malta. Geoff was a Flight Lieutenant during Operati |
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 + Artist : Philip West | £40 Off! | Now : £195.00 | | | Limited edition of 75 Artist Proofs. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 28 inches x 20 inches (71cm x 51cm) | Moon, Harry | | Squadron Leader Harry Moon (deceased) |
| Flying his Hurricane off the carrier Ark Royal for Malta on June 30th 1941, Harry Moon was fortunate to arrive on the island to join 249 Squadron in a period when the opposition was provided by the Italians. The Hurricane were equal to this task and Moon took part in many combats. However, in December the Lufttwaffe appeared again and losses rose sharply. In February 1942, he was transferred to 126 Squadron when 249 was temporarily disbanded as a result of losses and pending the arrival of Spitf |
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 Lynn, Vera Owen, Les | | Les Owen joined the Navy on 12th August 1941 as a seaman and his first weeks were spent at HMS Collingwood on a seamanship course. In December 1941 he was drafted to HMS Eagle and in January 1942 sailed to Gibraltar and took on 16 Spitfires which were sent there in crates to be assembled on the jetty and hoisted on the flight deck. After two days out the Spitfires flew off to Malta. This they did about ten times and on 9th August they sailed to meet 16 merchant ships and the largest Naval flee |
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Sprake, Tom | | Tom Sprake joined the Royal Navy as a boy seaman at the age of 15 in October 1936 and served on the South African Station joining HMS Eagle in Hong Kong on 1st July 1939. Eagle was involved on active service in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Eastern Med, South Atlantic, North Atlantic and the Western Med, where she was employed in ferrying Spitfires to Malta, making ten trips in all. Over 300 were taken to Malta in this way. His duties on Eagle were Anti-Aircraft Gun Director, his station being o |
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Goodenough, Les | | Les Goodenough enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1941 and joined HMS Eagle in December of that year at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool. HMS Eagle joined Force H at Gibraltar, where they convoyed and flew aircraft to Malta. Together with aircraft carriers Argus, USS Wasp and Furious, a total of 367 planes were flown to Malta. On 11 August 1942 at 13.15 Eagle was hit by four torpedoes, fired from U73 and at 13.21 HMS Eagle sank. One hundred and fifty eight ratings and two officers lost their lives, but |
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Davenport, Fred | | Fred Davenport joined aircraft carrier HMS Eagle as Able Rating (supply branch) in July 1941 and saw action in the south Atlantic and Malta convoys – ten convoys in all, supplying over 300 much needed aircraft for the defence of Malta. He survived the sinking of HMS Eagle by u-boat number 73 during operation Pedestal in August 1942. He subsequently served in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean theatres of war including the European landings, Greek and Palestine campaigns
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Shute, ted | | Ted Shute manned a Hotchkiss Gun on SS Troilus during the Operation Harpoon convoy to Malta where he arrived on 16th June 1942. He then served as a Coxswain on various RAF Craft including both Inshore Rescue Seaplane Tenders and the Offshore High Speed Rescue Launches. During the Siege of Malta GC the RAF Marine Branch Launches rescued a total of 224 British and Allied Airmen, 38 German Airmen, 24 Italian Airmen and captured one spy. With the Allied advance North through Sicily and Italy the L |
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Wellum, Geoffrey | | Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the RAF with a Short Service Commission in August 1939. He joined 92 Squadron flying Spitfires in June 1940 at the time of Dunkirk. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, later completing over 50 fighter sweeps and escorts over northern France and Belgium until August 1941. He then joined 65 Squadron as Flight Commander in March 1942 operating over northern France and flew off aircraft carrier HMS Furious on Operation Pedestal, to Malta. Geoff was a Flight Lieutenant during Operati |
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 + Artist : Philip West | £40 Off!
 | Now : £250.00 | | | | Signed limited edition of 100 prints, signed by the artist only. | Paper size 28 inches x 20 inches (71cm x 51cm) | Artist : Philip West |  | £180.00 | | | Limited edition of 25 Artist Studio Proofs. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Paper size 28 inches x 20 inches (71cm x 51cm) | Moon, Harry | | Squadron Leader Harry Moon (deceased) |
| Flying his Hurricane off the carrier Ark Royal for Malta on June 30th 1941, Harry Moon was fortunate to arrive on the island to join 249 Squadron in a period when the opposition was provided by the Italians. The Hurricane were equal to this task and Moon took part in many combats. However, in December the Lufttwaffe appeared again and losses rose sharply. In February 1942, he was transferred to 126 Squadron when 249 was temporarily disbanded as a result of losses and pending the arrival of Spitf |
|
 Lynn, Vera Owen, Les | | Les Owen joined the Navy on 12th August 1941 as a seaman and his first weeks were spent at HMS Collingwood on a seamanship course. In December 1941 he was drafted to HMS Eagle and in January 1942 sailed to Gibraltar and took on 16 Spitfires which were sent there in crates to be assembled on the jetty and hoisted on the flight deck. After two days out the Spitfires flew off to Malta. This they did about ten times and on 9th August they sailed to meet 16 merchant ships and the largest Naval flee |
|
Sprake, Tom | | Tom Sprake joined the Royal Navy as a boy seaman at the age of 15 in October 1936 and served on the South African Station joining HMS Eagle in Hong Kong on 1st July 1939. Eagle was involved on active service in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Eastern Med, South Atlantic, North Atlantic and the Western Med, where she was employed in ferrying Spitfires to Malta, making ten trips in all. Over 300 were taken to Malta in this way. His duties on Eagle were Anti-Aircraft Gun Director, his station being o |
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Goodenough, Les | | Les Goodenough enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1941 and joined HMS Eagle in December of that year at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool. HMS Eagle joined Force H at Gibraltar, where they convoyed and flew aircraft to Malta. Together with aircraft carriers Argus, USS Wasp and Furious, a total of 367 planes were flown to Malta. On 11 August 1942 at 13.15 Eagle was hit by four torpedoes, fired from U73 and at 13.21 HMS Eagle sank. One hundred and fifty eight ratings and two officers lost their lives, but |
|
Davenport, Fred | | Fred Davenport joined aircraft carrier HMS Eagle as Able Rating (supply branch) in July 1941 and saw action in the south Atlantic and Malta convoys – ten convoys in all, supplying over 300 much needed aircraft for the defence of Malta. He survived the sinking of HMS Eagle by u-boat number 73 during operation Pedestal in August 1942. He subsequently served in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean theatres of war including the European landings, Greek and Palestine campaigns
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Shute, ted | | Ted Shute manned a Hotchkiss Gun on SS Troilus during the Operation Harpoon convoy to Malta where he arrived on 16th June 1942. He then served as a Coxswain on various RAF Craft including both Inshore Rescue Seaplane Tenders and the Offshore High Speed Rescue Launches. During the Siege of Malta GC the RAF Marine Branch Launches rescued a total of 224 British and Allied Airmen, 38 German Airmen, 24 Italian Airmen and captured one spy. With the Allied advance North through Sicily and Italy the L |
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Wellum, Geoffrey | | Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC (deceased) |
| Joined the RAF with a Short Service Commission in August 1939. He joined 92 Squadron flying Spitfires in June 1940 at the time of Dunkirk. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, later completing over 50 fighter sweeps and escorts over northern France and Belgium until August 1941. He then joined 65 Squadron as Flight Commander in March 1942 operating over northern France and flew off aircraft carrier HMS Furious on Operation Pedestal, to Malta. Geoff was a Flight Lieutenant during Operati |
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 + Artist : Philip West | | £245.00 | | |
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