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| Aviation Art Collecton - No.105 Sqn |
No 105 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Andover, Hampshire, in September 1917, and was originally intended as a bomber unit for service in France. In April 1918, however, plans were changed: it was ordered to mobilize as a corps reconnaissance squadron for service in Ireland and in May it proceeded to Omagh, Co. Tyrone, equipped with RE8 aircraft. In December 1918, it was re-equipped with Bristol Fighters. and 105 Squadron continued on duties in Ireland until 1 February 1920, when the squadron was disbanded by being re-numbered to 2 Squadron at Oranmore The squadron was formed again on 12 April 1937 at RAF Harwell from B Flight of 18 Squadron as a day bomber squadron. Its first equipment was the biplane Hawker Audax while it awaited delivery of the more modern monoplane Fairey Battle. The Battles arrived in August 1937 and 105 Squadron was one of the first to be operational on the type. At the start of the Second World War in September 1939, as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force, the squadron moved to France, initially on reconnaissance missions along the France-German border. The Germans invaded France in May 1940 and the squadron was soon busy attacking the advancing German troops. One of the most important targets was the bombing of the bridges over the River Meuse in attempt to slow down the German advance. It suffered heavily from the attention of German fighters and the squadron had to retire back to England in June 1940. At RAF Honington the squadron was re-equipped with the Bristol Blenheim to join 2 Group's offensive against the invasion ports and German shipping. The squadron had many losses particularly from the German Flak ships. In October 1940 part of the squadron was detached to Malta to carry out attacks on Axis shipping in the Mediterranean Sea. It moved to RAF Swanton Morley in Norfolk. After losing its commanding officer in a raid near Stavanger in 1941, it gained a new CO, Wing Commander H.I. Edwards. For his part in planning and leading a low level daylight attack on the port of Bremen he was awarded the Victoria Cross. In October 1941 the Malta detachment returned to England and the squadron began to operate at a reduced level. The reason for the reduction in sorties was the squadron had been chosen to be the first to use the Mosquito Mk.IV and was concentrating on training. In December the squadron moved to RAF Horsham St Faith near Norwich. The first Mosquito operation was a high-level attack on Cologne as a follow-on to the "thousand-bomber" raid on the city. It was not the best use of the new aircraft and the squadron soon moved to low-level precision attacks where the aircraft had an outstanding performance. The first precision attack was against the Gestapo Headquarters in Oslo on 25 September 1942. The squadron was the first to do a daylight raid on Berlin on 30 January 1943. By June 1943 the squadron joined No. 8 (Pathfinder) Group and upgraded to Oboe-equipped Mosquito Mk.IXs. It performed precision target-marking for Bomber Command until the end of the war. The squadron was disbanded at RAF Upwood on 1 February 1946. Between 1949 and 1957 the squadron was linked with 109 Squadron as 109/105 Squadron, but on 21 February 1962 the squadron re-formed in its own right at RAF Benson with the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy, a medium-range tactical transport. By June it had moved to RAF Khormaksar, Aden, to provide support to ground forces in the area. It also carried out transport runs through the middle-east and parts of Africa. It was involved in paradropping supplies to the British Army during operations in the Radfan and was also involved in supporting the operations in Borneo. In 1966 it was supporting troops in Aden again. When the terrorist activity worsened, it was also tasked with providing search-and-rescue searches over the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. As the British withdrawal from Aden got nearer the squadron moved out the Muharraq, Bahrain, in 1967. On 20 January 1968 the squadron disbanded for the last time there. |
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| Aircraft for : No.105 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.105 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
Battle
Manufacturer : Fairey | Battle 14th May 1940 was a bad day for losses for the Fairey battle aircraft and its crews during the Battle for France. Sedan was situated on the east bank of the Meuse River. Its capture would give the Germans a base from which to capture the Meuse bridges and cross the river. On 14 May 1940 the Allied air forces, tried to destroy the bridges to slow down the German advance. During these sorties No 71 Wing RAF lost 10 Fairey Battles and 5 Blenheims No.75 Wing RAF lost 14–18 Battles and No 76 Wing RAF lost 11 Battles. Out of 71 bombers dispatched, 40–44 bombers were lost, meaning a loss rate of 56–62 percent Here is the list of Aircraft shot down and the names of their crews Battle K9189 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F H Ridley killed, Sergeant G Atkinson killed, Aircraftsman 1 J S Thomson killed. Battle K9333 , WT-?, - Shot down near Ecly. Pilot Officer H L Oakley ok, Sergeant Martin ok, Aircraftsman 1 Presto ok. Battle K9342 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F A G Lascelles ok, Sergeant Ordway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Weir ok. Battle K9343 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant V H Moseley killed, Sergeant S D Hibberd killed, Corporal H F Little killed. Battle K9383 , MQ-?, - Damaged by enemy but returned to base. Abandoned during fall of France. Sergeant E E Hopkins ok, Sergeant J Callaghan ok, Aircraftsman 1 D Barber ok. Battle K9483 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer A F Posselt killed, Sergeant D J Bowen killed, Aircraftsman 2 N V Vano killed. Battle L4946 , JN-?, - Crashed near Douchery. Flying Officer J Ing killed, Sergeant J D Turner killed, Aircraftsman 1 W J Nolan killed. Battle L4950 , PH-V, - Crashed near Sedan. Flying Officer E R D Vaughan killed, Sergeant C Shelton-Jones killed, Aircraftsman 1 J D Wright taken prisoner. Battle L4952 , PH-X, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant G D Clancey taken prisoner, Sergeant K Alderson killed, Aircraftsman 1 R T Ainsworth killed. Battle L5188 , PH-C, - Lost near Sedan. Sergeant H R W Winkler taken prisoner, Sergeant M D Smalley taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 L R Clarke taken prisoner. Battle L5190? , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer T B Fitzgerald injured, Corporal Madkins ok. (Note Flying Officer Fitzgerald may not have been in this aircraft but instead P2191.) Battle L5230 , GB-?, - Lost without trace around Sedan. Flight Lieutenant H C Sammels killed, Sergeant F B Abbott killed, Leading Aircraftsman R D Hughes killed. Battle L5232 , HA-?, - Shot down at Sauville. Pilot Officer W A R Harris injured but returned to unit, Sergeant N B Herriot killed, Aircraftsman 1 W Robinson killed. Battle L5233 , RH-?, - Returned to base damaged and was subsequently abandoned during the fall of France. Battle L5235 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer A M Imrie taken prisoner, Leading Aircraftsman A J Taylor killed. Battle L5238 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant R N Wall killed, Sergeant A C Morgan killed, Leading Aircraftsman H Hatton killed. Battle L5250 , GB-?, - Force landed and abandoned at Suipped. Pilot Officer D C F Murray ok, Sergeant Hemingway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Hill ok. Battle L5422 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer J F R Crane killed, Aircraftsman 1 T W Holloway taken prisoner. Battle L5438 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant W A Dunn killed, Sergeant A F Sedgewick killed, Aircraftsman 2 M B Millar killed. Battle L5516 , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer V A Cunningham ok, Aircraftsman 1 J Johnson ok. Battle L5517 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant K R Rogers killed. Battle L5523 , GB-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer H E White killed, Sergeant G A Cartwright killed, Aircraftsman 1 J Potter killed. Battle L5581 , RH-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant W G Ross killed, Sergeant F E Beames killed, Leading Aircraftsman J H K Gegg killed. Battle L5585 Mk.1 , GB-?, - Shot down and crashed behind enemy lines Battle P2182 , JN-?, - Shot down near Douzy. Flight Sergeant J Boon killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Aircraftsman 1 S Martin killed.14May1940Battle P2191 , PM-?, - Shot down by an Me109 near Sedan. Sergeant G Beardsley ok, Leading Aircraftsman G F Lewis ok. (Note Sergeant Beardsley may not have been in this aircraft, but in L5190.)14May1940Battle P2246 , WT-?, - Shot down and crash landed behind enemy lines. Squadron Leader J F Hobler injured but evaded capture, Sergeant R V T Kitto evaded capture, Corporal D J Barbrooke evaded capture.14May1940Battle P2267 , MQ-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Squadron Leader C E S Lockett taken prisoner, Sergeant F J Percival killed, Corporal R S Clark killed.14May1940Battle P2324 , HA-?, - Shot down by ground fire near Sedan. Flying Officer D A J Foster taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 T J Bryan taken prisoner.14May1940Battle P2333 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant A N Spear evaded capture, Sergeant J Brookes killed, Leading Aircraftsman R H Nugent killed.14May1940Battle P2360 , HA-?, - Lost without trace near Sedan. Pilot Officer R T L Buttery killed, Aircraftsman 2 W C Waterston killed.14May1940Battle P5229 , PH-O, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant A G Johnson killed, Sergeant E F White killed, Aircraftsman 1 F T Spencer taken prisoner. Battle P5232 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant G T Barker killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Leading Aircraftsman A K Summerson evaded capture. | |
Blenheim
Manufacturer : Bristol | Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. | |
Mosquito 
Manufacturer : De Havilland Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1955 Number Built : 7781 | Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built. | |
| Signatures for : No.105 Sqn RAF | |||
| A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||
| Name | Info | ||
Wing Commander Robert Bray Click the name above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Robert Bray | Wing Commander Robert Bray Robert flew his first tour of 32 ops in 75 (NZ) Squadron on Wellington’s. After a period instructing he joined 105 Squadron PFF on Mosquitos, flying Oboe operations, completing 87 ops by June 1944. In March 1945 he was posted to command 571 Squadron PFF, then commanded 128 Squadron PFF until Feb 1946. | ||
  Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC
| Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC Entering the RAF in 1940 he joined No 114 Squadron as a sergeant pilot flying Blenheims. After 12 operations he and his crew were allocated to No 105 Squadron and then No 107 Squadron, the last remaining Blenheim Squadron in Malta. The Squadron remained there without relief for five months carrying out low level attacks on the shipping. Very few of the original crews survived the detachment, in fact he was commissioned during this period, when 107 Squadron had lost all their officers and for a short time was the only officer, other than the CO, in the Squadron. At the end of this tour he was awarded the DFC. In early 1943 he became one of the first Mosquito instructors in the Pathfinder Force and later moved to No 571 Squadron with the Light Night Strike Force. He then formed No 163 Squadron as acting Wing Commander. He was awarded a bar to his DFC for a low level moonlight mining attack on the Dormund - Ems Canal from 50ft and then a second bar for getting a 4000lb bomb into the mouth of a railway tunnel during the final German Ardennes offensive. During his time on Mosquitoes his navigator was Tommy Broom, together they formed an inseparable combination. Remaining with the RAF after WWII and in accordance with peacetime rules for a much smaller Air Force he was reduced in rank first to Squadron Leader and then to Flight Lieutenant in 1948. Promoted to Air Marshal in 1974 he became the Head of the UK National Air Traffic Services and was the first serving officer to be appointed to the Board of the Civil Aviation Authority. Retiring from the RAF in 1979 he has been actively engaged in civil aviation since then. He died 24th January 2003. | ||
  Squadron Leader TJ Tommy Broom DFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader TJ Tommy Broom DFC
| Squadron Leader TJ Tommy Broom DFC Thomas John Broom was born on January 22 1914 at Portishead, Bristol, and educated at Slade Road School, leaving when he was 14 to work as a garage hand. As soon as he reached his 18th birthday he enlisted in the RAF and trained as an armourer. He served in the Middle East, initially in Sudan, and in 1937 was sent to Palestine to join No 6 Squadron. With the threat of war in Europe, however, there was an urgent need for more air observers; Broom volunteered and returned to Britain for training. In February 1939 he joined No 105 Squadron at Harwell, which was equipped with the Fairey Battle. On the day the Second World War broke out No 105 flew to Reims in northern France to support the British Expeditionary Force, and within three weeks Broom had flown his first reconnaissance over Germany. During a raid on Cologne in November 1940 his aircraft was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire, but the crew managed to struggle back to England where they were forced to bail out as they ran out of fuel. For the next 12 months Broom served as an instructor. He returned to his squadron in January 1942, just as the Mosquito entered service, and on August 25 was sent to attack a power station near Cologne. As the aircraft flew at treetop height across Belgium, the crew spotted an electricity pylon. The pilot tried to avoid it but the starboard engine struck the top of the pylon and the aircraft ploughed into pine trees. Both men survived the crash, and were picked up by members of the Belgian Resistance. They were escorted to St Jean de Luz by the Belgian-run Comet escape line, and Broom crossed the mountains under the aegis of a Spanish Basque guide on September 8; his pilot followed him two weeks later. Twenty-five years after the event Broom returned to St Jean de Luz to meet the woman who had sheltered him from the Germans. After the German advance into the Low Countries on May 10 1940, the Battle squadrons were thrown against Panzers and attacked the crucial bridges across the main rivers, suffering terrible losses. After the fall of France, Broom and some of his comrades managed to reach Cherbourg to board a ship for England. No 105 Squadron was re-equipped with the Blenheim, and during the Battle of Britain Broom attacked the German barges assembling at the Channel ports in preparation for an invasion of England. After spending a period as an instructor at 13 OTU he rejoined 105 Squadron on Mosquitoes, they were in fact the first squadron in the RAF to receive them. Through early 1942 he was navigator on many of the daylight raids carried out by 105 Squadron. In August 1943 Tommy Broom was the chief ground instructor at the Mosquito Training Unit when he first met his namesake Flight Lieutenant Ivor Broom (later Air Marshal Sir Ivor Broom), an experienced low-level bomber pilot. They immediately teamed up and flew together for the remainder of the war, in 163 Squadron as part of the Light Night Strike Force forming a formidable on Mosquitoes including the low level attack on the Dortmund - Ems Canal and completing 58 operations together, including 22 to Berlin. Known as The Flying Brooms Initially they joined No 571 Squadron as part of Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennetts Pathfinder Force, and on May 26 1944 they flew their first operation, an attack on Ludswigshafen. On August 9 they took part in a spectacular night-time mission to drop mines in the Dortmund-Ems Canal. They descended rapidly from 25,000ft to fly along the canal at 150ft, releasing their mines under heavy anti-aircraft fire. The force of eight Mosquitos closed the canal for a number of weeks. Tommy Brooms brilliant navigation had helped ensure the success of the raid, and he was awarded a DFC. The Brooms took part in another daring attack on New Years Day 1945. In order to stem the flow of German reinforcements to the Ardennes, the RAF mounted operations to sever the rail links leading to the area, and the Brooms were sent to block the tunnel at Kaiserslauten. They were approaching the tunnel at low level just as a train was entering it. They dropped their 4,000lb bomb, with a time delay fuse, in the entrance and 11 seconds later it exploded, completely blocking the tunnel – the train did not emerge. Tommy Broom received a Bar to his DFC and his pilot was awarded a DSO. When Ivor Broom was given command of No 163 Squadron, Tommy went with him as the squadrons navigation leader and they flew together until the end of the war. Their last five operations were to Berlin, where searchlights posed a perpetual problem. On one occasion they were coned for as long as a quarter of an hour. After twisting, turning and diving to escape the glare, Ivor Broom asked his disoriented navigator for a course to base. Tommy replied: Fly north with a dash of west, while I sort myself out. A few weeks later Tommy Broom was awarded a second Bar to his DFC – an extremely rare honour for a bomber navigator. Tommy Broom left the RAF in September 1945, but he and his pilot remained close friends until Sir Ivors death in 2003. Sadly Tommy Broom passed away on 18th May 2010 | ||
 Arthur Dunlop Click the name above to see prints signed by Arthur Dunlop | Arthur Dunlop Flight Lieutenant A.C. Dunlop R.A.F.V.R (Navigator) joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in November 1940 and trained in Canada. On return to the UK he crewed up with Max Sparks in July 1942 with whom he undertook 35 operations. Posted to 487 R.N.Z A.F Squadron, they first flew Lockheed Venturas (modified airliners) against targets such as dockyards (e.g. Rotterdam), airfields and marshalling yards in occupied Europe. Fortunately, after escalating losses, the Squadron was re-equipped with De Havilland Mosquito Mk VIs in August 1943 and low-level operations against pinpoint targets such as VI and V2 rocket sites were undertaken, together with night intruder sorties. It was in February 1944 that 487 Squadron was selected to lead the low level raid on Amiens Prison whereby breaching the walls enabled 285 French patriots to escape execution by the Germans, where his Mosquito HX982 EG-T was damaged by flak and suffered an undercarriage failure on its return to base. He and his pilot were ok. In July 1944 Flt.Lt. A.C Dunlop left '487' when he was posted to India as an instructor. On his return to the U.K. he was posted to Bomber Command 105 and 139 (Jamaica) Squadrons and demobilised in April 1946. | ||
Squadron Leader Brian Hanafin DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Brian Hanafin DFC | Squadron Leader Brian Hanafin DFC Joining 105 Squadron flying Blenheims, in July 1941 Titch Hanafin was posted to Malta, under the command of Hughie Edwards VC. They carried out many low level shipping strikes in an attempt to halt supplies to Rommel in North Africa. In November 1942 he joined 487 sqn RNZAF, carrying out attacks on V-1 sites. On 18th February 1944 he led the second flight of 487 Sqn assigned to attack the Amiens Prison, and in October piloted the F.P.U. Mosquito on the Aarhus Gestapo raid in Denmark. | ||
Wing Commander D A G Parry Click the name above to see prints signed by Wing Commander D A G Parry
| Wing Commander D A G Parry Born in 1915 in England, George Parry was interested in aviation from an early age, and the daring exploits of the WW1 aces inspired the youngster with the ambition to become a flyer. Parry joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and flew on weekends and in his spare time. When War was declared against Germany, Parry was activated and was sent to 10 F.T.S. and 13 O.T.U. for training. Parry was posted to 110 Squadron at Wattisham, which was equipped with the Mk IV Bristol Blenheim. Parry flew daylight missions attacking Axis airfields and shipping. When cloud cover permitted, deeper penetration was possible. These attacks were carried out against Channel ports, and waterways on the continent. As the Luftwaffe shifted to night bombing emphasis, 110 Squadron shifted its emphasis to enemy airfields and industrial targets. Parry completed his combat tour in October of 1940, and was reassigned to 13 O.T.U. in Bicester in April. In October of 1941 Parry was posted to 105 Squadron in Swanton Morley. This Squadron was equipped with Mosquitoes shortly after Parry arrived. The Squadron was utilized for the first daylight bombing raid on Berlin. Many mission were flown against power stations, locomotive repair works, and other important industrial targets. These missions were typically low altitude, high speed raids, where the Mosquito's fast speed could be used to advantage. In September of 1942 Parry was selected to lead a daring daylight low altitude raid on the Gestapo Headquarters in Oslo, Norway. This mission was requested by Norwegian resistance officials to boost morale. One of the four aircraft which participated in the raid was forced to make a crash landing, while the other three aircraft returned unharmed. Parry also made many flights to Stockholm carrying diplomatic mail. On these missions Parry flew a Mosquito with civilian markings while carrying a civilian passport. In 1943 Parry completed his combat tour with 105 Squadron, and was thereafter posted to Headquarters Bomber Command. After a short assignment with O.T.U. at Silverstone, Parry was transferred to the 2nd Tactical Air Force. Parry assisted No 2. Group Squadrons in their conversion to the Mosquito, and then ran the O.T.U. at Bicester which provided aircrew training for the 2nd Tactical Air Force. His final assignments with the RAF were at H.Q. 12 Group and RAF Church Fenton. Following the war in 1947, Parry left the RAF, but remained in the Reserves. In civilian life Parry took up the occupation of structural engineer. Following thirty-two years in civilian life, Parry retired in 1979. While in the RAF Reserve, Parry commanded the Norfolk Air Training Corps from 1949 to 1956. He also commanded No. 3620 Fighter Control Unit of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, and was involved with the Norfolk Emergency Commission as its Scientific Adviser. Parry's decorations include the D.S.O., M.B.E., D.F.C., and A.E. Sadly he died in August 1999. | ||
Squadron Leader Charles Patterson Click the name above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Charles Patterson | Squadron Leader Charles Patterson Charles Patterson joined the RAF on the outbreak of WWII and flew Whitleys. He switched to Blenheims in 1940 with 114 Squadron on anti-shipping operations over Norway. After a period instructing he briefly flew Bostons before converting to Mosquitoes with 105 Squadron flying mostly Daylight raids, but also the first night raid to Berlin. In January 1943 he was selected as pilot for the Mosquito Film Unit and flew Mosquito DZ414 (now restored) on over 20,000 operational hours both day and night. In September 1943 he converted 3 Ventura Squadrons to Mosquitoes under Group Captain Pickard. In total he completed an unprecedented 3 tours on Mosquitoes, his final tour being with 487 Squadron (New Zealand) mainly on strikes against V1 sites. On D-Day he flew the film unit Mosquito over the beach head during the invasion. | ||
Air Commodore E. B. Ted Sismore DSO DFC AFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Air Commodore E. B. Ted Sismore DSO DFC AFC | Air Commodore E. B. Ted Sismore DSO DFC AFC Air Commodore Edward Barnes Sismore DSO, DFC, and two bars, AFC was born on the 23rd June 1921 at Kettering, Northamptonshire. Sismore joined the RAF in 1939 as aircrew but became a Flight Sergeant on the 29th of August 1942. He was also later given an emergency commission as a general Duties Branch Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, being given a permanent commission on the 1st of February 1945. On 31st January 1943, Mosquitos bombed Berlin for the first time. Timed to coincide with a speech by Hermann Goering, three Mosquitos from 105 Squadron, led by Squadron Leader R W Reynolds and Ted Sismore, attacked at exactly 11.00 hrs to disrupt the Reichmarshalls speech for over an hour. Ted later navigated the final large daylight raid by 105 Squadron in May 1943, when both men led the attack on the Zeiss Optical factory and the glassworks in Jena. Ted Sismore planned the route for the famous Amiens prison raid, and master-navigated all three Gestapo raids in Denmark - Aarhaus, Shelhaus and Odensa. Sismore was awarded a bar to his DFC and was also honoured with the Order of Dannebrog, Degree of Knight. After the war Sismore remained in the Royal Air Force and with Squadron leader Mick martin (former dambuster) broke the Flying record for the London to Cape Town, 6,727 mile journey, completing it in 21 hours and 31 minutes. He was later awarded the Royal Aero Clubs Britannia Trophy for 1947. In 1962 Sismore was promoted to Group Captain and later became Station Commander of RAF Bruggen in Germany and in the late 1960s became commanding Officer of the Royal Air Forces Central Reconnaissance Establishment at RAF Brampton. | ||
Flying Officer Malcolm Mac B. Skinner RAAF Click the name above to see prints signed by Flying Officer Malcolm Mac B. Skinner RAAF | Flying Officer Malcolm Mac B. Skinner RAAF Joined the RAAF in June 1943 and after training was posted to 105 Sqn PFF at Bourne, where he joined pilot David Young (NZ). On 13th April 1945 attacked Reisa in GBF. At 02.26 on 21st April 1945, in Mosquito ‘A’, he released 4 times 500 MC bombs on Berlin using OBOE – the last bombs dropped on Berlin in world War II, then took past in the last RAF raid of the European war on 2/3 May. | ||
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