|
|
||
Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signatures on this item | |
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. 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 |
CPO Ron Skinner *Signature Value : £20 | Joined the Royal Navy as a Writer in January 1937, and served as Captain Warburton-Lee's Writer in HMS. Effingham in 1937/38. (Captain Warburton-Lee was the first VC in WW2 - posthumous, Narvick). After five weeks in HMS. Enterprise during the Munich crisis, Ron joined HMS. Ark Royal in Cammell Laird's yard on 13th November 1938 and remained on board until taken off by HMS Legion on 13th November 1941. Ron was onboard with the ship in action with Force H in the Mediterranean, against the Bismarck, Oran & Mers el Kebir, Dakar, the hunt for the Graf Spee and during the Norwegian campaign. As the ship's Writer Ron was responsible for maintaining and posting the record of air operations (counting them out and counting them back). Post Ark he served in stone frigates - in HMS President III (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships) where he met and married P.O. Wren Edna Newman in 1945 before transferring to HMS Copra (Combined Ops.) He left the Royal navy from HMS Daedalus in February 1947 and remained in R.F.R until 1957. |
Eric Bond *Signature Value : £20 | Joined the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm in August 1940. He served on the aircraft carriers HMS Furious, Ark Royal and Illustrious in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. In February 1942 he was drafted to Gibraltar to fly in Skua, Fulmar and Swordfish aircraft for exercise attacks on the Fleet and Gibraltar fortress. He was then transferred to North Africa (Oran) for four months, then back operationally to Gibraltar with 833 Squadron. Eric's next move was back to the UK with the carrier HMS Stalker and then he qualified at the School of Air Combat. He left the Royal Navy in October 1945. In 1950 Eric joined the RNVR and served as CPO (A) aircrew and joined 1840 & 1842 Channel Air Division, flying in Firefly, Gannet and helicopter aircraft. On the disbandonment of R~ squadrons, Eric served as Chief Radio Supervisor involving duties at Whitehall and Faslane. He left the R~ in 1971, having served 26 1/2years. |
Lloyd Richards *Signature Value : £20 | Llloyd Richards was born on the island of Guernsey on 8th July 1919. He joined the Royal Navy in December 1934, serving on HMS Royal Sovereign in 1936 and then HMS Royal Oak for duties on the south coast of Spain on intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War. His next appointment was to HMS Guardian for anti-submarine net laying and target towing. Lloyd then joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1938 and trained at HMS Raven (now Southampton airport) and RAF Aldergrove Signal School. He then flew to RNAS Hatston to reform 803 squadron for duties on HMS Ark Royal flying Skuas. In June 1940 Lloyd was shot down during the attack by the Scharnhorst, taken prisoner and held in a German POW camp but escaped a few months before the end of the war. Serving as the wireless operator in the back of the Skua of pilot Sub Lt Bartlett on 12th June 1940, the Skuas were without the planned air cover from Blenheim aircraft and were decimated by the German fighter cover for the ships. With eight of the fifteen aircraft shot down almost straight away, and with fire from the ships exploding all around them, their Skua was eventually hit by cannon fire which injured Sub Lt Bartlett. Despite coming close to losing consciousness through blood loss, Bartlett managed to get his bomb away and pull out of their steep dive. The damaged aircraft crash landed in a field, and Lloyd Richards was trapped in the back of the cockpit for a while, before hacking a hole in the aircraft to escape, helping the injured Bartlett out as well. They were soon captured, and while Bartleet was sent for medical attention, Richards was sent to a POW camp. As a POW he was transferred to several different camps until 1945. On another march between camps, he escaped, and eventually found an Allied camp after a trek of some 400 miles. He was returned to the UK, and some years later returned to his native Guernsey. |
Lt Cdr Derek T R Martin *Signature Value : £20 | Was accepted by the Admiralty Board for pilot training in 193 8. He attended Course No. 5 set up in HMS Frobisher in early March 193 9. He was transferred to the Naval College at Greenwich in early May 1939 for flying training at Gravesend. From there he went to RAF Netheravon for intermediate and advanced flying and was awarded 'Wings' in November 1939. In January 1940 Derek transferred to RN Fighter Training School at HMS Raven - now known as Southampton Airport. In April 1940 he was appointed to his first operational squadron of Skuas at Donibristle (Firth of Forth); from there he flew to Prestwick en-route to HMS Ark Royal waiting in the Clyde before proceeding for operations off Norway. However, on the way, at about 800 feet Derek's aircraft suffered total engine failure and he crash landed (safely) into a ploughed field at Troon. He subsequently flew another Sktia aircraft to join Ark Royal and 800 Squadron before making way to Norway where they were to carry out protective patrols over naval operations in the region of Narvik and the Fleet anchorage at Hartstad. Early in June, the Norwegian campaign was abandoned and with evacuation complete the fleet, with HMS Ark Royal and HMS Glorious, sailed for Scapa convoying the merchant ships with recovered troops. On 7th June 'Glorious', with two destroyers was detached and sailed independently for Scapa. Having no air patrols she was sighted by two German battleships on June 8th, and all three ships were sunk with the loss of 1520 men. Subsequently, 15 Skuas from 800 & 803 Squadrons from Ark Royal attacked Gernian naval forces in Trondheirn on 13th June at 0100 in daylight. Observed when still 70 miles from their targets they encountered on arrival very heavy flak and many Me109s and 110s. Eight aircraft were destroyed, seven aircrew killed and nine captured. Seven aircraft returned to the Ark - two having aborted their attack. Lt. Cdr. Martin was captured and remained a POW until May 1945. He was in at least seven different POW camps, the last one being Stalag Luft 111 (north camp), from which in January 1945 they were marched out ahead of the Russian forces. He was finally released in Lubeck, arriving back in England on VE day. He resigned the Royal Navy as a ND (dagger) in June 1966. |
The Aircraft : | |
Name | Info |
Skua |
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
|
|