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| Aviation Art Collecton - No.64 Sqn |
Flew Mustangs from November 1944. |
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| Aircraft for : No.64 Sqn RAF | ||
| A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.64 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
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. | |
Mustang 
Manufacturer : North American | Mustang The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. | |
Spitfire 
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. | |
| Signatures for : No.64 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 | ||
 Captain Richard Braley Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Captain Richard Braley | Captain Richard Braley Richard Braley joined the Royal Air Force as a volunteer in March, 1942. He flew Spitfires with 64 Squadron before being personally recruited by by General McColpin to join 133 Squadron - the third Eagle squadron to be formed by the RAF. On September 12, 1942, the Eagle Squadrons were transferred to the USAAF and activated as the 4th Figher Group. Richard Braley was one of the squadron P-51 strafing experts - attacking and destroying numerous trains, a bridge and an electrical plant. He flew over 210 combat missions, first in Spitfires, then in P-47s and P-51s - including 3 missions as Flight Commander of 336 Squadron on D-Day. | ||
 Tony Gaze DFC** Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Tony Gaze DFC** | Tony Gaze DFC** Australian Tony Gaze joined Bader at Tangmere in March 1941 flying with 610 Sqn, scoring several victories during the high summer of that famous year. In 1942 he was posted to 610 Sqn and then commanded 64 Sqn. In Sept 1943 he joined 66 Sqn but was shot down. Evading capture he escaped back to England. In July 1944 he flew again with 610 Sqn then 41 Sqn. In the final days of the war he flew meteor jets with 616 Sqn. Tony gaze finished the war an Ace with 11 and 3 shared destroyed, 4 probable and one V. He was awarded the DFC with 2 bars. | ||
 Flight Lieutenant Trevor Gray Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Trevor Gray | Flight Lieutenant Trevor Gray Trevor Gray joined the RAFVR in 1939 and was called for service on the outbreak of war. As he was only partially trained, he completed his flying training and after being awarded his wings was posted to 7 OTU at Hawarden After training Trevor Gray was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in August 1940. Converted onto Spitfires, and with the Battle of Britain at its Climax, he was urgently posted to join 64 Squadron at Leconfield, arriving on 16th September 1940. The Squadron had re-equipped from Blenheims to Spitfires earlier that year as it fought in the great air battles over Dunkirk, before seeing hectic action in the Battle of Britain. he damaged a Bf 110 in December 1940. He left the Squadron on April 3 1941 having completed his tour and was posted to 58 OTU at Grangemouth as an instructor from there he was posted to Castletown, the most northerly station on the mainland, to join 124 Squadron which was then being formed. Trevor Gray was then given a post as a research engineer officer at RAE Farnborough and finally left the RAF in 1946 as a flight Lieutenant | ||
  Flight Lieutenant Richard L Jones Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Richard L Jones
| Flight Lieutenant Richard L Jones Richard Jones was born in 1918 and in July 1940 Richard Jones was posted to 64 Squadron at Kenley, flying Spitfires. He was involved in heavy fighting over the Channel during the Battle of Britain, with the squadron suffering many losses during July and August. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain, in October, he moved to 19 Squadron flying Spitfires from Fowlmere, and was heavily involved in the fighter sweeps taking place at that time. Near the end of the Battle of Britain, Pilot Officer Richard Jones was shot down during a dogfight over Kent with Me 109s. Jones crash landed his Spitfire in a field, colliding with a flock of sheep - he would go on to write in his log book Crashed into a load of sheep. What a bloody mess!After the Battle of Britain, Richard Jones became a test pilot for De Havilland at Witney in Oxfordshire, and test flew thousands of Hawker Hurricanes and other types, including civil types. After the war Richard Jones joined the RAFVR and started a long career in the motor industry. Sadly Richard Jones passed away on 7th March 2012. | ||
 Wing Commander Don Kingaby DSO AFC DFM** DFC (USA) Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Wing Commander Don Kingaby DSO AFC DFM** DFC (USA)
| Wing Commander Don Kingaby DSO AFC DFM** DFC (USA) Born in London on 7th January 1920. Joined the RAFVR in April 1939 at the age of 20. He flew a Mk.I Spitfire with No.266 Squadron during the initial stages of the Battle of Britain, claiming as damaged two Ju88s and an Me110. He then joined No.92 Squadron in September 1940, claiming 4 aircraft (including 3 Me109s) in October, then 6 more Me109s in November 1940, including 4 in a single day on the 15th. He claimed a further 12 victories during 1941, before joining No.111 Sqn and No.64 Sqn in March and April 1942 correspondingly. He later joined No.122 Squadron, and was promoted to lead the Hornchurch wing in March 1943. On D-Day, he claimed the final addition to his total, sharing in the destruction of an Me109. He was the only RAF pilot to be awarded three DFMs, and scored a total of 23 victories and 8 probables. His Air Force Cross medal was awarded in 1952 for his work with Vampire jets. He retired in 1958. Sadly, he passed away on 31st December 1990. | ||
  Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM | Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM Another RAFVR pilot, The son of a regular soldier, Arthur Leigh was called up at the outbreak of war. After finishing his flying training he was posted to 7 OTU and then on to convert to Spitfires in August 1940. Arthur Leigh flew with 64 Squadron at Leconfield and 72 Squadron at Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain before transferring to 611 Squadron. Awarded the DFM in September 1941, Leigh had then completed 50 sweeps, had destroyed two Bf 109s, probably destroyed another four and shared in the destruction of a Do 17. After a spell instructing and ferrying Hurricanes from Gibraltar to Cairo, he returned to operations with 56 Squadron flying Typhoons from Manston. He was shot down on his first sweep by flak, near Calais but was picked up by an ASR launch. In late 1943 Leigh was posted to 129 Squadron at Hornchurch and was awarded the DDC on completing his second tour in December 1944, spending the rest of the war as an instructor. | ||
 Lieutenant Colonel Don Nee Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Lieutenant Colonel Don Nee | Lieutenant Colonel Don Nee Don Nee flew Spitfires with 152 and 64 Squadrons RAF before being unified with other Americans into the first Eagle Squadron, No.71. He transferred to the 4th Fighter Group's 336th Fighter Squadron in September 1942 and flew 119 missions in P-47s and P-51s, becoming a flight commander. | ||
  Flight Lieutenant James Pickering AFC Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant James Pickering AFC | Flight Lieutenant James Pickering AFC Jim Pickering joined the RAFVR in 1937, and was attached to 769 Sqn FAA, then 804 Sqn FAA. In June 1940 he returned to the RAF and flew Spitfires with 64 Sqn during the Battle of Britain. With 418 Flight Jim flew Hurricanes to Malta from HMS Argus on 2nd August 1940. This flight was to reinforce Maltas handful of outdated Gladiators and few surviving Hurricanes, and on 16th August was amalgamated to become 261 Squadron. With this unit Jim flew Hurricanes and at least five operations in the legendary Gladiators, which have been immortalised as Faith, Hope, and Charity. In April 1941 Jim was posted, first to Egypt, then 80 Squadron in October 1942, and 145 Squadron in December. He returned to the UK in 1943. Born in 1915 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, James Pickering studied the printing business in Europe during the 1930s. Convinced that Hitler represented a threat which could lead to war, Pickering joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1937. As a week-end flyer he earned his wings as a Sergeant Pilot in April of 1939. In September of that year Pickerings unit was mobilized. He was sent to an attachment of the Fleet Air Arm, where he flew Gladiators, Skuas, and Rocs, following his carrier training. In June of 1940 Pickering returned to the RAF flying Spitfires with No. 64 Squadron based in Kenley during the Battle of Britain. Pickering was selected along with eleven other carrier-qualified pilots to fly Hurricanes to Malta off the deck of the HMS Argus. On arrival in Malta these new Hurricanes and their pilots were integrated with the 3 flyable Gladiators and 3 Hurricanes already there to form No. 261 Squadron. This unit carried on the defense of Malta against Italian and German bombing missions which were launched regularly from Sicily, only sixty miles distant. Because of his earlier experience with the Gladiator, Pickering flew both Gladiators and Hurricanes at Malta for eight months. It is believed that Pickering is the last living RAF pilot to fly the Gladiator at Malta. Following his assignment in Malta, Pickering joined No. 1 Aircraft Delivery Unit which ferried aircraft from the West African Gold Coast and Port Sudan to various points throughout the war theater of operations. Pickering delivered a P-40 Warhawk to the Flying Tigers which involved one of the first flights over the hump. In October of 1942 Pickering returned to operational flying with No. 80 Squadron (Hurricanes) at EI Alamein, and later with No. 145 Squadron (Spitfires). Having completed three separate operational tours, Pickering returned to England when victory was achieved in North Africa. In England, Pickering was assigned as a test pilot with No. 3501 Servicing Unit. He tested modifications to the Spitfire, and also test flew a number of P-51 Mustangs. Later he was transferred to No. 151 Repair Unit as its Chief Test Pilot. This was the largest unit of this kind in the RAF. Because of these experiences, Pickering is unusual in having flown eighty different types of aircraft during the War. Awarded the Air Force Cross, Pickering was released from the RAF at Wars end. He returned to his family-owned printing business, and spent his working career with the company, from which he retired in 1965. He also served as an outside Director of the largest Building Society in Britain. Pickering joined the Volunteer Reserve once again following the War, and continued to fly with the RAF until reaching the mandatory age limit of sixty. Pickering has had a private pilots license since 1938. He has flown thousands of hours and he is an expert on geological and archaeological research from the air. A Fellow of both the Geological Society and the Society of Antiquaries, Jim Pickering epitomizes the English character of determination and persistence which was so vastly underestimated by Hitler during WW 11. | ||
Group Captain Herbert M Pinfold Click the name above to see prints signed by Group Captain Herbert M Pinfold
| Group Captain Herbert M Pinfold Group Captain Herbert Moreton Pinfold, Battle of Britian pilot with 56 Squadron flying Hurricanes, he also flew with 6, 64, 502 and 603 Squadrons. Sadly, Herbert Pinfold passed away on 19th October 2009. Group Captain Herbert Moreton Pinfold was born 5th February 1913 and joined the Royal Air Force in August 1934 at the age of 21. In September Herbert Pinfold was posted to 5 FTS, Sealand and with training completed, on the 5th of September he was sent to join 6 Squadron at Ismailia, Egypt. He returned to the UK on 19th March 1936 and joined the newly formed 64 Squadron. The squadron were flying Hawker Demons, and were moved to the Western Desert to combat the Italian Air Force threat. The squadron returned to the UK in September. After a short spell as personal assistant and pilot to AOC 11 Group, Herbert Pinfold was sent on a Flying Instructors Course at RAF Upavon. After completing the instructors course he was posted to 502 Squadron, AuxAF as Flying Instructor and Adjutant at RAF Aldergrove, Northern Ireland on 16th July 1938. In January 1939, Herbert Pinfold went to RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh and joined 603 Squadron where the squadron were flying Gladiators and then Spitfires. He went to 3 FTS, South Cerney on 2nd July 1940, as an instructor. On the 11th of August Penfold went to Aston Down and converted to Hurricanes. Herbert Pinfold took command of 56 Squadron at North Weald on the 25th, remaining with it until 29th January 1941, after this he was posted to 10 FTS at Tern Hill when he returned to flying instruction with a posting to 10 FTS, Tern Hill. Herbert Pinfold completed the RAF Staff College course and went on a number fo staff positions in the UK and also overseas including Ceylon and Singapore. Coming back to the UK Herbert Pinfold took command of Duxford, at that time flying Meteors, after which was posted to the Air Ministry. In 1953 Herbert was appointed Air Attache in Rome, before returning to the UK in 1956 for a second spell as Station Commander of Duxford. On the 1st of October 1958 Herbet Pinfold retired at the rank of Group Captain. Sadly, Herbert Pinfold passed away on 19th October 2009. | ||
Group Captain W G G Duncan-Smith DSO, DFC, AE Click the name above to see prints signed by Group Captain W G G Duncan-Smith DSO, DFC, AE | Group Captain W G G Duncan-Smith DSO, DFC, AE Spent WWII flying Spitfires in the Battle of Britian and over Europe accounting for 19 enemy aircraft destroyed, 7 probables and 15 damaged. Duncan-Smith was born in Madras, India, on 28th May 1914, the son of an officer in the Indian civil service. He was educated in Scotland, where he joined his schools OTC. Returning to India in 1933, he became a coffee and tea planter, but in 1936 returned to the UK to join the RAF. Wartime service - Serving at 7 OTU at the outbreak of war, he was posted to No.611 Squadron RAF later that year. He was awarded a DFC in June 1941, and went to 603 Squadron in August 1941 as a Flight Commander. Taken ill late in the year, he spent some time in hospital, before joining 64 Squadron in March 1942. In August he became Wing Commander- Flying at RAF North Weald after a rest from operations. He was then sent to the Mediterranean as Wing leader, 244 Wing. In September 1943 after engine failure he bailed out into the sea, being rescued after 5 hours adrift. As a Group Captain, he then took charge of 324 Wing , finally leaving in March 1945. Duncan Smith or Smithy was credited with 17 confirmed kills, two shared kills, six probables, two shared probables and eight damaged in aerial combat. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Bar and the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Bars in recognition of his bravery. He also was a notable recipient of the 5 Years Safe Driving Award. He was the author of Spitfire into Battle, published in 1981, a highly entertaining account of aerial combat in the Spitfire aircraft. Group Captain Duncan Smith flew and fought in front-line operations continuously from the Battle of Britain through the struggle for Malta, the invasion of Italy and the liberation of France. | ||
 Flight Lieutenant John Squier Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant John Squier
| Flight Lieutenant John Squier John Squier was called up from the RAFVR at the outbreak of war, joining 64 Squadron at Kenley in June 1940 flying Spitfires. In August he crash landed following an attack by Hannes Trautloft of III/JG51, suffering severe injuries. Rejoining 64 Squadron in November, he was posted to 72 Squadron, then 603 Squadron, and finally 141 Squadron. He was commissioned in 1942. After the war he became a test pilot and was the first pilot to eject at supersonic speed. He died 30th January 2006. | ||
 Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright | Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright joined 64 Squadron RAF flying Spitfires and in May 1940 during the Battle of Birtain destroyed an Me109. On the 25th of July his section destroyed a Messershmitt Bf109 fighter encountered off the south coast. He went on to become a flight instructor at the Central Flying School at RAF Upavon, Wiltshire, and later flew Douglas Dakotas. Sqd Ldr Michael Terry Wainwright retired form the Royal Air Force in March 1958, but continued his flying as an instructor and also as a Civil Airline Pilot in the UK as well as the Middle East. Michael still flew until August 1st 1990 and logged a total of 14,100 hours. | ||
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