Sergeant Butch Morton - Signed Aviation Prints

Sergeant Butch Morton

Bob Morton has the honour of a nickname personally bestowed on him by Bader, apparently referring to his modest 5 foot 3 inch height! Like Bader he was shot down over St Omer, on July 9 1941, a month before the Wing Leader. Joining the RAFVR just before the outbreak of war, Morton unusually, did his elementary flying training on Blackburn B2s which he considered far superior to Tiger Moths. After conversion to Spitfires he was posted to 74 Squadron, but in spite of valiant efforts he was not able to operate during the Battle of Britain, transferring to 616 in September 1940. Douglas Bader led the Tangmere Wing from March 1941, always flying with 616 Squadron. Morton clearly remembers Baders invigorating leadership style, but as a young Sergeant Pilot he had little personal contact with him. He became a POW after failing to return from a sweep on 9th July 1941 in P8386. He later went on to become a school teacher. Robert sported a Mae West decorated with the motto Spotto, Squirto, Scrammo. Rob Morton rejoined the V.R. in 1950 and flew Tiger Moths until May 1953.

Sergeant Butch Morton - Signed Aviation Art

Inspiration by John Young.
This single edition is sold out.
The edition features 20 additional signatures.

Text for the above items :

Inspiration by John Young.

Official limited edition print of the 60th Anniversary of the Douglas Bader Foundation. Douglas Bader (D-B) leading Dogsbody Section, 616 Squadron, including Johnnie Johnson (YQ-E) , Cocky Dundas (YO-A) and Jeff West (YQ-H) on his final operational take off from Westhampnett on August 9th 1941.

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.

Sergeant Butch Morton
Squadron details

No.616 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Disbanded 10th March 1957
Known Codes : , QJ, RAW, YQ,

No.616 Sqn RAF

South Yorkshire (Auxiliary)

Nulla rosa sine spina - No rose without thorns

616 squadron was formed at Doncaster on 1st November 1938 as the last of the Auxiliary Squadrons. Formed initially as a bomber squadron equipped with Hawker Hinds, it was re-equipped with Gloster Gauntlets in June 1939 and transferred to Fighter Command. The squadrons first Spitfires arrived in late October. 616 first saw action and claimed its first victories whilst covering the evacuation from Dunkirk in May 1940. Returning to Yorkshire, the squadron claimed further enemy victims with 15th August standing out as a memorable day. 616 intercepted a large force of unescorted German bombers off the Yorkshire coast and claimed eight enemy aircraft destroyed. They moved to Kenley to join 11 Group at the height of the Battle of Britain, and destroyed 15 aircraft and claimed a further 15 as probables or damaged. During February 1941, 616 joined the Tangmere Wing led by Wg Cdr Douglas Bader. Flying Spitfire II fighters, they flew circus and ramrod sweeps over Northern France, and re-equipped with Spitfires Vb during July 1941. For the next two years 616 continued as a front line fighter squadron and was heavily engaged during the Dieppe expedition and later flying beach-head patrols on D-Day. In July 1944, 616 re-equipped with Gloster Meteor jet fighter thus becoming the first and only Allied squadron to operate jet aircraft in World War II. The squadron destroyed a number of V1 flying bombs whilst operating from Manston before joining the 2nd Tactical Air Force. In January 1945, 616 moved to the continent and operated in the ground attack role before being disbanded at Lubeck on 29th August. The squadron was re-formed at Finningley on 31st July 1946 equipped with Mosquito NF XXX night fighters which were replaced with Meteor F 3 day fighters a few months later. 616 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force was finally disbanded at RAF Worksop on 10th March 1957 whilst equipped with Meteor F8 aircraft.

No.74 Sqn RAF
Country : UK
Known Codes : , GM, JH, 4D, ZP,

No.74 Sqn RAF

Trinidad

I fear no man

Hurricane of 56 Squadron was shot down by mistake by No. 74 Squadron and Pilot Officer M L Halton-Harrop of 56 sqd was killed on the 6th September 1939

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