|
|
||
Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes | Aviation History Archive |
|
Roy D Max
| Group Captain Roy D Max (deceased) Group Captain Roy Max, who has died aged 88, Roy Max was born on November 24 1918 at Brightwater, near Nelson in New Zealand. After attending Nelson College he learned to fly at the local aero club when he was 18. travelled from New Zealand to join the RAF and received a short servcie commission in August 1938 as a pilot and survived the crippling losses of bombers deployed to France at the outbreak of the Second World War; already a veteran at 24, he was made a wing commander and appointed to command No 75 (NZ) Squadron, the first Commonwealth squadron in Bomber Command. Shortly after the declaration of war in September 1939 No 103 Squadron, equipped with the Fairey Battle, deployed to France. in May 1940 along with the other 9 Fairy Battle squadorns. took part in action against the german Offensive But the Fairy battles were outclassed by the german fighters. On one occassion a force of 70 fairey Battle aircraft took part in a bombingmission on bridges at sedan a total of 41 aircraft were lost., Captain Roy Max dived on a group of enemy tanks in a valley and found that the guns were shooting down on him. His aircraft was hit and unable to climb. Although he and his gunner were wounded, he managed to land on a French airfield. Returning to operations a few days later, he was told that he had been awarded the Croix de Guerre and the news reached his parents and newspapers in New Zealand. In the chaos of the collapsing French administration, however, the paperwork was lost and he never received the medal. By the middle of June No 103 had lost 18 aircraft and nine crews, and Max was lucky to survive when a German fighter strafed the airfield as he was standing on the wing refuelling his aircraft. He jumped into a trench and watched his bomber burst into flames with all his belongings inside it. In the sole surviving aircraft he took off for a maintenance unit near Nantes, where a number of other Battles were found. Ground crew were loaded into the cramped cockpit of Max's aircraft and he headed towards England. He navigated using a map torn from a calendar, skirting the Channel Islands and landing at the first airfield he came to after crossing the English coast in order to determine where he was; he then pressed on to Abingdon. Roy Max his squadorn but now 103 squadron was now equipped with Wellington bombers, and Max flew on the squadron's first operation bombing the docks at Ostend in December 1940. Roy Max also attacked targets in the Ruhr. in March 1941 Roy Max spent some time ferrying Amercina built Hudson bombers form the Us to England, after this he re joined 103 squadron. On July 24th 1941 a 100 boomber day light raid took place against the german naval ships at Brest, Roy Max was leading a section of Wellingtons with no fighter escort, and losses were heavy. But he pressed home his attack, and his bombs were seen exploding on a dry dock. He was awarded the DFC. In July 1943 Max's short service commission was completed, and he reverted to the RNZAF as a squadron leader. Almost immediately he was informed that it had been decided that a native New Zealander should command No 75 (NZ) Squadron and he was promoted to wing commander. Max began operations on August 19 1943, flying the Stirling bomber from an airfield near Cambridge. The Battle of Berlin was under way and the Stirling, unable to climb to the higher levels of the Lancaster and Halifax, suffered heavy losses. Roy Max as the squadorn Commnader flew operations with his crew but, was not expected to fly on every sortie. The Stirling was eventually withdrawn from long-range bombing operations, and Max and his crews flew mining sorties and parachute drops to resistance groups. After converting to the Lancaster and flying a few more operations in support of the impending D-Day landings, his tour ended in May 1944, when he was awarded the DSO, an award that he always claimed belonged to his air and ground crews. Max returned to New Zealand to command a flying training airfield near Christchurch. In 1947 he accepted a permanent commission in the RAF, returning to England as a flight lieutenant. Having attended a course at the RAF Flying College he commanded the bomber squadron at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down, where the new jet bombers for the RAF were being tested. After commands in Germany and Italy and other Air ministry Jobs, in 1965 he became ADC to the Queen and finally retiring form the RAF in November 1968. Sadly on the 1st July 2007 Roy Max passed away. |
Items Signed by Group Captain Roy D Max (deceased) |
| Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. Price : £240.00 | The tension is electric; slowly they climb to circle the airfield while the entire squadron gets airborne. Below, the countryside reverberates with the sound of roaring Merlin engines. RAF Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron. ...... | |
| Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian (AP) Price : £300.00 | The tension is electric; slowly they climb to circle the airfield while the entire squadron gets airborne. Below, the countryside reverberates with the sound of roaring Merlin engines. RAF Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron. ...... | |
| Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) Price : £280.00 | The tension is electric; slowly they climb to circle the airfield while the entire squadron gets airborne. Below, the countryside reverberates with the sound of roaring Merlin engines. RAF Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron. ...... | |
| Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. (XX) SOLD OUT | The tension is electric; slowly they climb to circle the airfield while the entire squadron gets airborne. Below, the countryside reverberates with the sound of roaring Merlin engines. RAF Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron. ...... | NOT AVAILABLE |
| Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. (Y) Price : £200.00 | The tension is electric; slowly they climb to circle the airfield while the entire squadron gets airborne. Below, the countryside reverberates with the sound of roaring Merlin engines. RAF Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron. ...... |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Group Captain Roy D Max (deceased) |
| Four Pack of Lancaster Aviation Prints Pack Price : £460.00 Saving : £245 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. Home at Dawn by Nicolas Trudgian. Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian. Chadwick's Masterpiece by Ivan Berryman. (B) | |
| Eight Aviation Prints - 4 Spitfire and 4 Lancaster Pack Price : £920.00 Saving : £565 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) The Hunting Party by Ivan Berryman (B) Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian. Normandy Breakout by Nicolas Trudgian. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. Home at Dawn by Nicolas Trudgian. Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian. Chadwick's Masterpiece by Ivan Berryman. (B) | |
| RAF Tribute Print Pack! Pack Price : £1800.00 Saving : £900 | Ultimate collector pack of aviation prints, featuring legendary aircraft of the RAF in WW2. This tribute edition consists of prints by artists Ivan Berryman and Nicolas Trudgian. The prints depict the legendary Spitfire fighter aircraft, the Hawker...... Titles in this pack : First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) The Hunting Party by Ivan Berryman (B) Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian. Normandy Breakout by Nicolas Trudgian. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. Home at Dawn by Nicolas Trudgian. Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian. Chadwick's Masterpiece by Ivan Berryman. (B) Trainbusters by Nicolas Trudgian. Night Raiders by Ivan Berryman. Mosquitos at Dusk by Nicolas Trudgian. Breakout. Amiens Raid by Mosquitos by Ivan Berryman. Ground Force by Ivan Berryman. Squadron Scramble by Nicolas Trudgian. Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian. Hurricane Country by Nicolas Trudgian. Sunday Afternoon by Geoffrey R Herickx. | |
Pack 659. Pack of Lancaster bomber prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £400.00 Saving : £110 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Dambusters - Breaching the Eder Dam by Robert Taylor. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. | ||
Pack 735. Pack of two Avro Lancaster signed prints by Anthony Saunders and Nicolas Trudgian. Pack Price : £330.00 Saving : £220 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : En-Route by Anthony Saunders. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) |
Pack 736. Pack of two Lancaster bomber prints by Anthony Saunders and Nicolas Trudgian. Pack : SOLD OUT | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Dambusters by Anthony Saunders. The Dambusters by Graeme Lothian. | NOT AVAILABLE | |
Pack 788. Pack of two Lancaster bomber prints by Nicolas Trudgian. Pack Price : £340.00 Saving : £170 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. Home at Dawn by Nicolas Trudgian. | ||
Lancaster Aviation Print Pack by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £380.00 Saving : £290 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Strike and Return by Robert Taylor. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. | ||
Lancaster Bomber Print Pack by Graeme Lothian and Nicolas Trudgian. Pack Price : £300.00 Saving : £160 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Distant Dispersal by Graeme Lothian. (C) Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. | ||
Classic Lancaster Bomber Prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £370.00 Saving : £295 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor. Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian. |
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
|
|