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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth J  James, B |
Squadron Leader B A Jimmy James MC
Squadron Leader B. A. Jimmy James, MC, survivor of the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III. Bertram Arthur James was born in India on April 17th, 1915 where his father was a tea-planter. He was educated at Kings School, Canterbury, and worked in British Columbia from 1934 until volunteering for flying training with the RAF in 1939. He was commissioned and posted to 9 Sqn flying Wellingtons from Honington in Suffolk. In June 1940 his aircraft was badly hit by flak over Holland while on a bombing raid to Germany and he was forced to bail out. He was captured and taken prisoner but then embarked on what was to become a prolific period of escaping including the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III. Jimmy James was one of 76 officers who escaped from Stalag Luft III on the night of March 24, 1944, and was fortunate not to be among the 50 executed on Hitlers order on recapture. He was sent instead to Sachsenhausen concentration camp from where he tunnelled his way out, only to be caught again after 14 days on the run. He was awarded the MC and mentioned in dispatches for his escape attempts. Squadron Leader B. A. Jimmy James retired from the RAF in 1958 and held a number of posts in the Diplomatic Service. He was the general-secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office-sponsored Great Britain-USSR Association, until joining the Diplomatic Service in 1964. He held posts in Africa, Western and Eastern Europe and London. He retired in 1975, when he visited Sachsenhausen with Jack Churchill and other survivors. He served as the British representative on the International Sachsenhausen Committee until shortly before his death. He died on January 18th, 2008, aged 92
| Squadron Leader B A Jimmy James MC - Signed Aviation Art |
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Lancaster Arrival by Graeme Lothian. (P) A Lancaster returns to its home airfield. |
Alone at Dawn by Gerald Coulson. Heavily damaged by flak and with one engine out, a Lancaster slowly makes its way home far behind the main force. |
Bill Reid VC by Graeme Lothian. (P) Lancaster LM360, piloted by Bill Reid, is raked by fire from stem to stern by a Luftwaffe Fw190 fighter. Bill Reid had already sustained injuries to his head, torso and hands from a previous attack by an Me110, but, with this rest of his crew unscathed from the previous attack, he had not mentioned his injuries. In the attack depicted here, the Fw190 makes a lethal attack on the already damaged bomber, killing one crew member and fatally wounding a second. Despite this, Bill Reid flew on to his target of Dusseldorf - a further 200 miles - successfully dropped his bombs, then turned for home. With the aid of the bomb aimer and flight engineer, the Lancaster made it across the Channel and headed for an airfield, with one leg of the damaged undercarriage failing on landing. Bill Reid was awarded the Victoria Cross for this mission. |
The Great Escape by Richard Taylor. Everyone here in this room is living on borrowed time. By rights we should all be dead! The only reason that God allowed us this extra ration of life is so we can make life hell from the Hun.. ... three bloody deep, bloody long tunnels will be dug - Tom, Dick and Harry. On will succeed! With those words the chief escape officer in Stalag Luft III, Squadron Leader Roger Bushell RAF, announced his plan for perhaps the most daring escape attempt of the war - the mass break-out of 200 men through the digging of three long tunnels - nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry - an audacious feat of tunneling that would be long and dangerous. Tom was discovered by the Germans and destroyed. Dick was abandoned. The escape would fall on Harry, and just after 22.00hrs on the night of 24th / 25th March 1944, the first escapee broke through to the surface - only to find it well short of the surrounding trees. The escapees would have to crawl to the cover of the trees under the noses of the patrolling sentries. It was obvious that not everyone would have time to get away. 76 men had made their escape when at 04.55 the escape was finally discovered by the guards. As shots rang out, those already in the trees began running for their lives. Of the escapees, three would make it home to the UK, the rest were recaptured. And of those, sadly 50 were executed by the Gestapo, but The Great Escape was already immortalised in history. |
| Squadron Leader B A Jimmy James MC Aircraft details |
 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 |
| Squadron Leader B A Jimmy James MC Squadron details |
No.9 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , WS, KA, | No.9 Sqn RAF Per noctum volamus - Through the night we gly |
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