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Some other related items available from this site. | ||||
  617 Squadron Outbound to the Ruhr by Ivan Berryman. |   Twos Company by Philip West. |   Unmissable Chance by Ivan Berryman. |   Winter Ops by Gerald Coulson. | |
| 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 |
  Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased) Died : 2022 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 200 prints. Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Johnson, George L (Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)) Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022. |
 Warrant Officer Harry Irons DFC (deceased) Died : 2020 *Signature Value : £40 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 200 prints. Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Irons, Harry (Warrant Officer Harry Irons DFC (deceased)) Joining the RAF at the age of 16 in 1940, he did 2 full tours as a Rear Gunner with 9 Squadron and took part in nearly all the famous raids of Bomber Command. He finished in 1945 at 158 Squadron flying Halifaxes. 'I had just turned 18 when we went on a gunnery school course. After that six-week training, we usually went for a further three months training to an Operational Training Unit. It so happened that 9 Squadron had just converted from Wellingtons to Lancasters and they were 14 air gunners short on the squadron, so they posted us from gunnery school after six weeks' training straight to the squadron. 'When I got there, I was approached by a Flt Lt Stubbs, who said to me: 'You're my new gunner. We've got a gunner already but he's been flying Wellingtons and he doesn't want to be a rear gunner. He wants to go in the mid-upper turret. You'll be the rear gunner.' But, he said, on my first raid, the best thing for me to do would be to go on the mid-upper turret. 'That way you can see exactly what's going on,' he said. 'My first raid in Lancasters with 9 Squadron was to Dusseldorf on September 10th, 1942. Every time we went on a bombing raid, we had to do an air test first. We would test our guns, test the bomb sight, test the hydraulics, test the engines, and when you landed, if everything was OK, you told the engineers that everything was fine for the raid. As we landed, the armourers arrived with the bomb load. I still remember now, it was one 4,000 pounder - one huge, fat bomb - and 1,200 incendiaries. 'Our bomb aimer was an 'old sweat'. We used to call him 'The Old Boy'. He was 26. He said that with that bomb load we had, we were definitely going to the Happy Valley. When we returned to the mess, we got ready to go to the briefing. We were briefed and the curtain came down off the target and there it was - Dusseldorf. 'That's right,' said the bomb aimer to me, 'that's where we are going, Dusseldorf.' Most of our raids were on the Ruhr Valley and the reason why I am alive now is because - I don't know why - but I never went to Berlin. I wouldn't be talking to you now if I had been to Berlin. I can assure you. 'We put all our gear on. It took about half an hour for the air gunner to get dressed with all the clothing. I clambered into the mid-upper turret and off we went. As we crossed the Dutch coast, I could see we were about 1,400 or 1,500 feet over the coast. I could see a huge number of lights coming up. Far below us there was light flak, in beautiful colours, but it never touched us because we were a little too high. 'We crossed over Holland and the bomb aimer said: 'We are approaching the target, Skipper,' so I decided to swing my turret around and have a look. I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. I could not believe my eyes seeing what was in front of me. The flak, the guns, the lights, the search lights. It was incredible and I was really, really, really frightened. The plane was bouncing about. Then the bomb aimer said: 'Bomb doors open' and in we go straight and level. 'On my left I could see an aircraft on fire going down, and one below us I could see exploding. And I thought to myself: 'We're in for something here!'. I could not believe that we were going to fly through this huge explosion. But we went through it. Then the pilot was talking to the bomb aimer, and the bomb aimer said: 'We have missed the target, Skipper. We're going to have to go round again.' And I thought: 'Dear, oh dear, we've got to go all the way round, come back and go through all that again.' Which we did. And on the second run, we dropped our bombs. 'Bomb doors closed. On the way home. Flying back, there were problems with the oxygen, so the skipper – he was 21 and on his second tour, and old hand – took us down lower. We had to drop below 10,000 feet, and as we crossed the Dutch coast, the light flak opened up. It was absolutely hair-raising. There were hundreds and hundreds of these lights flashing past us but, strangely enough, not one of them hit us. 'When we got back, we landed and had a look at our aircraft. There were about 10 or 15 holes, two or three inches wide, across the fuselage, flak holes caused by shrapnel from the shells. We must have caught them on the Dutch coast. We were lucky but I've seen much worse. We went in for a briefing, had a coffee and went to bed. That was my first raid. Later, I found out, that our skipper, who had finished his tour, unfortunately got killed during training a couple of weeks later.' Harry Irons died on 10th November 2020. |
 Flight Sergeant Jim McGillivray *Signature Value : £25 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 200 prints. Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | McGillivray, Jim (Flight Sergeant Jim McGillivray) Having completed training as a Rear Gunner he as posted to 115 Sqn serving on 12 Ops on Lancasters from Autumn 1944 until the end of the war. |
 Warrant Officer Ken Johnson *Signature Value : £35 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 200 prints. Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | 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 James Copus *Signature Value : £35 Editions signed : Signed limited edition of 200 prints. Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Copus, James (Warrant Officer James Copus) Joined the RAF in 1940 on Lancasters with 97 Sqn Pathfinders. He baled out on a bombing raid over Hanover and was captured and taken PoW and interned at Stalag Luft I. |
  Group Captain J B Willie Tait DSO*** DFC* ADC (deceased) Died : 2007 *Signature Value : £40 Editions signed : Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Tait, J B Willie (Group Captain J B Willie Tait DSO*** DFC* ADC (deceased)) One of Bomber Commands most outstanding leaders, James Brian -Willie- Tait was one of only two RAF officers who had the distinction of being awarded three Bars to his DSO, as well as a DFC and Bar. On the night before D-Day Tait was the 5 Group Master Bomber directing from the air the massed attack by Lancasters on the German defences in the Cherbourg peninsula. By then Tait had already flown more than 100 bomber sorties with 51, 35, 10 and 78 Squadrons. A Cranwell-trained regular officer, he was very much in the Cheshire mould: quiet, bordering on the introspective. He was to go on to command the legendary 617 Dambusters Squadron and lead it on one of its most famous raids which finally destroyed the German battleship Tirpitz. In July 1944 when Leonard Cheshire was replaced by Wing Commander J B Willie Tait, 617 Squadron discovered that it had acquired a Commanding Officer very much in the Cheshire mould. Quiet, bordering on introspection, Tait, who was a Cranwell-trained regular officer, had already flown over 100 bombing operations with 51, 35, 10 and 78 Squadrons before joining 617. Tait had also received a DSO and bar and the DFC. He was 26. In the best traditions of 617 Squadron, Tait wasted no time in adapting to the Mustang and Mosquito for low level marking. He appointed two new Flight Commanders including Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC. Although involved in many of 617 Squadrons spectacular operations, Taits name is always associated with the destruction of the Tirpitz. An earlier attack on the ship by the squadron on 15th September 1944 had caused severe damage but Tirpitz was still afloat. On 29th October the Squadron was frustrated on the second attack by cloud over the target. The final attack was launched in daylight on 12th November 1944. Leading a mixed force of 617 and 9 Squadron Lancasters, Tait achieved complete surprise and had the satisfaction of seeing the Tirpitz destroyed at last. He had led all three attacks. On 28th December 1944 Tait received a third bar to his DSO, becoming one of only two RAF men to achieve this distinction. It coincided with his leaving 617 Squadron. Tait served in the post-war RAF, retiring as a Group Captain in 1966. He died 31st May 2007. |
  Air Commodore John Langston (deceased) Died : 2014 *Signature Value : £35 Editions signed : Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Langston, John (Air Commodore John Langston (deceased)) Originally serving as a Navigator with 630, 189 and 246 Sqns, he then volunteered for 617 Sqn becoming a Flight Engineer, taking part in many operations including the viaduct bombing raids on Armsberg and Bielefeld in 1945. He died on 11th August 2014. |
  Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC (deceased) Died : 2013 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Iveson, Tony (Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC (deceased)) Tony Iveson fought in the Battle of Britain with RAF Fighter Command, as a Sergeant pilot, joining 616 Squadron at Kenley flying Spitfires on 2 September 1940. On the 16th of September, he was forced to ditch into the sea after running out of fuel following a pursuit of a Ju88 bomber. His Spitfire L1036 ditched 20 miles off Cromer in Norfolk, and he was picked up by an MTB. He joined No.92 Sqn the following month. Commissioned in 1942, Tony undertook his second tour transferring to RAF Bomber Command, where he was selected to join the famous 617 Squadron, flying Lancasters. He took part in most of 617 Squadrons high precision operations, including all three sorties against the German battleship Tirpitz, and went on to become one of the most respected pilots in the squadron. He died on 5th November 2013. |
  Warrant Officer F L Tilley *Signature Value : £25 Editions signed : Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Tilley, F L (Warrant Officer F L Tilley) After training as a Flight Engineer he volunteered for 617 Sqn taking part in all the raids against the Tirpitz, but at the end of 1944 was forced to crash land in East Germany after being badly shot up and injured on a mission. |
  Flt Sergeant Stan Bradford DFM (deceased) Died : 2017 *Signature Value : £45 Editions signed : Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs. Collectors edition of 100 prints. Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. Collectors edition of 15 remarques. Collectors edition of 5 double remarques. | Bradford, Stan (Flt Sergeant Stan Bradford DFM (deceased)) A mid-upper gunner on Lancaster ED308 D-Donald of 57 squadron RAF Bomber Command, then based at Scampton. By the end of his tour in March 1944 Stan had become an air Ace, credited by 5 Group with the shooting down of 6 enemy fighters, including a Bf109 over France on his very first operation on the night of August 27th 1943. He died on 22nd June 2017. |
  Warrant Officer Norman Jackson VC (deceased) Died : 1994 *Signature Value : £80 Editions signed : Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. | Jackson, Norman (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 made a second attack, this time forcing the crew to bale out. Norman was swept away with his parachute starting to burn but somehow survived the fall to spend 10 months as a POW in a German hospital. Sadly, Norman Jackson died on 26th March 1994. |
  Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased) Died : 2001 *Signature Value : £80 Editions signed : Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. | Reid, Bill (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 aircraft home. For this act of outstanding courage and determination he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Died 28th November 2001. |
  Wing Commander Roderick Learoyd VC (deceased) Died : 1996 *Signature Value : £80 Editions signed : Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. | Learoyd, Roderick (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. He managed to get his very badly damaged aircraft back to England, where he circled until daybreak when he finally landed the aircraft without inflicting more damage to it, or injuring any of his crew. For his supreme courage that night he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He later joined 44 Sqn with the first Lancasters, and then commanded 83 Sqn. He died 24th January 1996. |
  Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased) Died : 1992 *Signature Value : £75 Editions signed : Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. | Cheshire, Leonard (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 officer of 76 Squadron later that year. Leonard Cheshire ordered that non-essential weight be removed from the Halifax bombers in a bid to increase speed and altitude, hoping to reduce the high casualty rates for this squadron. Mid-upper and nose turrets were removed, and exhaust covers taken off, successfully reducing the loss rate. In July 1943 he took command of 617 Squadron. During this time he led the squadron personally on every occasion. In September he was awarded the Victoria Cross for four and a half years of sustained bravery during a total of 102 operations, leading his crews with careful planning, brilliant execution and contempt for danger, which gained him a reputation second to none in Bomber Command. Sadly, Leonard Cheshire died of motor neuron disease on 31st July 1992, aged 74. |
 Group Captain Leonard Trent VC DFC ADC *Signature Value : £85 Editions signed : Victoria Cross edition of 25 prints. | Trent, Leonard (Group Captain Leonard Trent VC DFC ADC) Leonard Trent was in the war from the start, and at a time when aircrew losses were appalling. In May 1943, before Trent took off for the Amsterdam power station raid, he said - Im going over the target whatever happens - Of the twelve Ventura aircraft that set out against murderous fighter attacks and heavy flak, only Trent made it to the target - he was as good as his word. Trent was shot down on the return home, but his VC ranks amongst the most courageous of all. |
| Squadrons Related to This Print |
| No.576 Sqn |
| Aircraft Related to This Print |
| Lancaster |
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Signature(s) value alone : £180
Signature(s) value alone : £370
