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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth H Hannam, Tom

Flying Officer Tom Hannam

Flying Officer Tom Hannam qualified as a pilot in October 1942 having been trained by the US Army Air Forces in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Returning to the UK and after Operational Training Unit he joined 222 (Natal) Squadron, which was equipped with Spitfires Mark Vs in January/February 1943 aged 21. Most operational sorties were on sweeps, high cover for bombers and ships convey patrols. At the end of September he was shot down over Normandy and spent the next three months avoiding capture by the Germans. Eventually arriving in Gibraltar he was flown home on 23 December 1943. After a brief period he rejoined 222 Squadron to take part in the invasion of Europe and went through Northern France, Belgium and Holland. In December 1944, with the war in Europe no more than 5 months from its end, the Squadron converted onto Tempests Mark Vs and returned to Europe supporting the crossing of the Rhine near Nijmegen and then into Germany. Operational flying covered attacks on airfields, trains, road transport, tanks and rocket sites. When the war in Europe ended he became a flying instructor on Tiger Moths for a short period. Tom returned to civilian life a little older but very much wiser.

Flying Officer Tom Hannam - Signed Aviation Art

Over the Beaches by Philip West. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £130.00 - £150.00

Text for the above items :

Over the Beaches by Philip West. In the early hours of 6th June 1944, the campaign to liberate europe began following many months, if not years of planning and preparation. The RAF was heavily committed in support of allied land and sea forces flying combat air patrols, ground attack and reconnaissance missions. After a further year of fighting a hard fought victory was achieved.

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.

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Tempest Manufacturer : Hawker Built : 1395

Tempest The Hawker Tempest was a much improved development of the Typhoon and first flew in June 1943. and started service with the RAF in April 1944. mainly serving in the attack role in Europe against ground targets including the V1 Flying Bomb installations. It remained in service after the war until 1949 when it was eventually replaced by the Jet Aircraft. but continued for another 4 years in the Indian and Pakistan air forces. In total no less than 1395 Hawker Tempests were built. Speed: 426mph at 18,500 feet, Crew One. Range 800 miles. Armament: Four 20mm Hispano cannons mounted in the wings and a bomb payload of upto 2,000 lbs.

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Tigermoth Built : 8800

Tigermoth The Royal Air Force last bi-plane, which served as a trainer from 1932 to 1947. Its design remained nearly the same throughout its history, and was well constructed and able to do aerobatics. A total of 8800 Tiger Moths were built which included 420 Radio Controlled Pilotless Target aircraft. (The Queen Bee). For the Royal Air Force. It was also used for a short period during the first months of world war two for coastal reconnaissance. Maximum speed 109 mph, Ceiling 14,000 feet, and can remain airborne for three hours.

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Flying Officer Tom Hannam Squadron details

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