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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth D  Dunstan, Donald |
[UP] - Daines, Roy - Darch, Norman - Davenport, Fred - David, Dennis - Davies, Leonard - Davis, Alan - Day, Paul - Deere, Al - Denchfield, David - Dickson, William - Diamond, Frank - Doe, Bob - Donnet, Mike - Dowding, Harry - Drake, Billy - Duckenfield, Byron - Duff, Stanley - Duke, Neville - Dundas, Sir Hugh - Dunford, Ted - Dunn, George - Dunning-White, Peter - Dunstan, Donald |
Donald Dunstan
Trained as Flight Mechanic working on Fairy Battles then transferred to 103 Squadron, Bomber Command on Wellingtons. After a Fitter 2E course he joined 161 Squadron at Tempsford with their Lysanders. During the 'Moon Period' often working at Tangmere. He serviced the aircraft of Wing Commanders Pickard and Hodges.
| Donald Dunstan - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Loire Rendezvous by Philip West. Lysanders of 161 Special Operations Squadron turn onto their final course to a clandestine landing field somewhere in central occupied France during a full moon period in 1943. Based at Tempsford, Bedfordshire and often operating from Tangmere to shorten the flight, the pilots flew a dead reckoning course to their first turning point, usually on the River Loire, using rudimentary navigating equipment. The moonlit town of Blois is easily distinguishable by its chateau, churches and bridge with the Forest of Chambord beyond. The agents in the rear cockpit prepare themselves by torchlight for the forthcoming landing. |
| Donald Dunstan Aircraft details |
 Battle Manufacturer : Fairey | Battle 14th May 1940 was a bad day for losses for the Fairey battle aircraft and its crews during the Battle for France. Sedan was situated on the east bank of the Meuse River. Its capture would give the Germans a base from which to capture the Meuse bridges and cross the river. On 14 May 1940 the Allied air forces, tried to destroy the bridges to slow down the German advance. During these sorties No 71 Wing RAF lost 10 Fairey Battles and 5 Blenheims No.75 Wing RAF lost 14–18 Battles and No 76 Wing RAF lost 11 Battles. Out of 71 bombers dispatched, 40–44 bombers were lost, meaning a loss rate of 56–62 percent Here is the list of Aircraft shot down and the names of their crews Battle K9189 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F H Ridley killed, Sergeant G Atkinson killed, Aircraftsman 1 J S Thomson killed. Battle K9333 , WT-?, - Shot down near Ecly. Pilot Officer H L Oakley ok, Sergeant Martin ok, Aircraftsman 1 Presto ok. Battle K9342 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F A G Lascelles ok, Sergeant Ordway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Weir ok. Battle K9343 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant V H Moseley killed, Sergeant S D Hibberd killed, Corporal H F Little killed. Battle K9383 , MQ-?, - Damaged by enemy but returned to base. Abandoned during fall of France. Sergeant E E Hopkins ok, Sergeant J Callaghan ok, Aircraftsman 1 D Barber ok. Battle K9483 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer A F Posselt killed, Sergeant D J Bowen killed, Aircraftsman 2 N V Vano killed. Battle L4946 , JN-?, - Crashed near Douchery. Flying Officer J Ing killed, Sergeant J D Turner killed, Aircraftsman 1 W J Nolan killed. Battle L4950 , PH-V, - Crashed near Sedan. Flying Officer E R D Vaughan killed, Sergeant C Shelton-Jones killed, Aircraftsman 1 J D Wright taken prisoner. Battle L4952 , PH-X, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant G D Clancey taken prisoner, Sergeant K Alderson killed, Aircraftsman 1 R T Ainsworth killed. Battle L5188 , PH-C, - Lost near Sedan. Sergeant H R W Winkler taken prisoner, Sergeant M D Smalley taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 L R Clarke taken prisoner. Battle L5190? , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer T B Fitzgerald injured, Corporal Madkins ok. (Note Flying Officer Fitzgerald may not have been in this aircraft but instead P2191.) Battle L5230 , GB-?, - Lost without trace around Sedan. Flight Lieutenant H C Sammels killed, Sergeant F B Abbott killed, Leading Aircraftsman R D Hughes killed. Battle L5232 , HA-?, - Shot down at Sauville. Pilot Officer W A R Harris injured but returned to unit, Sergeant N B Herriot killed, Aircraftsman 1 W Robinson killed. Battle L5233 , RH-?, - Returned to base damaged and was subsequently abandoned during the fall of France. Battle L5235 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer A M Imrie taken prisoner, Leading Aircraftsman A J Taylor killed. Battle L5238 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant R N Wall killed, Sergeant A C Morgan killed, Leading Aircraftsman H Hatton killed. Battle L5250 , GB-?, - Force landed and abandoned at Suipped. Pilot Officer D C F Murray ok, Sergeant Hemingway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Hill ok. Battle L5422 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer J F R Crane killed, Aircraftsman 1 T W Holloway taken prisoner. Battle L5438 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant W A Dunn killed, Sergeant A F Sedgewick killed, Aircraftsman 2 M B Millar killed. Battle L5516 , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer V A Cunningham ok, Aircraftsman 1 J Johnson ok. Battle L5517 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant K R Rogers killed. Battle L5523 , GB-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer H E White killed, Sergeant G A Cartwright killed, Aircraftsman 1 J Potter killed. Battle L5581 , RH-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant W G Ross killed, Sergeant F E Beames killed, Leading Aircraftsman J H K Gegg killed. Battle L5585 Mk.1 , GB-?, - Shot down and crashed behind enemy lines Battle P2182 , JN-?, - Shot down near Douzy. Flight Sergeant J Boon killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Aircraftsman 1 S Martin killed.14May1940Battle P2191 , PM-?, - Shot down by an Me109 near Sedan. Sergeant G Beardsley ok, Leading Aircraftsman G F Lewis ok. (Note Sergeant Beardsley may not have been in this aircraft, but in L5190.)14May1940Battle P2246 , WT-?, - Shot down and crash landed behind enemy lines. Squadron Leader J F Hobler injured but evaded capture, Sergeant R V T Kitto evaded capture, Corporal D J Barbrooke evaded capture.14May1940Battle P2267 , MQ-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Squadron Leader C E S Lockett taken prisoner, Sergeant F J Percival killed, Corporal R S Clark killed.14May1940Battle P2324 , HA-?, - Shot down by ground fire near Sedan. Flying Officer D A J Foster taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 T J Bryan taken prisoner.14May1940Battle P2333 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant A N Spear evaded capture, Sergeant J Brookes killed, Leading Aircraftsman R H Nugent killed.14May1940Battle P2360 , HA-?, - Lost without trace near Sedan. Pilot Officer R T L Buttery killed, Aircraftsman 2 W C Waterston killed.14May1940Battle P5229 , PH-O, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant A G Johnson killed, Sergeant E F White killed, Aircraftsman 1 F T Spencer taken prisoner. Battle P5232 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant G T Barker killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Leading Aircraftsman A K Summerson evaded capture. |
 Lysander Manufacturer : Westland Aircraft Built : 1786 | Lysander The first Lysanders entered service in June 1938, equipping squadrons for army co-operation and were initially used for message-dropping and artillery spotting. When war broke out in Europe, the earlier Mk Is had been largely replaced by Mk IIs, the older machines heading for the Middle East. Some of these aircraft, now designated type L.1, operated with the Chindits of the British Indian Army in the Burma Campaign of the Second World War. Four regular squadrons equipped with Lysanders accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France in October 1939, and were joined by a further squadron early in 1940. Following the German invasion of France and the low countries on 10 May 1940, the Lysanders were put into action as spotters and light bombers. In spite of occasional victories against German aircraft, they made very easy targets for the Luftwaffe even when escorted by Hurricanes. Withdrawn from France during the Dunkirk evacuation, they continued to fly supply-dropping missions to Allied forces from bases in England; on one mission to drop supplies to troops trapped at Calais, 14 of 16 Lysanders and Hawker Hectors that set out were lost. 118 Lysanders were lost in or over France and Belgium in May and June 1940, of a total of 175 deployed. With the fall of France, it was clear that the type was unsuitable for the coastal patrol and army co-operation role, being described by Air Marshal Arthur Barratt, commander-in-chief of the British Air Forces in France as "quite unsuited to the task; a faster, less vulnerable aircraft was required." Nevertheless, throughout the remainder of 1940, Lysanders flew dawn and dusk patrols off the coast and in the event of an invasion of Britain, they were tasked with attacking the landing beaches with light bombs and machine guns.[9] They were replaced in the home-based army co-operation role from 1941 by camera-equipped fighters such as the Curtiss Tomahawk and North American Mustang carrying out reconnaissance operations, while light aircraft such as the Taylorcraft Auster were used to direct artillery. Some UK-based Lysanders went to work operating air-sea rescue, dropping dinghies to downed RAF aircrew in the English Channel. Fourteen squadrons and flights were formed for this role in 1940 and 1941. In August 1941 a new squadron, No. 138 (Special Duties), was formed to undertake missions for the Special Operations Executive to maintain clandestine contact with the French Resistance. Among its aircraft were Lysander Mk IIIs, which flew over and landed in occupied France. While general supply drops could be left to the rest of No. 138's aircraft, the Lysander could insert and remove agents from the continent or retrieve Allied aircrew who had been shot down over occupied territory and had evaded capture. For this role the Mk IIIs were fitted with a fixed ladder over the port side to hasten access to the rear cockpit and a large drop tank under the belly. In order to slip in unobtrusively the Lysanders were painted matte black; operations almost always took place within a week of a full moon, as moonlight was essential for navigation. The aircraft undertook such duties until the liberation of France in 1944. The Lysanders flew from secret airfields at Newmarket and later Tempsford, but used regular RAF stations to fuel-up for the actual crossing, particularly RAF Tangmere. Flying without any navigation equipment other than a map and compass, Lysanders would land on short strips of land, such as fields, marked out by four or five torches. They were originally designed to carry one passenger in the rear cockpit, but for SOE use the rear cockpit was modified to carry two passengers in extreme discomfort in case of urgent necessity. The pilots of No. 138 and from early 1942, No. 161 Squadron transported 101 agents to and recovered 128 agents from Nazi-occupied Europe. The Germans knew little about the British aircraft and wished to study one. Soldiers captured an intact Lysander in March 1942 when its pilot was unable to destroy it after a crash, but a train hit the truck carrying the Lysander, destroying the cargo |
 Wellington Manufacturer : Vickers | Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a Bomber aircraft and also used for maritime reconnaissance. and had a normal crew of six except in the MKV and VI where a crew of three was used. Maximum speed was 235 mph (MK1c) 255 mph (MK III, X) and 299 mph (MK IIII), normal operating range of 1805 miles (except MK III which was 1470miles) The Wellington or Wimpy as it was known, was the major bomber of the Royal Air Force between 1939 and 1943. The Royal Air Force received its first Wellingtons in October 1938 to 99 squadron. and by the outbreak of World war two there were 6 squadrons equipped with the Vickers Wellington. Due to heavy losses on daylight raids, the Wellington became a night bomber and from 1940 was also used as a long range bomber in North Africa. and in 1942 also became a long range bomber for the royal Air Force in India. It was well used by Coastal Command as a U-Boat Hunter. The Wellington remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1953. Probably due to its versatile use, The aircraft was also used for experimental work including the fitting of a pressure cabin for High altitude tests. The Vickers Wellington could sustain major damage and still fly, probably due to its construction of its geodesic structure and practical application of geodesic lines. Designed by Sir Barnes Wallis |
| Donald Dunstan Squadron details |
No.103 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st July 1975 Known Codes : , GV, PM, | No.103 Sqn RAF Nili me tangere - Touch me not |
No.161 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 2nd June 1945 Known Codes : , MA, JR, | No.161 Sqn RAF Liberate |
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