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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth B  Bisley, John |
Flight Lieutenant John Bisley
Fl Lt John Bisley DFC Royal Australian Air Force, fighter pilot joined the RAAF in 1940 and was posted to England where he joined 122 Sqn RAF. On 29 March 1942 he flew a Spitfire off HMS Eagle and landed at Malta as part of operation Picket II. On 5 April 1942 Plt Off John Bisley was flying one of three Mk VB Spitfires of 126 Sqn RAF who intercepted 100 German aircraft attacking Malta. He was then attacked by 12 Me109s from JG-53 who took it in turns to attack two at a time to try and shoot him down and he was hit by 55 cannon shells. Fl Lt John Bisley DFC said I would flick the aircraft over, standing it on its wingtip just 5 or 10 feet above the water and pulll into a tight turn go part way then flick back the other way. He then made a wheels up landing at Ta Kali and watched from a slit trench as two of the 109s then strafed what was left of his Spitfire. This was the intense aerial air battles over Valetta in April 1942. Between the summer of 1940 and the end of 1942, Malta became one of the most bombed places on earth. The RAFs desperate fight to retain control of the diminutive Mediterranean island, and the defiant courage of the people of Malta, is one of the epic stories of World War Two. Bisley was awareded the DFC on the 7th July 1942. From April to early July, Bisley shot down a Junkers Ju88, a Ju87, two Me109s a Macchi MC202 and a half share in a Savoia-Marchetti SM.84. He returned back the England and then to Australia in August 1942 joinming 452 Sqn in Darwin flying Spitfire MKVs. On 20 June 1943, Flight Lieutenant John Henry Eric Bisley (402720) shot down a Nakajima KI-49 (Helen) (Squadron Leader R. S. MacDonald, and Flight Lieutenant D. Evans also each shot down a Japanese Helen or Sally.) John Bisley became a test and ferry pilot from 1944 and then a instructor at the Central Flying School. He left the Ryal Australian Air Force in August 1945 and after the war established an import export business.
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| Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Flight Lieutenant John Bisley - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Spitfires Over Darwin by Robert Taylor. Mark Vc tropicalized Spitfires of No 1 wing RAAF returning from a Scramble over the city of Darwin in early 1943. The bombing of Darwin by Japanese aircraft shortly before 10:00 am on the morning of February 19, 1942, brought the northern region of Australia directly into the war in the South Pacific. The surprise attack caught the Royal Australian Air Force with only a handful of Wirraway trainers and a squadron of Hudson twin-engine bombers to defend the Northern Territories, and a Japanese invasion looked a possibility. Fortunately the USAAF 49th Group were transiting through Darwin at the time, en route to Java and, flying their P-40E fighters, they were able to hold the line until 77 Squadron Kittyhawks arrived to defend the Top End in the latter part of 1942. At the time Australias only Spitfire squadrons were operating successfully in Europe as part of RAFs 11 Group, but Churchill, recognizing the Japanese threat to Australia, dispatched three Spitfire squadrons to Darwin in the Northern summer of 1942. Simultaneously a group of talented young Australian pilots returned home from service in North Africa and Malta to join the newly formed Wing. Number One Fighter Wing, known as the Churchill Wing, became operational in January 1943, scoring their first victory on February 6th. Shortly after on March 2nd, the Wings Spitfires led by the legendary Wing Commander Clive Caldwell came up against Zeros - the first time the two types had met over Australian skies. The Spitfire pilots immediately took the upper hand, bringing down two Zeros without loss - a portend of what was to come. These early encounters were the start of what became a highly successful air defence campaign, and by the end of the year the seasoned fighter pilots of No 1 Fighter Wing had gained total air superiority, and had claimed over 100 victories. The Japanese withdrew and the attacks of Darwin ceased. |
| Flight Lieutenant John Bisley Aircraft details |
 Spitfire Manufacturer : Supermarine Built : 20351 | Spitfire Royal Air Force fighter aircraft, maximum speed for mark I Supermarine Spitfire, 362mph up to The Seafire 47 with a top speed of 452mph. maximum ceiling for Mk I 34,000feet up to 44,500 for the mark XIV. Maximum range for MK I 575 miles . up to 1475 miles for the Seafire 47. Armament for the various Marks of Spitfire. for MK I, and II . eight fixed .303 browning Machine guns, for MKs V-IX and XVI two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 browning machine guns. and on later Marks, six to eight Rockets under the wings or a maximum bomb load of 1,000 lbs. Designed by R J Mitchell, The proto type Spitfire first flew on the 5th March 1936. and entered service with the Royal Air Force in August 1938, with 19 squadron based and RAF Duxford. by the outbreak of World war two, there were twelve squadrons with a total of 187 spitfires, with another 83 in store. Between 1939 and 1945, a large variety of modifications and developments produced a variety of MK,s from I to XVI. The mark II came into service in late 1940, and in March 1941, the Mk,V came into service. To counter the Improvements in fighters of the Luftwaffe especially the FW190, the MK,XII was introduced with its Griffin engine. The Fleet Air Arm used the Mk,I and II and were named Seafires. By the end of production in 1948 a total of 20,351 spitfires had been made and 2408 Seafires. The most produced variant was the Spitfire Mark V, with a total of 6479 spitfires produced. The Royal Air Force kept Spitfires in front line use until April 1954. |
| Flight Lieutenant John Bisley Squadron details |
No.122 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st April 1946 Known Codes : , MT, | No.122 Sqn RAF Bombay Victuri volamus - We fly to conquer |
No.126 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 10th March 1946 Known Codes : , 5J, MK, MT, TD, | No.126 Sqn RAF Persian Gulf Foremost in attack |
No.452 Sqn RAAF Country : Australia Disbanded 21st June 1942 Known Codes : , CR, QY, UD, | No.452 Sqn RAAF |
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