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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Aircraft More Aircraft Initials N to S Sunderland

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Sunderland Aviation Prints

Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock. 2 editions. Both editions feature an additional signature. £60.00 - £85.00

Fat Alberts Day Off by Ivan Berryman. 8 of 9 editions available. The one edition featuring 4 additional signatures is available. £2.90 - £500.00

Touchdown by Ivan Berryman. 9 editions. One edition features 4 additional signatures. £2.90 - £600.00

Short Sunderland Mk.5 ML778 NS-Z by G Henderson. One edition. £20.00

Sunderlands 1944 by Barry Price. One edition. £10.00

Sunderland Over the Gareloch by Geoff Lea. 4 editions. £40.00 - £1800.00

Tribute to the Crews of Coastal Command - the Sinking of U-426 by Jason Askew. (P) One edition. The edition features 2 additional signature(s). £300.00

Short Sunderland Mk.V RN273 of 201 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. One edition. £10.00

U-107 by Ivan Berryman. 8 editions. £2.90 - £1100.00

Guardian of the Convoy by Nicolas Trudgian. 2 editions. One edition features 4 additional signatures. £45.00 - £170.00

Constant Endeavour by Michael Rondot. One of 2 editions available. Both editions feature 3 additional signatures. £300.00

The Last Sunderland by Michael Rondot. One of 2 editions available. The available edition features 2 additional signatures. £180.00

First Sighting by Robert Taylor. One edition. The edition features an additional signature. £95.00

Caught on the Surface by Robert Taylor One of 2 editions available. The edition featuring 8 additional signatures is sold out. £495.00

Yangtse Incident by Timothy OBrien. 3 editions. 2 of the 3 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £18.00 - £110.00

War in the Atlantic by Stan Stokes. 3 of 6 editions available. The one edition featuring 4 additional signatures is available. £35.00 - £294.00

North Atlantic Companions by Ivan Berryman. 8 editions. £2.90 - £2500.00

Tireless Vigilance by Stephen Brown. 3 of 4 editions available. All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £50.00 - £150.00

Tropical Duties by Richard Taylor. 4 of 5 editions available. 3 of 4 editions featuring up to 3 additional signatures are available. £2.00 - £395.00

Signing Off by Keith Hill. One edition. £105.00

Short Sunderland - The Legendary Flying Boat. One edition. £7.50

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Text for the above items :

Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock. A Short Sunderland Mark III of 201 sqn. Coastal Command above an allied convoy in the North Atlantic as it continues to search for marauding German U-Boats.

Fat Alberts Day Off by Ivan Berryman. Ground crew performing routine maintenance on a Sunderland on the slipway at Pembroke.

Touchdown by Ivan Berryman. A Short Sunderland Mk111 of 422 Squadron alights on to a moderate sea at Castle Archdale in 1944.

Short Sunderland Mk.5 ML778 NS-Z by G Henderson. A Short Sunderland of No.201 Sqn.

Sunderlands 1944 by Barry Price. No text for this item

Sunderland Over the Gareloch by Geoff Lea. After take off a Sunderland of Coastal Command flies low over its base at Rosneath on the Gareloch, as Royal Navy battleships lay at anchor around the naval base of Faslane, near Helensburgh, Scotland during 1945.

Tribute to the Crews of Coastal Command - the Sinking of U-426 by Jason Askew. (P) U-426 was sunk on 8th January 1944 west of Nantes, France, in position 46.47N, 10.42W, by depth charges from an Australian Sunderland aircraft (RAAF Sqdn. 10/U). All 51 crew aboard the u-boat were lost.

Short Sunderland Mk.V RN273 of 201 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. No text for this item

U-107 by Ivan Berryman. The German Type IXB U-Boat U-107 completed 13 active patrols between 1941 and 1944, well above the average lifespan for a U-boat during this period. U-107 sunk 39 ships with a total tonnage in excess of 200,000 tons. Shown here under attack from a Sunderland, this would be her ultimate demise. On 18th August 1944, Sunderland EJ150 of No.201 Sqn sunk the U-Boat with depth charges in the Bay of Biscay with the loss of the entire crew.

Guardian of the Convoy by Nicolas Trudgian. A limited edition print issued in part to raise funds for The Maritime Air Trust project 'Constant Endeavour'. A commemorative tribute to be erected in Westminster Abbey to all who served in RAF Coastal Command and their successors, together with the overseas squadrons and those from the Commonwealth and Allied Air Forces.

Constant Endeavour by Michael Rondot. No text for this item

The Last Sunderland by Michael Rondot. Short Sunderland ML814 served with 01, 422 (Canadian) and 330 (Norwegian) Squadrons during World War II and is now the worlds last airworthy Sunderland. Battered and weatherbeaten by the North Atlantic, ML814 flies over the Antrim coast.

First Sighting by Robert Taylor. Downed aircrew often drifted for days in their small inflatable dingies hoping rescue would come. Robert Taylors painting depicts that first sighting by an Air Sea Rescue Sunderland and the moment of joy of the aircrew.

Caught on the Surface by Robert Taylor In a strange quirk of fate, a Sunderland of 461 Sqn RAAF identification letter U, destroys submarine U-461, a type XIV tanker, one of three German submarines caught on the surface by Allied aircraft in the Bay of Biscay on July 30, 1943. At extreme low level, Sunderland U braves a barrage of gunfire from all three encircling German submarines to deliver a successful depth charge attack, sinking U-461 in a single pass. In an act of grace, the Sunderland pilot returned to the scene to drop a dingy to the U-boat survivors.

Yangtse Incident by Timothy OBrien. HMS Amethyst about to return fire while a Sunderland of 88 Squadron makes a hurried departure, 23rd of April 1949.

War in the Atlantic by Stan Stokes. During WW I Germany made very effective use of its U-boat fleet in a campaign which almost resulted in Englands defeat. As a result, the Versailles Treaty prohibited Germany from possessing submarines. By the late 1920s Germany had circumvented these restrictions and by the time WW II began, they had several dozen U-boats in service. The period between July of 1940 and December of 1941 was known as the fat years for the U-boat fleet. During this period, aided by the use of French Atlantic ports, and the effective use of wolfpack hunting techniques, German U-boats wreaked havoc on convoys in the Atlantic. By the spring of 1941 the Nazi U-boat fleet numbered 120, and later in the war would exceed 350 in number. The tide began to turn in favor of the Allies in late 1941 when the Royal Navy acquired fifty old destroyers from the U.S., and began an effective campaign against German weather and supply surface ships which supported the undersea hunters. The RAF was also involved, and the Short Sunderland flying boat played an important role in stemming the tide. The Short Brothers acquired one of the first licenses to built Wright biplanes, and eventually began building their own designs, including a number of dirigibles and torpedo planes during WW I. After the war they developed the first British all metal aircraft, the Silver Streak. The company is probably best known for a series of commercial flying boats, the pinnacle of which was their Empire Series of 4-engine, high wing monoplanes which were capable of cruising speeds of 200-MPH. The Short Sunderland was developed in the 1930s for the British Air Ministry as a long-range, all purpose flying boat. It was a large aircraft for its time with a wingspan of 112 feet. More than 700 of these aircraft were produced. During WW II the Sunderland was utilized in the anti-U-Boat role. With its armament upgraded the aircraft earned the nick-name the Flying Porcupine from U-boat crews. When America entered the war, the U-boat command expanded its hunting zone all the way to the East Coast of the United States. For a period the submariners experienced another period of happy times, and in November of 1942 almost 750,000 gross tons of shipping was lost. With production of averaging five new U-boats per week, for a time it appeared that victory in the Atlantic might be obtainable for the Germans. Eventually, the U-boat war was won by the Allies through the use of effective radar technology, the use of the Leigh Light (a powerful airborne searchlight), development of forward firing depth charges, and the use of special techniques to counter the U-boat threat. The U-boats also suffered from a general lack of coordination between its command and that of the Luftwaffe. In May of 1943 a total of 41 U-boats were lost, and by early 1944 more U-boats were being destroyed than Allied merchant ships were being sunk. The men who served in the U-boat command during WW II had the most hazardous of all positions in the War with close to a 75% casualty rate by wars end.

North Atlantic Companions by Ivan Berryman. Short Sunderland Mk.1 L5798 (DA-A) of 210 Sqn, based at Pembroke, dips her wings in salute to HMS Hood as she punches through the North Atlantic swell early in 1941. By May of that year, this mighty ship would be gone, lost with all but three of her crew, a victim of the might of the German Navy at the savage hands of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen.

Tireless Vigilance by Stephen Brown. With grace and majesty of mighty battleships, a pair of Short Sutherlands sweep out towards the dangers of the North Atlantic. With a 12-hour mission ahead of them the skill and dedication of the crews would once again play a crucial role in protecting vital supply lines from the menace of German U-boats.

Tropical Duties by Richard Taylor. On Wednesday 22nd June 1938 a new sound was heard over the humid streets of Singapore as four Bristol Pegasus radial engines heralded the arrival of the RAF's newest flying-boat. For the men of 230 Squadron gathering on the slipway at Seletar, the approaching aircraft looked formidable and even from a distance, they could spot the powerful array of .303 machine guns it possessed. 230 Squadron had been chosen as one of the first units to be re-equipped with the world's most advanced flying boat - the Short Sunderland. Richard Taylor's painting is a tribute to the outstanding Sunderland and the men who flew it in the Far East. As the sun beats down on tropical island anchorage a Mk III Sunderland from 230 Squadron unloads essential supplies at a forward base on an archipelago deep in the Indian Ocean. A second aircraft, breaking a patrol, prepares to land.

Signing Off by Keith Hill. On 3rd June Sunderland Z-Zebra of 201 escorts an inbound convoy, signing off with the last operational sortie of WW2 in Europe.

Short Sunderland - The Legendary Flying Boat. No text for this item

Flt. Lt. John Bishop Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Flt. Lt. John Bishop Joined the RAF in April 1943 from Edinburgh University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot in Rhodesia. In August 1944 he was posted to Diego Suarez to fly Catalina flying boats on anti-submarine patrols. He converted to Sunderlands at Mombassa on 209 Sqdn. and 57 MU also on Sunderlands until 1953. This included the Berlin airlift in 1948, flying from the river in Hamburg to Havel Lake, and flew in an anti-shipping role in Burma. At the end o fthe war in the Far East he flew form Hong Kong and Singapore until returning to the UK in Spetember 1946. He continued on 201 Sqd. Flying Boats until 1953. Thereafter he was mainly employed on V.I.P. duties flying from Malta, Northolt, Fontainebleau, Bovingdon and White Waltham. He flew 173 ops and 1800 hours on Sunderlands and 1800 hours on Devons out of a total of 6250 flying hours. The last fiver years of his service was as an Air Traffic Controller at R.A.F. Benson and RAF Abingdon. A Clipped Signature is Available

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Flight Lieutenant George Britton Our estimated value of this signature : £30

Flight Lieutenant George Britton Joining the RAF in 1941, George trained on Wellington and Stirlings as a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner. Converting to Lancasters he was posted to 90 Squadron for his first operational tour, and then to 186 Squadron, still on Lancasters. George then found himself designated to be an Intelligence Officer at Lossiemouth, interrogating Italian POWs Finally, before leaving the service in 1946, he served in Sunderland flying boats, flying to West Africa, Europe and Scandinavia.

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Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Our estimated value of this signature : £25 Died : 2005

Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Dudley joined the RAF in 1935 and in 1937 went to India flying on the North West Frontier, and Iraq. At the outbreak of war he went to Burma and in 1942 was fortunate to escape when his airfield was overrun by the Japanese. Escaping back to England he took command of 195 Squadron RCAF flying Wellingtons. In 1943 he became CO of 427 Squadron on Halifaxs, later converting to Lancasters. In the Korean War he commanded a Flying Boat Wing operating Sunderlands. He retired from the RAF in 1962. He died 20th September 2005.

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Flt Lt Leonard Davies Our estimated value of this signature : £35 Died : 2014

Flt Lt Leonard Davies Joined 151 Squadron in July 1940 and was wounded in combat over the Thames estuary on August 18th of that year. He later flew Sunderlands in the Middle East.

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Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £30

Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC HMS Amethyst was trapped on the Yangste river by the Commusnist forces. The third Sunderland to drop supplies and crew to the Amethyst was ML772. Also the following day piloted by Dick Dulieu flying out of Shanghai made a reconnaissance flight over the Yangtse, only again to be fired on by the Communist forces, which holed the Sunderland in the port main fuel tank and it had to return to Kai Tak on the 24th. Flying Officer Dick Dulieu flew a second Sunderland NJ176 to Shanghai.

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Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC No.88 Sqn, Sunderlands. Involved in the Yagtse incident.

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Flight Lieutenant William Hallisey Our estimated value of this signature : £10

Flight Lieutenant William Hallisey With No.230 Sqn, flew Sunderlands against the Japanese. Working as a customs and excise officer at the outbreak of war he was finally allowed to enlist in January 1941, in the RAF Volunteer Reserve. After training he became a Flying Instructor spending two years in Canada, sometimes flying anti-submarine patrols. Receiving an operational posting to 202 Squadron in April 1944 and based in Gibraltar as a 2nd Pilot on Catalina PBYs, he flew during Operation Cork to protect the western flank of the D-Day landings from U-Boats. In April 1945 he was posted to the Far East where he flew Sunderlands with 230 Squadron against retreating Japanese coastal vessels, where he also gave informal night-flying training. Following the Japanese surrender he represented the squadron to fly in the formal surrender ceremonies, then helped to ferry recently liberated Allied POWs out of Singapore and back to India.

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Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Our estimated value of this signature : £25 Died : 2003

Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Flt Lt Ian de Hamel flew Sunderlands with Coastal Command, 1944-1945. His introduction to flying was with the University Air Squadron whilst at Oxford, and he volunteered as a pilot in the RAF in 1942. His request to be allowed to serve on flying boats was granted due to his experience and skill in sailing, and he trained with the US Navy at Pensacola. However, due to the RAFs insistence that all flying boat pilots must also be fully trained navigators, he flew on Oxfords for a while before starting operations on Sunderlands with 228 Sqn at Pembroke Dock. These consisted of long and exhausting patrols hunting U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay and the North Atlantic before his transfer, as Captain, to 201 Sqn, also at Pembroke Dock. His flying career ended with this unit at Calshot in 1945 when he left the RAF. He died in 2003.

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Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS Joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1937 (Service no 463). He was posted to No. 10 Sqdn. RAAF in the UK in January 1940 flying Sunderlands from Pembroke Dock and went on to serve until 1942 flying operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean from bases in Pembroke Dock, Oban, Plymouth, Gibraltar and Alexandria (Egypt). In 1942 he was posted back to No. 20 Sqdn. in Australia flying Catalinas from Cairns on bombing raids over Japanese bases and anti-shipping patrols throughout the Solomon Islands and north of New Guinea . He went on to complete 44 operations and commanded this squadron until 1943 before becoming Chief Flying Instructor, Catalinas 3 OTU Rathmines. Vic later formed and commanded No. 40 Sqdn. RAAF Sunderlands, Port Moresby, New Guinea until 1945. He retired from the RAAF in 1946 to join BOAC, Hythe, flying their civil Sunderland conversions - Hythes, Sandringhams and Solents. Vic transferred to landplanes in 1950 flying Canadair Argonauts, Bristol Britannias, DH Comet 4s, 707-436s and 336s. Vic retired in 1971 having amassed 19,300 hours, including some 4,300 hours on Flying Boats. In his retirement Vic is currently restoring and maintaining a Sandringham Flying Boat at the Southampton Hall of Aviation. A Clipped Signature is Available

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Squadron Leader Malcolm Laidlay DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £30

Squadron Leader Malcolm Laidlay DFC Malcolm Laidlay joined the RAF in 1942 and trained in Canada. After volunteering to fly gliders, he was posted to India in 1944 and flew Hadrians; subsequently, during the Burma campaign, he flew Sentinel L.5s and also took part in supply-dropping from Dakotas. Demobilized in 1947, he rejoined the RAF in 1949. In 1950 he was posted to Hong Kong and detached to Japan, flying Sunderland flying boats on operations around Korea; later, his squadron was re-located to Singapore where he took part in operations over Malaysia. After flying Canberras as a flight commander in Cyprus in 1957/58, he then participated in the 'Intensive Flying Trials' for the MkII Vulcan at RAF Waddington. In 1961 he joined 101 Vulcan Squadron as a flight commander and, after participating in a ten-day, 24hr airborne alert flight-refuelled trial, he took part (in 1963) in 'Exercise Walkabout', the 18hr non-stop flight-refuelled flight of three Vulcan's from RAF Waddington to Perth (Australia). After leaving the RAF in 1976, he joined the Civil Service and retired in 1989.

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Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. Paddy Mahon MBE, C. Eng. MRAeS Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. Paddy Mahon MBE, C. Eng. MRAeS Started his 37 year career in the Royal Air Force in 1930 when he enlisted as an Aircraft Apprentice at Halton. he served as Metal Rigger and later as an Aircraft Fitter on Fleet Air stations and ships, for a while on Queen Bee aircraft. In 1937 he finally succeeded in selection as an Airman Pilot. EFTS at Bristol, SFTS at South Cerney, Maritime Recce at Thorney Island, and finally Flying Boat School at Calshot. There he learned his craft as a 'Boat' pilot on ageing Supermarine Scapas formerly used by 202 Squadron, Malta. On completion he was posted to 228 Squadrion at Pembroke Dock which was in process of re-equipping with Stranraers. In December 1938 he was 2nd pilot on the collection from Rochester of the Squadron's first Sunderland. In June 1939 the Squadron moved to Alexandria for Naval Co-operation Exercises. In addition to these the Sunderlands were used for long range V.I.P. flights and for transport around the Med. In course of these, the crew of which Sgt Mahon was a member, visited Malta, Bizerta, Cairo, Cyprus and for the third time Athens, leaving on 2nd September 1939. The Squadron was ordered home to Pembroke Dock on September 9th and immediately started the round of convoy escorting anti-submarine sweeps and general maritime tasks covering from Norway to Malta. On 24th November Sgt Mahon was one of the crew detailed to search for the Deutschland after it had sunk the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay. The operation involved the crew in 15 hours of flying in the most severe weather. Detachments to the Shetlands often meant the whole crew living on the aircraft for several days at a time because the weather prevented small craft coming along side but flying by day continued. In June 1940 he was seconded to 10 RAAF Squadron at Mount Batten to increase their roll of qualified first Pilots. One of his first trips was to convey Lord Gort and Mr Duff Cooper to Rabat on an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Sultan of Morocco to continue the war on its allies' side. That trip earned the Captain a DFC. In the months he spent with 10 Squadron several trips were made to Malta supporting the Hurricane reinforcement by aircraft carriers conveying essential ground personnel and equipment including one load of several tons of Browning gun links, none of which were held on the island. In February 1941 it was back to 'two layers of wing'. He was posted to 202 Squadron at Gibraltar, which was flying Saro Londons but expected to be re-equipped with Sunderlands. He travelled as a 'passenger' on a 10 Squadron aircraft in company with Anthony Eden and Lord Dill. That trip is recorded in several books on the Sunderland as being 'special'. It was Sgt Mahon's last ever time flying in a Sunderland as 202 Squadron were subsequently re-equipped with Catalinas. The transfer meant flying to UK with a London, a memorable trip of over 15 hours. Qualifying courses at Stranraer on the Catalina led to the ferrying flight back to Gibraltar. Unfortunately on Sgt Mahon's ferry trip the elevator controls failed en route and the attempted landing at Gibraltar using only trim tabs resulted in a serious crash ending his flying career. After a long period of hospital and subsequent rehabilitation, he reverted to his ground trade. He was commissioned into the Technical Branch in which he served until 1967 being awarded the MBE in 1963. A Clipped Signature is Available

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Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows On 30 July 1943, Dudley Marrows captained Sunderland U/461 Sqn., and took part in the 'Greatest air/U-boat battle of WWII'. During the engagement, all three U-boats were sunk, whilst Marrow's Sunderland 'U' of 461 accounted for U/461. On 16 September, 1943, his Sunderland was attacked by six JU88s, after having battled them for more than an hour, shooting one down and loosing three engines in the process, he force landed on the Bay of Biscay in a 15' swell. His Sunderland, riddled with bullet holes subsequently sank with all crew surviving to be rescued by the Royal Navy. Marrows then Captained one of six Sunderlands to Australia for service with 40 Sqn. RAAF.

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Gerry Moreby Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Gerry Moreby Gerry Moreby part of the crew of a Sunderland flying boat that went to aid HMS Amethyst during the famed Yangtse Incident of 1949. In 1949, No.88 Sunderland Squadron was stationed at Kai Tak, Hong Kong. We were mainly occupied with the transport of mail and freight between Japan, Singapore and Borneo. Sunderlands were particularly useful where there were no adequate airfields. On the afternoon of 20th April we heard that HMS Amethyst had been fired on by Chinese Communists guns on the Yangtse River. There were urgent talks between the Royal Navy and RAF and it was decided to send an aircraft to Nanking with medical supplies. These would then be sent overland to the Amethyst. All this changed when it was learned that the Amethyst's M.O. had been killed. The plan was now for a Sunderland to land on the river as close to the ship as possible, so that an RAF doctor could be sent on board. The crew of Sunderland D-Dog ML772 was Flt. Lt. Ken Letford DSO DFC (Captain), P.O. Ken Dillon (2nd Pilot), Flt. Lt. Maurice Marshall (Nav.), Engr.1 Lofty Doyle, Sig.1 Gerry Moreby (Wop/Air), Sig.2 Price (Wop/Air) and Gunner Devany (AG). Also on board was Gp. Capt. J.M. Jefferson, Station Commander, RAF Kai Tak. Flt. Lt. Michael Fernley RAF Medical Officer, a Royal Navy Medical Officer plus two Army Despatchers whose names are unknown. Gp. Capt. Jefferson had elected to make the trip himself and the two experienced Army parachute droppers were included as they would be able to accurately release supplies over the ship if a landing was not possible. We had reached the Yangste, flying at 5000ft when we were told by HMS London that landing under heavy fire would be too dangerous and we were ordered back to Shanghai at the mouth of the river. After lunch we heard that the Amethyst's situation was even more desperate than first reported so it was decided to try again. We took off again at about 16.3Ohrs. During the flight it was realised that there might not be enough time to transfer the cases of medical supplies to the ship so we broke open the boxes and the doctors filled their pockets and knapsacks with plasma, anaesthetics etc. As we got closer to HMS Amethyst, Ken Letford came down very low along a creek. Suddenly, there was the main river in front of us and as we circled we saw the ship close to the sand bank, the crew waving to us from the deck. Ken decided to land in the lee of the Amethyst where we would have some protection from the communist batteries. The landing was uneventful and we came to rest less than 100 yards from the Amethyst. Monaghan, the Amethyst's Commissioned Gunner had left Amethyst in a sampan rowed by chinese women. He persuaded them to row to the aircraft, We opened the door and Monaghan climbed in. At that moment the Communists opened fire and Michael Fearnley saw that the terrified women were rowing away rapidly, so, he hurriedly jumped in the sampan which proceeded to zig-zag away back to the Amethyst, leaving Monaghan and the Naval Doctor plus most of the medical supplies behind on the aircraft. Although everything was open and the anchor down, Ken Letford shouted that he was going to take off at once. Sig. Price and myself rushed down to the bows and chopped the anchor free. The rest of us shut what doors we could and we climbed away, pursued by fire from the Chinese guns. As most of the medical supplies destined for the Amethyst had not been delivered and were still aboard D-Dog we decided to make another attempt the next day and this time we were to take a Padre with us to bury the dead. This time the Gp. Capt. demanded and got a much fuller briefing. On the second sortie (22.04.49) we successfully landed alongside HMS Amethyst, opened the rear door and launched a rubber dinghy, attaching it by rope. Once again several bursts of shell and other gunfire forced us yet again into an immediate take-off. Goodbye dinghy. We were airborne again on 23.04.49 from Shanghai to carry out reconnaissance in the area where HMS Amethyst was. We were hit by ground fire and the port main tank was holed causing heavy leaking into the bomb bay. Also on landing we discovered the main aileron control wire between the Signaller's position and the Captain's position running along the floor, was almost severed and that two bullets were lodged in the Navigator's computer which was in his Nav's bag. The bullets had entered through the portside of the wardroom, continuing upwards through the control housing in the floor of the upper deck. Luckily, the computer had stopped the bullets travelling in line for the Gp. Capt.'s bottom, which was strategically placed between the two pilots. Also, the 0.5in round that had entered the starboard side, passed through the sleeve of Ken Dillon#39;s uniform and did no harm, so we all reckoned that lady luck had been on our side. Quite an eventful few days away from Kai-Tak. A Clipped Signature is Available

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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

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Flight Lieutenant Graham Stevens Our estimated value of this signature : £10

Flight Lieutenant Graham Stevens With No.230 Sqn, flew Sunderlands against the Japanese. Called up in 1941, he completed his pilot training with the US Navy in Pensacola, Florida and was selected to fly Catalina flying boats in the maritime reconnaissance role. Inititally posted to 270 Squadron in West Africa as a 2nd Pilot, he and his crew were tasked with patrolling over the South Atlantic gathering information on enemy maritime activity. As the war in Europe drew to a close, he completed a Captains conversion course and re-trained to gly the Short Sunderland. As victory over the Japanese approached he joined 230 Squadron in Madras to begin what was the most satisfying period of his service, piloting repatriation flights for Allied POWs from Singapore to begin the first leg of their journey home.

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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

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Sunderland Squadron details

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