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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Aircraft More Aircraft Initials K to M  Manchester |
[UP] - Kate - Ki44 - Ki64 Hein - Kittyhawk - La-7 - Lagg-5 - Lysander - Macchi 200 - Macchi C.202 - Manchester - Marauder - Maryland - Master - Mavis - MB210 - Me110 - Me163 - Me410 - Meteor - MiG3 - Mistel - Mitchell - Mohawk - Mustang (RAF) |
| Manchester Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Avro Manchester Mk Ia R5770 ZN - G. by M A Kinnear. Wing Commander Guy P. Gibson VC, DSO, DFC: Born 12th August 1918, Guy Penrose Gibson commenced pilot training with the RAF 16th November 1936, gaining his wings in September 1937. His first posting was to 83 Squadron RAF Scampton. During his first operational tour (which he completed after 42 sorties in September 1940 and was awarded the DFC) Gibson managed to shoot down a Dornier bomber. Following a brief spell on instructor duties, Gibson returned to operational flying in November 1940, when he joined Bristol Beaufighter equipped 29 Squadron, which was based at RAF Digby on night defence duties. His tour with the squadron ended in December 1941, during which he completed 99 sorties, destroyed 3 enemy aircraft with 1 probable and 4 damaged. He received a bar to his DFC and was promoted to Squadron Leader. Following a 3 month period as Chief Flying Instructor at RAF Cranfield, Gibson on 13th April 1942 commenced his third tour as commander of Avro Manchesters, two of them (Rostock 25/4/42 and the Heinkel works at Warnemunde 8/5/42) in R5770. Soon after 106 re-equipped with the Avro Lancaster. Gibsons first operational sortie on Lancasters was 8th July 1942 bombing Wilhelmshaven. Gibson completed his 29th and final sortie (against Stuttgart) with 106 squadron on 11th March 1943. During this tour he dropped the first 8,000lb bomb from a Lancaster on Germany, was awarded the DSO and bar, had taken part in the famous Le Creusot raid - bombing the transformer station at Montchanin from 500ft - and on 16/17th January 1943 he took BBC radio broadcaster Richard Dimbleby on a sortie to Berlin. On 21st March 1943 Gibson was directed to form 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) at RAF Scampton. On the evening of 16th May 1943, following specialised low flying training in specially adapted Lancaster aircraft, 617 squadron attacked the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams. Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross and with the other surviving crews, was taken off operations. For the next year Gibson was officially rested, but managed to take part in 4 sorties. Eventually, he was granted one more operational sortie. On the night of 19th September 1944 Gibson took off in a 627 Squadron Mosquito with his navigator Sqd Ldr J Warwick DFC. They were to act as master bomber on raids against Rheydt and Munchen Gladbach. After the last aircraft had released its bombs, Gibson headed for home. His aircraft was seen in difficulties over Steenbergen, Holland, and its engines were heard spluttering and then stopping. The aircraft was seen to crash in flames. Both Guy Gibson and Jimmy Warwick are buried in Steenbergen Cemetery. |
Avro Manchesters of 207 Sqn by Keith Woodcock. No text for this item |
| Manchester Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Squadron Leader J R Cassels DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2008 | Squadron Leader J R Cassels DFC* Nos 14, 29, 98, 106, 125, 139 (Jamaica), and 162 Squadrons. April, 1941 - Enlisted in Edinburgh and accepted for pilot training. April 1941 to April 1942 - No 4 I.TW. Paignton, No 9 E.F.T.S. Ansty, Coventry, No 12 S.F.T.S. Spittlegate, Grantham, (22/01/1941 Received wings as Sgt. Pilot) No 14 O.T.U. Cottesmore flying Hampdens. April 1942 - No 106 Squadron, RAF Coningsby commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, DSO, DFC. I was second pilot on Manchesters and did 4 operational sorties. Converted to Lancasters as first pilot and did 26 operational sorties, including Le Creusot raid on 17 October '42, between June and December 1942. Final sortie on 8 December 1942. December 1942 to March 1943 - Survived several attempts to turn me into a flying instructor. March 1943 - No 1485 Conversion Unit ie. No 5 Group Gunnery Flight training air gunners. October- November 1943 - No 1655 Mosquito Training Unit. November 1943 to June 1944 - No 8 Group, Pathfinder Force - No 139 (Jamaica) Squadron. H2S Mosquito Marking Squadron, RAF Wyton and Upwood. Completed 44 operational sorties before ending up interned in Sweden. 12 June 1944 to 20th September 1944 interned at Falun, Sweden. October 1944 to June 1945 - rejoined No 139 (Jamaica) Squadron at RAF Upwood after an air crew medical where a Group Captain M.0. told me that, as I was warm and my goolies didn't drop oftwhen I coughed, I was back to war. Completed 46 operational sorties before V.E. day. Total sorties on 139 squadron 90. June 1945 to July 1946 - Transport Command, No 162 Squadron flying Mosquitos (ALDS ic, Air Delivery Letter Service) RAF Blackbush. August 1946 to February 1950 - No's 14 and 98 Squadrons, No 139 Wing, RAFO, at RAF Wahn and Celle. February 1950 to August 1950 - abortive EIPS Course. August 1950 to October 1951 - Air Traffic Controllers Course and ATC Officer at RAFWest Raynham. November 1951 to October 1952 - No 29 Night Fighter Squadron, RAF Tangmere. Meteor NFXI. October 1952 to April 1953 - Air Ministry and All Weather Wing, RAF West Raynliam. April 1953 to November 1955 - No 12 Group Headquarters, Group Accidents Officer. November 1955 to April 1957 - No 125 Night Fighter squadron, RAF Stradishall, Meteor NFM and Venom NF. April 1957 to August 1959 - Eastern Sector Operations Centre, Recovery Executive. RAF Neatishead. October 1959 to July 1962 - Hg FEAF, Joint Intelligence Staff. Commissioner Generals Office and RAF Changi. July 1962 to March 1965 - No 3 Group Hg, OC HQ Unit and RAF Liaison Officer to USAF Mildenhall. Retired from RAF as Squadron Leader March 1965. Employed by Airwork Services Ltd, as pilot. March 1965. March 1965 to August 1970 - No 3 (Civilian Anti Aircraft Unit) Exeter Airport. Vampire TX1 and Meteor T=. September 1970 to April 1977 - FRADU ( Fleet Requirements Air Defence Unit) RNAS Yeovilton. Hunter GAII and Mk 8. September 1977. Aged 55. RN age limit for fast jet flying. September 1970. Commissioned in RA17VR M. September 1970 to May 1982 - No 4 AEF, Exeter Airport, Chipmunk. Retired from RAFVRM aged 60, May 1982. Total Flying Hours - 11,300 Ins. Sadly passed away 19th December 2008. |
Warrant Officer James Goldie DFC DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £50 | Warrant Officer James Goldie DFC DFM No's 7, 83, 97 and 224 Squadrons. Joined RAF trained as Air Gunner.Flew 73 missions with Bomber Command - 38 Main Force, 35 Pathfinders and 38 with Coastal Command. Total flying hours 1,630. Crashed in an Avro Manchester 13109/41. Spleen removed as a result of injuries sustained in the crash and returned to Operations. Raids included 6 Essen, 6 Duisberg, 3 Berlin, 4 Hamburg, 5 Bremen and 3 Nuremberg. Served with 83 Squadron at RAF Wyton, 97 Squadron RAF Coningsby/ Woodhall Spa and 7 Squadron Oakington. Demobilised 1956. Service number 620563. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross as a Warrant Officer with No.83 Sqn, which was gazetted on 17th August 1943, and the Distinguished Flying Medal as a Flight Sergeant with No.97 Sqn, gazetted on 20th November 1942. We have been informed that he has now passed away, but do not have any information as to the date. |
Squadron Leader Hedley Hazelden DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £20 Died : 2001 | Squadron Leader Hedley Hazelden DFC* Hedley was born in 1915 at Sevenoaks, Kent. Leaving school in 1933 he joined Standard Life. In November 1938 he joined the RAFVR and in June 1939 he reported to 6 E and RFTS at Sywell where he began his flying career on the Tiger Moth later moving to Redhill flying Hinds, Harts and Audax. Called to full time service on the day before war was declared in September 1939 and after brief training at Cambridge University he was posted to 12 SFTS at RAF Spittlegate flying Ansons. Moving to 14 OTU at RAF Cottesmore he converted to the Hampden before being posted to 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron at RAF Waddington early in 1940. He was commissioned in December 1940. April 1940 saw the end of his tour with 43 operations to his credit and a Distinguished Flying Cross. Back to RAF Cottesmore for 6 months as an instructor on 14 OTU then to RAF Finingley with 25 OTU for conversion to the Manchester and crewing. Christmas 1941 saw him posted to RAF Scampton with 83 Squadron flying the Manchester before converting to the Lancaster. His first Lancaster operation was the thousand bomber raid on Cologne. After 22 operations and a bar to his DFC he was posted to RAF Bassingborn 11 OTU as an instructor. He moved to RAF Oakley as Station Commander with 39 Wellington 1cs of 11 OTU. His rank by this time was Squadron Leader. In June 1943 he joined the newly formed Test Pilots School at RAF Boscombe Down. Of the 18 who started the No.1 Course Headley was one of the 13 who passed in January 1944. After spending a month at Avro at Woodford production testing Lancasters he joined the Heavy Test Squadron A and AEE as its commanding officer in which time he flew every heavy bomber type before it entered RAF service. Following the end of the war he commanded the newly formed large civil aircraft squadron. He move to Handley Page in April 1947 as Chief Test Pilot working on the Hastings and Hermes. He was a development consultant on the Victor, eventually taking it on its maiden flight on Christmas Eve 1952. Many Victor flights followed and he flew the maiden flight of the Herald on the 15th of August 1955. Headley left Handley Page in 1966, and having gained his civil licence he flew Heralds for Autair International and BAC-111s for Court Line. He finally retired in January 1981. He died in August 2001. |
Wing Commander Norman Mackie DSO DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £25 Died : 2003 | Wing Commander Norman Mackie DSO DFC Joining the RAF in 1940 he was posted in April 1941 to 83 Sqn at Scampton flying Hampdens and Manchesters, joining OTU as an instructor on Wellingtons in March 1942. He then rejoined 83 Sqn now at Wyton as a Pathfinder flying Lancasters until he was shot down by German Night Fighters in March 1943. Having been captured he escaped to Switzerland and after a period there managed to return to Britain through France and Spain. In May 1944 he joined 571 Sqn flying Mosquitoes with the Light Night Strike Force taking part in many of the units operations over Western Germany. He left the RAF in December 1967. He died 1st January 2003. |
Corporal Beck Parsons Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Corporal Beck Parsons Vital to the whole Dambusters operation was the complete dedication by the ground crew of 617 Squadron. Personified by Beck Parsons. Joining the RAF in 1940, he trained as an electrician and worked with Avro Manchesters with 207 Squadron at Waddington. In March 1943 he was posted to 617 Squadron at Scampton where he flew with Barnes Wallis during the tests on the bouncing bomb. As Electrical NCO Beck was responsible for the electrics on B flight at the time of the raid, together with Top Maintenance on five of the Lancasters, including those of Guy Gibson and Mick Martin. |
  Wing Commander Ernest Rodley DSO DFC AFC AE Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2004 | Wing Commander Ernest Rodley DSO DFC AFC AE Ernest Rodley initially joined the RAFVR in 1937 and was commissioned and posted to Bomber Command in 1941. Joining 97 Sqn flying Manchesters he was involved in the attack on the Scharnhorst, Prinz Eugen and Gneisenau whilst in Brest harbour and in the famous Augsberg daylight raid for which he received a DFC. At the end of 1942 he joined RAF Scampton helping to convert to Lancaster Bombers before rejoining 97 Sqn at Bourn as a Pathfinder. After a spell at Warboys as an instructor he took command of 128 Sqn at Wyton, flying Mosquitoes as part of the Light Night Strike Force and involvede in doing 7 trips to Berlin. Staying with this unit he finished the war having completed 87 operations. In 1946 Ernest Rodley joined British South American Airways flying Lancastrians across the Atlantic from a tented Heathrow. On 13th April 1950 he was checked out on the new Comet jet airliner by John Cunningham and became the worlds first jet endorsed Airline Transport Pilots Licence holder. Ernest Rodley retired from BOAC in 1968 as a Boeing 707 Captain, joining Olympic Airways a few days later. He amassed an amazing 28000 flying hours. Sadly he died in 2004. A Clipped Signature is Available |
  Wg Cdr Peter Ward-Hunt DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2005 | Wg Cdr Peter Ward-Hunt DFC Born 6th December 1916. Joined the RAF in July 1937, with No 106 Sqn flying Hampdens, moving to No.49 Sqn at the end of that year. After a period as an instructor, joined No.207 Sqn flying the Manchester. He was selected to convert others to Lancasters in May 1942, and became a flight commander of No 106 Sqn in February 1943. He died 7th December 2005. |
Flight Lieutenant John Frederick Wickins DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2006 | Flight Lieutenant John Frederick Wickins DFC Nos44, 106 and 241 Squadrons. RAFVR 1939. Trained as AG 26/8/40. Qualified 26/9/40. Rank-Sgt. Posted to 241 Squadron Army Co - op Nov. 1940. Apr 1941 - 241 Sqd -Joined the Fifth Army Division at Bury St Edmunds - Lysanders were thcaircraft. Oct 1941 Commissioned and posted to Scampton -Waddington 44 squadron. No Ops but one flightvdth S/L/ NettletonV.C. W/C LeroydV.C. was Flight Commander. April 1942 posted to Coningsby 106 Squadron and joined W/C Gibson's crew as Rear Gunner and started my Ops tour. Started in Manchesters then Lancasters completed 24 ops trips with W/C (Gibson) which was more than anyone else. Then went on my pilots course. Aircraft flown: Tiger Moth - Solo in Shrs. 10mins. Canada Curnell - Solo. Anson 11 - Solo. 25 Aug 1944. Passed above average and got wings, UK 1945 - Oxford. UK 1945 Nov - then posted to Farnborough Experimental & Research Dept re Gurinery. Operational record, date. target, pilot, comment. 22/4/42, Baltic, W/C Gibson, Mine Laying. 23/4/42, Rustock, S/LNelms, Mine Laying. 23/4/42, Rustock, W/C Gibson, Mine Laying. 8/5/42, WarDemunde, W/C Gibson. 30/5/42, Cologne, S/L Wooldridge, first 1000 +raid. 1/6/42, Essen, S/L Wooldridge, 1000 +raid. 2516/42, Bremen, 1000 + raid. 29/6/42, Bremen, S/LWooldridge, 1000 + raid. 8/7/42, Wilemishaven, W/C Gibson. 1117/42, Danzig, W/C Gibson, Daylight 10.15 hrs. 18/7/42, Essen, W/CGibson, Recalled. 26/7/42, Hamburg, W/C Gibson. 29/7/42, Dusseldorf, W1C Gibson. 27/8/42, Gdynia, W/C Gibson, Graf Zeppelin - Sub Docks 9.50 hrs. 1/9/42, Saarbucken, WIC Gibson, First 8000 Ibs bombs on Germany. 13/9/42, Bremen, WICGIbson. 1919/42, Munich. P/O1Butterworth. 23/9142, Wismar, W/CGibson, DorrilerWorks. 5110/42, Aachen, P/01,Vellington. 15/10/42, Cologne, WICGibson. 17/10/42, LeCreusot, W/CGibson, Daylight 94 A/C 10.25 hrs target Montchanin Power Station. 22/10/42, Genoa, W/C Gibson, Largest on Italy at that time 9.30 hrs 8000 Ibs bomb. 24/10/42, Milan, W/C Gibson, Daylight 10.25 hrs. 7/11142, Genoa, W/C Gibson. 18/11142, Turin, W/C Gibson, Flat works. 20/11/42, Turin, P/0 Cooper, Lost an engine. 28/11/42, Turin, W/C Gibson, 8000 Ibs first ever Italy. 11/11/42, Essen, W/C Gibson. 18/1/43, Berlin, W/C Gibson, lst 8000 Ibs bomb Berlin took Major Dimbelby (BBC News). 14/2/43, Milan, W/C Gibson. 25/2/43, Nurenberg, W/C Gibson, 8000 Ibs bomb. 26/2/43, W/C Gibson. 28/2/43, St.Nazarle, F/Lt Shannon (Dam Buster. Sadly he passed away on the 20th of November 2006. |
Flight Lieutenant Dennis Woolley DFC DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2009 | Flight Lieutenant Dennis Woolley DFC DFM Flight Lieutenant Dennis William, Woolley. DFC, DFM. 106 (5 Group) and 83 (S-PFF- Group) Squadrons. 1940 - Volunteered for air crew service. 1941 - Trained as an Air Observer in Manitoba. 1942 - Did 1st tour, on Manchesters (6 trips) and on Lancasters (27 trips). Awarded DFM. 1942 - 3 - Instructor at Winthorpe, Notts. 1943 - Engaged in special operations relating to the advancement of the Italian campaign. Based latterly in Sicily. 1944 - Did 2nd tour in Bomber Command in 83 (PFF) Squadron. 25 trips in Lancasters. Awarded DFC and Pathfinder Badge. 1944 - 5 - Joined Transport Command, Transatlantic Ferry Unit based at Darval, Montreal. 1945 - 6 - Seconded to what is now known as British Airways. Based at Poole, navigating Sunderland flying boats to and from Singapore. 1946 - Demobilised. A long time resident of Chipstead, Denis Woolley, died on 28th of December 2009, at the age of 89. The following Obituary was prepared by Rupert Courtenay-Evans: Denis Woolley was born in London and as a boy lived in Kew. He was educated at Latimer Upper School, which he enjoyed. When he left school he briefly went to work at the Gas, Light and Coke Company; however when war was declared he joined the RAFVR as a navigator on the grounds of not liking the sound of the sea or army and his love of maths at school! His initial operational training of navigation, bombing and gunnery was mainly in Canada, because of the practical difficulties of flying in Britain at the time. Navigation at night in those pre-radar days involved astral navigation which depended on seeing the stars as well being able to fly straight and level for 15 minutes, often not very safe or practical on night raids over enemy occupied Europe as Denis would jokingly say. He went on to become an expert in all forms of more sophisticated electronic navigational equipment including G, Oboe and H2S which were radar systems. On return to England in 1942, he joined an operational bomber squadron at Coningsby in Lincolnshire as a sergeant navigator. Initially he was in the poorly performing Manchester bombers, but after six trips the squadron was converted to its successor, the Lancaster bomber and all his subsequent 27 trips with this unit were in these aircraft . Most of these trips were with Guy Gibson as squadron commander, with whom he seemed to get on very well. With the exception of two, all trips were at night, which of course relied very heavily on navigational skills. Of the two day trips one was to Le Cressau, which involved flying at 250 feet to avoid the enemy flack and the other was over the Alps to bomb Milan, which turned out to be very poorly defended by recruits firing rifles, and all the aircraft got back safely! After a brief tour to Sicily as an instructor to help set up a bomber base from which to attack Italy more easily in support of the advancing ground forces, which, in Denis's words, was abortive as the Italians surrendered immediately! He returned to operational flying in England and was considered good enough to be commissioned and to join the newly formed Pathfinder Force under the brilliant Australian airman Don Bennett. Pathfinder Force or Group 8 was set up against the wishes of Bomber Harris, the chief of Bomber Command, but with the agreement of Churchill. Its purpose was to reduce casualties, and to improve the accuracy of identifying targets at night, by marking not only the appropriate route to the target, but also the target itself by a force of selected crews specialised in these skills. Harris was against it as he felt it would create jealousy and have an adverse on effect on morale. The Pathfinder planes, which roughly were in a ratio of 1 to 15 of the main force, which could be 800 or more strong, would lead the raid to the target along the pre-arranged route often with diversionary tactics, then drop their marker bombs and leave. Denis modestly used to say that the German gunners let Pathfinders through safely and then concentrated their fire on the following main force. Denis was not only selected to join Group 8 but went on to be a Master Bomber whose role had been extended to be a sort of Master of Ceremonies, whose plane circulated the target correcting aiming points and co-ordinating the raid by radio. Denis did his final 6 trips in this position, thus completing 58 bombing raids without being shot down, such was his luck as he would say, but others would put it down to his skill and calmness under stress. Denis always said that every bomber crew set off on a raid convinced that they would not be shot down on that trip. At this stage the RAF decided to take him off further combat flights, enough was enough. He completed his service with Transport Command and was demobbed in 1946. He ended his RAF career as a Flight Lt. with the DFC, the DFM and the cherished Pathfinders Badge. After the war he had hoped to continue his flying career with BOAC, the fore-runner of BA, but they unexpectedly decided to charge him a £500 training fee, which he did not have, and probably thought was unnecessary. Instead he joined the Bank of England. Dennis Woolley died 28th December 2009. A Clipped Signature is Available |
| Manchester Squadron details |
No.106 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 24th May 1963 Known Codes : , ZN, XS, ZM, | No.106 Sqn RAF Pro libertate - For freedom |
No.207 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 30th June 1984 Known Codes : , EM, NJ, | No.207 Sqn RAF Semper paratus - Always prepared |
No.49 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st May 1965 Known Codes : , EA, XU, | No.49 Sqn RAF Cave canem - Beware of the dog |
No.50 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st March 1984 Known Codes : , VN, ZN, QX, | No.50 Sqn RAF From defence to attack |
No.61 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st March 1958 Known Codes : , QR, LS, | No.61 Sqn RAF Per prurum tonantes - Thundering through the clear sky |
No.83 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st August 1969 Known Codes : , OL, QQ, | No.83 Sqn RAF Strike to defend |
No.97 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 2nd January 1967 Known Codes : , OF, MR, QF, ZT, | No.97 Sqn RAF Straits Settlement Achieve your aim |
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