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Some other related items available from this site. | ||||
  Tragedy at the Eder by Ivan Berryman. |   Last One Away by Ivan Berryman. |   Last Long Shadow by Anthony Saunders. |   A Lucky Escape by Ivan Berryman. | |
| Signatures on these products | |
| *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature and is for the unmatted version where available. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
| Name | Info |
| Flight Lieutenant Boris Bressloff DFC *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer Reg Cleaver (deceased) *Signature Value : £35 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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 at St. John the Baptist Church in Brinklow. |
 Flight Sergeant Alan Payne DFC (deceased) Died : 2018 *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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 supporting the 6th Airborne Divison. He died on 24th January 2018. |
| Warrant Officer William Bell *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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! |
| Warrant Officer Jim Booker *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flight Lieutenant Ken Carlton *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Carlton, Ken (Flight Lieutenant Ken Carlton) Flight Engineer, 156, 7 and 635 Squadrons. |
| Flt Lt Eric Clarke MiD *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Clarke, Eric (Flt Lt Eric Clarke MiD) Weapons Operator, 49 Squadron. |
| Warrant Officer Richard Curnock *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer Eric Evans *Signature Value : £30 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer Reg Eves *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Eves, Reg (Warrant Officer Reg Eves) Rear and Middle Upper Air Gunner, 550 Squadron. |
| Flight Lieutenant Dennis Field *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Field, Dennis (Flight Lieutenant Dennis Field) Pilot, No.90 Squadron. |
| Flying Officer George French *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | French, George (Flying Officer George French) Bomb Aimer, 76 Squadron. |
| Warrant Officer Harry Gough *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flying Officer Les Hadley *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
 Squadron Leader John Hall, DFC* (deceased) Died : 2015 *Signature Value : £25 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Hall, John (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 at the Sorbonne before returning to this country and joining the RAF at the height of the Battle of Britain. After training as a night-fighter pilot, Hall joined No 85 Squadron, At that time, 85 Squadron flew twin engine Havocs, a night fighter version of the American light bomber, the Boston, with the radar operator where the Boston's gun turret would have been and 12 machine guns in the nose, in place of the Boston's navigator. The radar then was the Mark 4, not very reliable, and with a very limited range. During 1942, the Squadron re-equipped with the much faster and more maneuverable Mosquito, with a scanner in the nose for the infinitely more effective Mark 8 radar and 4 cannon. After excelling on an air gunnery course at the Central Gunnery School, Hall became an instructor at No 51 Operational Training Unit. He became an ardent believer in the need for fighter pilots to understand fully the basics of air-to-air shooting, something that he felt most of them lacked. He likened the problem to shooting game birds when an estimate of range, line and deflection held the key to success. Hall joined the New Zealanders of No 488 in November 1943, and was crewed up with Cairns, an experienced radar operator. Two months after their initial success, Hall and Cairns were on a routine patrol over Essex when they were directed to a contact flying at 18,000ft. They identified a Junkers 88, which they shot down and saw crash with a tremendous explosion. The enemy aircraft had landed on a group of dispersed bombers on the USAAF airfield at Earls Colne, severely damaging a number of them. Hall was doubtful about claiming this as a kill. He shot down another bomber off the Essex coast on April 19 1944. As he approached to land, he was told to wait until another Mosquito had landed ahead of him. In the event, the other Mosquito turned out to be a Junkers 88; the crew claimed they thought they were landing in Holland. After shooting down their fifth German bomber, as it attacked Bristol on May 22, both Hall and Cairns were awarded the DFC. Hall's citation described him as a highly efficient and courageous fighter. On the night before D-Day, Hall flew one of the many night fighters that patrolled over the beachhead keeping German bombers away from the invasion fleet. By mid-August, the crews of No 488 had destroyed 49 enemy aircraft. The sum of £50 had been accrued at various fund-raising events, and it was agreed that this should go to the ground crew of the aircraft achieving the squadron's 50th success. During the night of August 14/15, Hall attacked a German bomber, but it escaped. Shortly afterwards a second bomber was attacked and Hall succeeded in shooting it down 20 miles south of Caen, much to the delight of his ground crew. After moving to an advanced airfield in France, further success came on the night of December 23/24. Two days later, however, Hall had a narrow escape. Flying in atrocious weather in an attempt to support Allied troops under attack during the German's lightning Ardennes offensive, he was prevented by blizzards from returning to his base at Amiens. With virtually no fuel, he saw a light and crash-landed on a US forward grass airstrip and the Mosquito was wrecked. Hall scored his last kill on March 27 1945. He pressed home his attack from such close range that his Mosquito was hit by debris from the enemy bomber. The port engine was damaged and subsequently caught fire, but Hall managed to crash land on an airfield in Holland; his aircraft was almost completely burnt out. A few days later, he and Cairns each received a Bar to their DFCs. After leaving the RAF at the end of 1946, Hall went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, to read Law. He was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in November 1948, and joined chambers at Lamb Building. He died on 24th September 2015. |
| Warrant Officer Jeff Hildreth (deceased) Died : 2017 *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flight Sergeant Ken Jenkinson *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
 Warrant Officer Ken Johnson *Signature Value : £35 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer Norman Jones *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Jones, Norman (Warrant Officer Norman Jones) Flight Engineer, 625 Squadron. |
| Flight Lieutenant William J Kelbrick *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Kelbrick, William (Flight Lieutenant William J Kelbrick) Gunner, No.50 and No.9 Squadrons. |
| Flight Lieutenant H W Bert Kirtland DFC* *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Kirtland, Bert (Flight Lieutenant H W Bert Kirtland DFC*) Air Gunner, 76 Squadron. |
| Flight Sergeant Norman Lusher *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Lusher, Norman (Flight Sergeant Norman Lusher) Air Gunner, 9 Squadron. |
| Warrant Officer Frank P Mannion *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Mannion, Frank (Warrant Officer Frank P Mannion) Rear Gunner, No.10 Sqn. |
| Warrant Officer Ken OBrien DFM *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | OBrien, Ken (Warrant Officer Ken OBrien DFM) Rear Gunner, No.10 Sqn. |
| Warrant Officer Lou Parsons *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Parsons, Lou (Warrant Officer Lou Parsons) Flight Engineer, 75 Squadron. |
| Squadron Leader John Rowland DSO DFC* (deceased) Died : 2014 *Signature Value : £20 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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 Cologne twice before sorties to Gelsenkirchen, Duisberg and Essen. On the night of July 25th, an intense campaign was directed against Hamburg. The radar countermeasure 'window' was used for the first time and proved very effective in reducing bomber losses. Rowland flew on three of the four raids that devastated the city and the Blohm and Voss shipyard. In the middle of August, Bomber Command launched the first phase of the Battle of Berlin, a campaign that was to be waged with great intensity throughout the winter of 1943-44. Rowland flew on the first attack on the night of August 23rd, a sortie of almost eight hours. Throughout the autumn, he attacked other large cities including Nuremburg, Frankfurt and Munich. On October 8th, the target was Hanover. Just before reaching the city, his Lancaster was engaged by a German night fighter and badly damaged. His rear gunner was killed but he decided to press on to the target, which he bombed successfully Rowland had just been awarded the DFC for 'his skill and courage' when it was announced that he had been awarded a Bar for his gallant conduct during the two sorties to Hanover. John Naunton Rowland was born in Cardiff on December 28th 1919. He attended Cheltenham College before gaining a cadetship to the RAF College Cranwell. On the outbreak of the Second World War, his course was cut short and, after graduating as a pilot, he joined No 613 Squadron. The squadron flew antiquated Lysander aircraft in the Army co-operation role and Rowland was rushed into service. He made a number of trips to Calais as the British Expeditionary Force fought a rearguard action before the evacuation from Dunkirk. In September 1940, Rowland started a three-year period as a flying instructor before joining No.12 Squadron. After his first tour on Lancasters and a period as an instructor, Rowland returned to the bombing campaign as a flight commander on No.625 Squadron. The squadron was heavily involved in flying operations in the build-up to D-Day, when the French railway system and storage areas were key targets. He also attacked V-1 flying bomb sites, and on the night of D-Day he bombed the large gun batteries at Vire. On June 30th 1944, 118 Lancasters attacked the railway yards at Vierzon near Orleans. The Pathfinder force had great difficulty identifying the target, and the orbiting Lancasters came under heavy attack. Rowland feared the worst and told his crew 'to keep a good lookout'. They survived but 14 Lancasters were lost, nearly 12 per cent of the force. Rowland attacked more flying bomb sites and the huge secret weapons facility at Wizernes before the campaign against Germany was resumed. After completing his 50th operation – to Calais, the scene of his first war sortie – Rowland was rested. He was awarded a DSO. In December 1944 he was seconded to BOAC, flying from Bristol. He remained with the airline after the war and flew routes to West Africa, the Middle East and to India. He was one of the first pilots to land at Heathrow Airport after its opening, remembering it as 'a field with a long runway and marquees for passengers and customs clearance'. After a number of years, he left to join the family hotel business. He always claimed that leaving BOAC was his greatest regret. In the post-war years, Rowland befriended a number of former Luftwaffe night fighter pilots and attended their reunions. In later life he planted a tree at his old airfield at Wickenby in Lincolnshire in memory of his rear gunner. In 2011 he wrote his memoirs, Return Flights in War and Peace. John Rowland married Jean McMichael, a WAAF officer, in 1944. She died in 1982. He is survived by their two sons and by Pam Ideson, his companion for the last 23 years. Squadron Leader John Rowland, born December 28th 1919, died November 22nd 2014. |
| Flying Officer Malcolm Staves *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Staves, Malcolm (Flying Officer Malcolm Staves) Air Gunner, 207 Sqn. |
| Flying Officer Raymond Worrall *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Worrall, Raymon (Flying Officer Raymond Worrall) Flight Engineer, 44 Sqn. |
| Flt Lt Bob Lasham DFC* *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Lasham, Bob (Flt Lt Bob Lasham DFC*) Pilot, 9 and 97 Squadrons. |
| Flt Sgt Rudolf Leksinski *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Leksinski, Rudolf (Flt Sgt Rudolf Leksinski) Weapons Operator, 30 Squadron. |
| Warrant Officer Jack Linaker *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flt Lt Len MacNamara DFC *Signature Value : £35 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | MacNamara, Len (Flt Lt Len MacNamara DFC) 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. |
| Warrant Officer Fred Maltas *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Sergeant Len Manning *Signature Value : £20 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Manning, Len (Sergeant Len Manning) 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. |
| Warrant Officer John Morrison (deceased) *Signature Value : £40 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Mottershead, Bluey (Flt Lt Bluey Mottershead DFC) Completed a full tour of Operations in 1943 flying Halifaxes for 158 Sqn at Lissett. |
| Flt Lt Henry Oakeby *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Oakeby, Henry (Flt Lt Henry Oakeby) Posted to 432 Sqn RCAF, Henry Oakeby served as a Navigator. |
| Warrant Officer Ernie Patterson DFC *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer John Pearl *Signature Value : £25 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer Ken Rogers *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flt Lt Ron Smith DFC AE *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Smith, Ron (Flt Lt Ron Smith DFC AE) Air Gunner, 617 Squadron. |
| Warrant Officer Rex Statham *Signature Value : £20 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Statham, Rex (Warrant Officer Rex Statham) Flight Engineer, 158 Squadron. |
| Pilot Officer Richard Dick Starkey *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flying Officer Phil Tetlow *Signature Value : £20 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Warrant Officer Sam Thompson *Signature Value : £10 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Flight Lieutenant Fred Tunstall DFC *Signature Value : £20 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Tunstall, Fred (Flight Lieutenant Fred Tunstall DFC) Rear Gunner, 158 Squadron. |
| Flight Sergeant Eric Varney *Signature Value : £15 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
 Flying Officer Frank Wheeler DFC (deceased) Died : 2013 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | Wheeler, Frank (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 learned that Frank Wheeler sadly passed away in early 2013. |
| Warrant Officer Andrzej Wesolowski *Signature Value : £40 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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 joined 304 Squadron after training as a wireless operator/air gunner and being a regular rear gunner with them before transferring out to 6OTU for a three month course. Near the end of his time there, he was on board Wellington Mk X HE747 when it crashed, on 18th February 1944, during a training flight out of RAF Silloth, Cumberland (now Cumbria). He was participating in a co-operation exercise with fighters when the engines on the Wellington overheated and the pilot made a forced landing near the village of Skinburness, about a mile north of Silloth. In an effort to avoid buildings, the plane lost speed and crash landed – killing the pilot and another crew member. Andrzej Wesolowski was one of three survivors but he was injured and recuperated at the Polish Depot in Blackpool. As soon as he was fit, he rejoined 304 Squadron and completed 27/29 operations with them (sources vary). During his military service he was awarded the Cross of Valour. After the war he settled down in Derby. |
| Warrant Officer Tony Winser (deceased) Died : 2011 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Bomber Command edition of 25 artist proofs. | 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. |
| Aircraft Related to This Print |
| Lancaster |
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Signature(s) value alone : £880