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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth F  Farquharson, William |
[UP] - Fairhurst, Edward - Farnborough, Ron - Farnes, Paul - Farquharson, William - Ferguson, Robert - Field, Dennis - Fillingham, Pat - Finlay, Hartland - Fischette, Charles - Fish, C - Fisher, John - Flatman, Mark - Flower, Hubert - Foster, Bob - Fox, Peter - Foxley-Norris, Christopher - Frankowski, Tadeusz - Fray, Frank - Freeborn, John - French, George - Friday, J - Fripp, Alfie - Frizell, Charles - Frost, J - Fry, Pat - Fumerton, Moose |
Group Captain William Farquharson DFC
William Farquharson was a pilot with 115 Squadron and flew Lancasters with 195 Squadron. William Farqharson was born om September 28th 1919 in Malacca, Malaya. His father was a police officer in the Colonial Service. His early schooling was in Malaya and Australia, and he completed his education at Harris Academy, Dundee, and later went to the Birmingham Central Technical College. In January 1941 William Farqharson enlisted in the Royal Air Force to become a pilot. William Farqharson joined No 115 Squadron in July 1942 and flew his first bombing operations in the Wellington before the squadron converted to the four-engine Stirling. Farqharsons first sorties were to drop mines in the Kattegat, the Baltic and off the French Biscay coast. Farquharson also bombed targets in Germany and in northern Italy, the latter involving very long flights over the Alps. On April 20 1943 he and his crew attacked Stettin at low level in full moonlight. Dissatisfied with the first attempt, he made a second bombing run despite heavy opposition. His Stirling was badly damaged, but he then made a third run to photograph the results of his attack before turning for the long flight home. He was awarded his first DFC. After a period training bomber crews, Farquharson returned to operational flying in October 1944 when he joined No 195 Squadron. Bomber Command was concentrating on attacks against the German oil industry and he bombed many targets in the Ruhr. Farquharson and his crews also wre involved in Operation Manna these humanitarian operations which saw them dropping food to the starving population in the Netherlands and also took his Lancaster to Belgium and France for Operation Exodus to pick up prisoners of war recently released form German PoW camps. In total William Farqharson completed 63 operations as a pilot in Bomber Command. He recalled on one occasion the engine of his Wellington caught fire and he ordered his crew to bail out. As the last man left, he realised that the aircraft would be too low for him to survive a jump and he was forced to crash land into the tops of some trees before hitting a farm in the Cotswolds. The wings sheared off and he ended up, badly concussed, in the fuselage section. The farmer's son rushed into the house shouting, there's an aeroplane in the greenhouse. On another occasion his bomber was damaged by anti-aircraft fire. On landing he discovered a large piece of shrapnel embedded in the parachute he had been sitting on. Farquharson remained in the RAF and much of his early service was involved in training pilots. After attending the Central Flying School he commanded flying training squadrons and in 1953 led a large formation of aircraft in the Coronation Flypast. Later he was the chief instructor at an advanced flying school equipped with the Meteor jet fighter. After appointments in the Far East and as station commander at RAF Episkopi in Cyprus, Farquharson was appointed air attaché in Warsaw at the height of the Cold War. There all his activities were closely monitored by the secret police. Having shown no previous interest, he suddenly became an expert in birdwatching when he 'discovered' that the most interesting sites were close to military airfields. After retiring from the RAF in 1976, Farquharson worked in the sales division of a company manufacturing flight simulators and was for a period of time chairman of the Bomber Command Association. He was later made an honorary vice-president and worked hard seeking recognition for his fellow veterans. With his wife, a former WAAF operations officer on his bomber station, he was able to attend the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial by the Queen in July 2012. Sadly Group Captain Bill Farquharson, died on September 20th 2012.
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| Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Group Captain William Farquharson DFC - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Clipped Signature - William Farquharson. William Farquharson was a pilot with 115 Squadron and flew Lancasters with 195 Squadron. William Farqharson was born om September 28th 1919 in Malacca, Malaya. His father was a police officer in the Colonial Service. His early schooling was in Malaya and Australia, and he completed his education at Harris Academy, Dundee, and later went to the Birmingham Central Technical College. In January 1941 William Farqharson enlisted in the Royal Air Force to become a pilot. William Farqharson joined No 115 Squadron in July 1942 and flew his first bombing operations in the Wellington before the squadron converted to the four-engine Stirling. Farqharsons first sorties were to drop mines in the Kattegat, the Baltic and off the French Biscay coast. Farquharson also bombed targets in Germany and in northern Italy, the latter involving very long flights over the Alps. On April 20 1943 he and his crew attacked Stettin at low level in full moonlight. Dissatisfied with the first attempt, he made a second bombing run despite heavy opposition. His Stirling was badly damaged, but he then made a third run to photograph the results of his attack before turning for the long flight home. He was awarded his first DFC. After a period training bomber crews, Farquharson returned to operational flying in October 1944 when he joined No 195 Squadron. Bomber Command was concentrating on attacks against the German oil industry and he bombed many targets in the Ruhr. Farquharson and his crews also wre involved in Operation Manna these humanitarian operations which saw them dropping food to the starving population in the Netherlands and also took his Lancaster to Belgium and France for Operation Exodus to pick up prisoners of war recently released form German PoW camps. In total William Farqharson completed 63 operations as a pilot in Bomber Command. He recalled on one occasion the engine of his Wellington caught fire and he ordered his crew to bail out. As the last man left, he realised that the aircraft would be too low for him to survive a jump and he was forced to crash land into the tops of some trees before hitting a farm in the Cotswolds. The wings sheared off and he ended up, badly concussed, in the fuselage section. The farmer's son rushed into the house shouting, there's an aeroplane in the greenhouse. On another occasion his bomber was damaged by anti-aircraft fire. On landing he discovered a large piece of shrapnel embedded in the parachute he had been sitting on. Farquharson remained in the RAF and much of his early service was involved in training pilots. After attending the Central Flying School he commanded flying training squadrons and in 1953 led a large formation of aircraft in the Coronation Flypast. Later he was the chief instructor at an advanced flying school equipped with the Meteor jet fighter. After appointments in the Far East and as station commander at RAF Episkopi in Cyprus, Farquharson was appointed air attaché in Warsaw at the height of the Cold War. There all his activities were closely monitored by the secret police. Having shown no previous interest, he suddenly became an expert in birdwatching when he 'discovered' that the most interesting sites were close to military airfields. After retiring from the RAF in 1976, Farquharson worked in the sales division of a company manufacturing flight simulators and was for a period of time chairman of the Bomber Command Association. He was later made an honorary vice-president and worked hard seeking recognition for his fellow veterans. With his wife, a former WAAF operations officer on his bomber station, he was able to attend the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial by the Queen in July 2012. Sadly Group Captain Bill Farquharson, died on September 20th 2012. |
Mission Completed by Simon Smith. Depicting the morning after a gruelling operation during the autumn of 1944. As day breaks a returning crew awaits the crew bus at their aircraft dispersal, grouped before their mighty bomber which shows fresh scars of battle from an arduous mission over occupied Europe. The exhausted men are clearly relieved and thankful to be safely home at their in Lincolnshire base. |
No Turning Back by Robert Taylor. A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for another 50 minutes to bomb the target, then fly his badly damaged aircraft on the long journey home. The courage and devotion to duty that earned Bill Reid the Victoria Cross, was a hallmark of RAF bomber crews throughout their long six year campaign. |
| Group Captain William Farquharson DFC Aircraft details |
 Lancaster Manufacturer : Avro Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. |
 Meteor Manufacturer : Gloster Built : 3947 | Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. Designed by George Carter, and built by the Gloster Aircraft Company, Armstrong-Whitworth, the Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Gloster Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft but the Gloster design team succeeded in producing an effective jet fighter that served the RAF and other air forces for decades. Meteors saw action with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the Korean War and other air forces used the Meteor. The Royal Danish Air Force, The Belgian Air Force and Isreali Air Force kept the Meteor in service until the early 1970's. A Total of 3947 meteors were built and two Meteors, WL419 and WA638, remain in service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds. |
 Stirling Manufacturer : Short Built : 2381 | Stirling The Royal Air Force's first four engined monoplane Bomber, the Short Stirling first flew in May 1939 and entered front line service in August 1940 with no. 7 squadron. Due to its poor operational ceiling the aircraft sustained heavy losses and by mid 1942 the Stirling was beginning to be replaced by the Lancaster. Improved versions of the Short Stirling were built for Glider towing, paratroopers and heavy transport. also from 1943 many of the Stirling's were used for mine laying. A total of 2381 Stirling's were built for the Royal air Force and from this total 641 Stirling bombers were lost to enemy action. Crew 7 or 8: Speed: 260 mph (MK1) 275mph (MKIII) and 280mph (MKV)Service ceiling 17,000 feet Range: 2330 miles. (MK1) 2010 miles (MKIII) and 3,000 miles (MKV) Armament: two .303 Vickers machine guns. in nose turret, two .303 in browning machine guns in dorsal turret , Four .303 Browning machine guns in tail turret. Bomb Load 14,000 Lbs Engines: four 1150 Hp Bristol Hercules II (MK1) four 1650 hp Bristol Hercules XVI (MK111 and MKV) |
 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 |
| Group Captain William Farquharson DFC Squadron details |
No.115 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded October 1993 Known Codes : , A4, BK, IL, KO, | No.115 Sqn RAF Despite the elements |
No.195 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada | No.195 Sqn RCAF 195 Squadron was formed at Duxford, Cambridgeshire on the 16th of November 1942, as an army support squadron equipped with Hawker Typhoons. 195 Squadron was disbanded in February 1944 but in October 1944 195 Squadron was reformed as a heavy -bomber squadron at Witchford, Cambridgeshire and equipped with Avro Lancasters. No.195 Squadron flew its first operational mission on 26th October 1944 bombing Leverkusen and in total flew some 1384 sorties against the enemy and dropped 6,144.6 tons of bombs by the end of the war. After their final mission on the 24th April 1945 against the Railway facilities at Bad Oldesloe, 195 squadron dropped supplies to the Dutch at The Hague on the 7th of May 1945 and flew home POWs back form France and British troops home from Italy. The squaodron was disbanded in August 1945. |
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