My collection of prints with signatures

Bought some prints with signatures back in 2005 and almost forgot to put them on my wall....

After Maurice Gardner - 'Dambusters Take Off' (Three Lancasters of 617 Squadron leaving the Runway)








Double trouble
Armourers load rockets onto Hawker Typhoons of No.609 Squadron in readiness for the start of the offensive in Europe. Thorney Island, June 1944.

Signed by these 609 Squadron pilots:

• Wing Commander R. P. Beamont
• Squadron Leader R. A. Lallemant (Belgian)
• Squadron Leader L. W. "Pinkie" Stark
• Flying Officer G. L. R. C. Jaspis (Belgian)
• Pilot Officer A. G. La Force (Belgian)
• Pilot Officer J. A. Mathys (Belgian)
• Flight Lieutenant J. A. De Bruyn (Belgian)
• Warrant Officer F. David Linacre (Australian

 

ok, something very strange with me,again! and you Kai, because I just started reading the book' Dam Busters' last evening--believe it or not...picked it up Thursday evening.........of course I had to ''fast forward'' to the raid...it was still light at about 9pm take off.....later on, one of the Lancs was so low, it hit the water and ripped the Upkeep,-- bomb--, off the rack, but the Lanc kept going!!...

 

Nice prints, Kai....the Gardner one is usually signed by three members of AJ-O ( 'O-for-Orange' ). Although not in the top rank of aviation artists, his prints are sought-after because one of the signatures is (hopefully) the pilot, Bill Townsend CGM. This was an all-NCO crew and the CGM was a coveted and rare award. Townsend deserved it - AJ-O was the last aircraft to return and flew back over Holland virtually in daylight.

Bill Townsend also had another rare distinction. As he left the Lancaster, exhausted, one of the waiting group of 'top brass' asked how it went. 'Wait until the debriefing !' he snapped back.

Not many NCO's had an opportunity to talk to 'Bomber' Harris like that - and get away with it !