Shackleton Aviation Art Prints

Squadron Leader Barry Masefield
Our estimated value of this signature : £20

Squadron Leader Barry Masefield

Squadron Leader Barry Masefield (Retd) joined the Royal Air Force in 1959 as a Radar Technician Apprentice. After graduation he refrained as aircrew in 1963 and subsequently flew in Shackleton and Nimrod aircraft in Maritime Command until 1979. Commissioned in 1979 he was posted onto the Vulcan fleet where he served until the demise ofthe aircraft as a bomber in 1983. During this time he saw active service during the Falklands conflict as a crew member oil the Black Buck bombing sorties. In 1983 he was posted to the Victor tanker force again seeing active service during the Gulf war. In 1986 he was invited to join the Vulcan Display Fight and flew on the team until 1993 when the aircraft was sold into private ownership. Retiring from the Royal Air Force in 1994 he now runs his own business in Norfolk. On 18th October 2007, he flew in the historic flight of the first Vulcan to fly in 14 years.

Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll
Our estimated value of this signature : £35
Died : 2014

Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll

Joined the RAF in February 1939 and trained as an Observer (Navigator). His first posting was to 44 Squadron newly equipped with the Hampden bomber at RAF Waddington. When war was declared on 3rd September 1939 he was immediately involved in operations flying that night on the very first sortie of WW2. By the end of 1940 he had completed a full tour of 37 raids before being commissioned and selected for advanced navigation training in Canada. He was subsequently posted to Rhodesia as a navigational instructor and examiner. He completed Pilot training before returning to the UK where he qualified as a Sunderland flying boat Captain serving at Calshot and Pembroke Dock. In 1956 he took the last RAF aircraft to moor up in the Pool of London for 'Battle of Britain' celebrations. A posting to RAF Seletar (Singapore) followed where Sunderlands were finally retired from service in 1959. He then served on Shackletons and in Transport Command before retiring in 1975.

A Clipped Signature is Available

M/Sig R D Pearson
Our estimated value of this signature : £15

M/Sig R D Pearson

Joined the RAF in 1943 to begin training as an Air Gunner. After the usual short attachments at various training stations eventually ending up at No 2 AGS Dalcross. Air firing was carried out from an Avro Anson. There was always a mad rush to be first aboard the aircraft on every detail, not from enthusiasm, but from trying to avoid winding up the undercarriage after take off. M/Sig Pearson went from Dalcross to Kinloss to join a crew flying Whitleys and several months later ended up at 158 Sqdn Lissett to commence operations on Halifaxes. After half a tour and very happy at Lissett his crew were posted onto a PFF Sqdn, 635 Sqdn Downham Market. His first operation, and very nearly his last, was a daylight raid on Hamburg. On the bombing run, they had the misfortune to be selected by the pilot of a ME262 as his victim. He was not spotted until he was dead astern and blazing away with the four 30mm cannon in the nose. Evasive action was given and the pilot promptly stood the Lanc on its nose. Unfortunately not all the cannon shells missed and they lost quite a piece of fuselage leaving ammo belts hanging out in the slipstream. After regaining level flight, they were attacked again by another ME262, but this time they were lucky. Both ME pilots decided to push off and find some other sitting duck! Despite these attacks, they carried on and bombed, making their way home across the North Sea, not a pleasant journey. The pilot received an immediate award of the DFC. M/Sig Pearson finished the war out at Downham Market and after the war in Europe ended was posted to 83 Sqdn Conningsby for Tiger Force training and operations against the Japanese. Fortunately the war in the east ceased just as they were ready to depart. He was demobbed in May 1947, but was not happy out of uniform so was back in again at the end of 1949 as an A/G flying on Lincolns at 9 Sqdn. Binbrook. He had a short detachment with 617 Sqdn at Shallufa, Egypt and at the end of 1952 was posted onto B29 aircraft with 15 Sqdn. Coningsby. After six months he was posted to Little Rissington on a Link Trainer course and then to FTS Syerston as a Link instructor to Naval cadet pilots. In 1955, he was required to either remuster to a ground trade or take another aircrew trade. He was posted to Swanton Morley to take training as an Air Signaller and from then to St Mawgan 228 Sqdn on Shackletons. Next came a posting to Northolt in a drawing office drawing En-Route charts and Terminal Approach Procedures. Back to flying in 1961 and a posting to 224 Sqdn Gibraltar and then to Air Traffic Control School at Shawbury. On completion of this course came a posting to RAF Lyneham as Local Controller and thence to RAF Colerne as Approach Controller. He left the service in 1968.

Shackleton
Squadron details

No.120 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , BS, OH,

No.120 Sqn RAF

Endurance

Officially formed at Cramlington near Newcastle on 1 January 1918, Number 120 Squadron was intended as reinforcement for the Independent Force in France, but was not declared operational by the time of the Armistice and so remained in a state of limbo until March 1919 when the unit was assigned to mail duties with DH9As. Initial runs to France were later supplemented by trips to Cologne, but by October 1919, the British presence on the Continent had reduced and the unit disbanded. The Squadron did not reform until 2 June 1941, this time based at Nutts Corner, Northern Ireland, and flying B-24 Liberators on anti-U-boat patrols over the Atlantic. The units first confirmed success was on 12 October 1942 when U-597 was sunk by depth charges. No 120 moved to Iceland in April 1943, operating from Meeks Field (later renamed Keflavik), and within six weeks of the move, a further four U-boats had been sunk. In March 1944, the Squadron returned to Northern Ireland and joined Coastal Command's massive anti-submarine efforts in support of Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings, and by the end of the war, No 120 was the RAF's highest scoring anti-submarine unit with 14 kills. Despite this record, the Squadron was disbanded on 4 June 1945 and not reformed again October 1946 when No 160 Squadron at Leuchars was renumbered. Initially equipped with Liberators, these gave way over the coming months to Lancaster anti-submarine variants and it was with this aircraft that the unit deployed to Palestine in November 1947 to search for illegal immigrants. In 1950, No 120 moved north Kinloss and prepared for the introduction of the new Shackletons, the being accomplished during 1951 followed by a move to Aldergrove the following year. The unit returned to Kinloss in 1959 and did not replace its Shackletons until 1971 when the far superior Nimrod arrived. These aircraft are pooled with those of the other Kinloss-based squadrons (Nos 201 and 206) and were used to great effect during Operation Corporate (Falklands) in 1982 and Operation Granby (Gulf) in 1991

No.201 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , NS, VQ, ZM,

No.201 Sqn RAF

Hic et ubique - Here and everywhere

201 Squadron is one of the oldest squadrons in the RAF. It began as No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on 17 October 1914, and reformed on under that designation on 6 December 1916,and being renumbered to 201 Squadron on the formation of the RAF on 1 April 1918 No 201 reformed with Southampton flying boats and based at Calshot. These had been replaced by Londons by the time of World War II, and the unit found itself patrolling the Shetland-Norway gap. The following year, No 201 received Sunderlands and commenced anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic until the U-boat menace had been defeated. The Squadron also joined the successful Channel blockade prior to the D-Day it also had the distinction of carrying the final Coastal Command patrol of the War on 3 June 1945. The Sunderlands soldiered on, even taking part in the Berlin Airlift, until 1957 when the Squadron was disbanded. No 201 reformed at St Mawgan on 1 October 1958 with the new Shackleton Mk3s and moving to Kinloss in 1965. The 'Shacks' remained until 1970 when the unit received its first Nimrods, and these have seen action in both the South Atlantic, Gulf (twice) and Balkans conflicts.

No.269 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 24th May 1963
Known Codes : , HK, KL, UA,

No.269 Sqn RAF

Omnia videmus - We see all things

No. 269 Squadron was transferred to RAF Wick on 10 October 1939, and executed aerial attacks against surfaced German U-boats on 15 September, 18 October, 28 October, 3 November, 19 November, and 3 December. Postwar examination of Kriegsmarine records showed that these attacks either did little damage or a U-boat was not on patrol in the area of attack Aircraft from No. 269 Squadron made six separate attacks on German U-boats during February 1940, plus attacks on 8 August. No. 269 Squadron also carried out a number of missions in addition to its maritime patrol duties: 1 March — The Stavanger airfield was attacked. 11 June — The German battleships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Admiral Hipper were attacked while at anchor in Trondheim harbor. 22 June — Aircraft from the No. 269 Squadron and No. 442 Squadron RAF attacked the German battleship Scharnhorst while at sea north of Bergen, but inflicted little damage on the German warship. 27 June — No. 269 Squadron executed a special mission reconnaissance of Norwegian coast. The squadron also began receiving new Lockheed Hudson patrol bombers starting in March 1940, completing the transition on 15 April, while it ceased operating Avro Anson aircraft as of 1 June. By 15 July, No, 269 Squadron was fully operational with 18 Hudson Mk1 aircraft After a year of operations against enemy shipping from RAF Wick, No. 269 Squadron began transferring to Iceland starting on 12 April 1941, with the last Hudson aircraft arriving on 30 May. The squadron completed its re-deployment to Iceland on 10 July. A detachment of No. 269 Squadron deployed to RAF Reykjavik on 12 December.[4] On 9 April, six aircraft from RAF Wick bombed the aluminium factory at Hoyanger, Norway. Also during late May, the squadron participated in the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck. Aircraft from No. 269 Squadron also made four separate attacks on surfaced U-boats during June. On 6 August, Hudson patrol bombers from No. 269 Squadron escorted USAF fighter aircraft of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron to the Reykjavik airfield after being catapulted off the aircraft carrier USS Wasp. On 16 August, No. 269 Squadron flew twelve sorties escorting the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard for the upcoming, top-secret conference with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Aircraft from No. 269 Squadron made four separate attacks on surfaced U-boats during June. Aircraft of the No. 269 Squadron also attacked U-432 on 29 August, U-85 on 2 September, and U-439 and U-552 on 14 September, and they were also present during the Greer Incident. On 27 August 1941, Squadron Leader J.H. Thompson of the No. 269 Squadron made RAF history by becoming the only aircraft captain to have a U-boat (U-570) surrender to him. Thompson and his navigator/bomb-aimer—Flying Officer John Coleman—were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 23 September 1941 Aircraft of the No. 269 Squadron attacked U-510 on 14 July, U-609 on 23 July, U-164 and U-210 on 26 July, and U-595 on 30 July and 31 July. No. 269 aircraft made eight separate U-boat attacks during August. Six U-boats were attacked during September. U-183 was attacked on 3 October. No. 269 Squadron scored its first confirmed U-boat kill by sinking U-619 on 5 October

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Shackleton Aviation Prints

A Clipped Signature is Available