Aviation Art of No.238 Sqn

Dakota
Manufacturer : Douglas

Dakota
DOUGLAS DAKOTA, Transport aircraft with three crew and can carry 28 passengers. speed 230-mph, and a altitude of 23,200 feet. maximum range 2,100 miles. The Douglas Dakota served in all theatres of world war two, The Royal Air Force received its first Douglas Dakota's in April 1941, to 31 squadron which was serving in India. These were DC2, later DC3 and eventually C-47 Dakotas were supplied. The Douglas Dakota was developed from the civil airliner of the 1930's. The Royal Air Force received nearly 2,000 Dakotas, But many more than this served in the US Air Force and other allied countries. The last flight of a Douglas Dakota of the Royal Air Force was in 1970. You can still see Douglas Dakota's in operational and transport use across the world.

Hurricane
Manufacturer : Hawker
Built : 14533

Hurricane
Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.

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.

No.238 Sqn RAF
Pilot and aircrew signature details

Wing Commander Peter V Ayerst DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2014

Wing Commander Peter V Ayerst DFC

Peter Ayerst joined the RAF in 1938, and was posted to 73 Squadron in August 1939, flying Hurricanes. He went to France with the squadron, scoring his first victory in April 1940. After a spell instructing, when he shared in the destruction of a He111 with two other instructors, he had postings with both 145 and 243 Squadrons. In July 1942 he went to 33 Squadron, before promotion to flight commander with 238 Squadron, both postings with further combat success. After a period in South Africa, he returned to the UK, joining 124 Squadron flying Spitfire MkVIIs in defence of the invasion ports, where he scored his final victory; then flew Spitfire MkIXs on bomber escorts to Germany. He later became a Spitfire test pilot at Castle Bromwich. Peter finished the war not only a brilliant fighter Ace, but also one of the most highly regarded wartime instructors in the RAF. His final victory tally stood at 5 destroyed, 1 probable, 3 damaged and 2 further destroyed on the ground. Peter Ayerst died on 15th May 2014.

Flying Officer Don Carruthers
Our estimated value of this signature : £40

Flying Officer Don Carruthers

Joining the RAF in 1941 he trained as a wireless operator and completed his ops training at Lossiemouth on Wellingtons where he formed up with a crew that was to stay together for his entire operational career in Bomber Command. In 1943 he was posted to 466 squadron at Leconfield on Wellingtons before converting to the Halifax. He and his crew volunteered for the Pathfinder Force and joined 35 squadron on Halifax's and then Lancasters. In 1945 having completed a total of 63 operations he moved to Transport Command flying Dakotas in India with 238 squadron and then Calcutta with 52 squadron. He left the RAF in 1946.

Flt. Lt. Ronald Homes DFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £20

Flt. Lt. Ronald Homes DFC

Joined the RAF in March 1942 and after initial training, went to Terrell, Texas, USA for his flying training, where he gained his wings in May 1943. He returned to the UK and joined the Special Operations No. 101 Sqdn. in May 1944, going on to complete 32 Ops. over Europe. After his bombing tour he converted onto Dakotas, joined No. 238 Sqdn. and flew out to India and Burma, then on to Australia and the South Pacific. After the Japanese surrender he joined 1315 Flight and flew up to Japan with the occupation forces.

Squadron Leader Robert Kings
Our estimated value of this signature : £45
Died : 2013

Squadron Leader Robert Kings

Robert Austin Kings was born on 22nd October 1914 and joined the RAFVR about July 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot and began training at 29 E&RFTS at Luton. Called up on 1st September 1939, he was posted to 3 ITW Hastings on 13th December and moved on to 14 FTS Kinloss on 12th March 1940 and finished the course on 2nd August. Kings went to 6 OTU Sutton Bridge on 7th August and after converting to Hurricanes was posted to 238 Squadron at St. Eval on the 31st. He damaged a He111 on 25th September and was himself shot down by a Me110 in combat over the Isle of Wight on the 26th. Kings baled out, unhurt. His Hurricane, P3830, is believed to have crashed on Colemans Farm, Porchfield. He destroyed a He111 in the action. Four days later he baled out again, after colliding with P/O VC Simmonds during a routine patrol. Kings was injured in a heavy landing because of a damaged parachute, which had ripped on the tail of his aircraft. His Hurricane, L1702, crashed near Shaftesbury. Kings was admitted to hospital and did not rejoin 238 until 15th November 1940. However he was judged to be not fully fit and he was put on administrative duties and did not return again to 238 until 22nd December, this time fit to fly. Re-joining the squadron, in 1941 they embarked for North Africa, attached to 274 Squadron in the Western Desert. The squadron embarked on HMS Victorious on 17th May 1941, en route for the Middle East. However they disembarked when the carrier was added to the task force chasing the Bismarck. After returning to Scotland to refuel, it set off again for the Mediterranean. On 14th June Kings flew off south of Majorca, heading for Malta. Refuelled, the squadron flew to Egypt the next day and on the 19th was attached to 274 Squadron in the Western Desert. On 16th September 1941 the 238 pilots were flown to Takoradi, to fly back Hurricane 11cs. On 26th November Kings was shot down in a sweep over Sidi Rezegh and made a forced-landing in the desert where he was spotted and rescued by soldiers from the 22nd Armoured Division en-route to Tobruk, and was able to rejoin his squadron. Kings was posted to the ADU in the Delta on 30th April 1942 and remained with it until 17th May 1945 when he returned to the UK. In November 1945 he was posted to India, served at RAF Poona and Calcutta and returned to the UK in November 1947. Later trained in Air Traffic Control and Radar duties, Kings retired from the RAF on 27th October 1964 as a Flight Lieutenant, retaining the rank of Squadron Leader. Bob Kings was also a test pilot on Typhoons. He died on 1st May 2013.

Flt Lt Archibald McInnes
Our estimated value of this signature : £20
Died : 2019

Flt Lt Archibald McInnes

Commissioned as a Pilot in 1940 with 601 Sqn and later moved to 238 Sqn, completing his service with this Squadron. Archie flew Hurricanes with 601 Squadron at Exeter before moving to 238 Squadron at Chilbolton. He was later stationed in Malta, after travelling on board HMS Victorious during the hunt for the Bismarck. He lost his left arm after being shot down in North Africa, and after recovering he returned to active service with 691 Squadron at Roborough. Archibald McInnes passed away on Wednesday 31 July 2019 after celebrating his 100th birthday.

Air Commodore David Roberts CBE AFC
Our estimated value of this signature : £45

Air Commodore David Roberts CBE AFC

Battle of Britain pilot, with 609 & 238 Squadrons

Squadron Leader F. Stillwell
Our estimated value of this signature : £35

Squadron Leader F. Stillwell

Enlisted in 1943 Trained in America and the Isle of Man. Posted to 238 Squadron flying Dakotas from Abingdon. Detached to Vienna flying the Balkan routes before returning to the UK to join 30 Squadron to take part in the Berlin Airlift. Flew a total of 266 trips during Operation Plainfare again from Buckeburg, Wunstorf and Lübek. Went on to various postings in the UK and around the world including flying VIPs out of Changi and being O/C 115 Squadron flying the Varsity out of RAF Northolt. Retired from the RAF in 1974.

Squadron Leader John Urwin-Mann
Our estimated value of this signature : £50
Died : 1999

Squadron Leader John Urwin-Mann

A Canadian, John Urwin-Mann elisted in the RAF before the war. Flying Hurricanes with No.238 Sqn, he was awarded the DSO and DFC with Bar in his career with the RAF. DFC citation in the London Gazette, 26th November 1940 : This officer has displayed initiative and dash in his many engagements against the enemy. He has led his section in an excellent manner and has destroyed at least eight enemy aircraft. The bar to his DFC was gazetted on 7th April 1942. DSO citation in the London Gazette, 11th May 1943 : Within the past 6 months, whilst operating from Malta this officer has completed a large number of sorties, involving attacks on factories, warehouses, port installations, power stations and airfields in Sicily and nearby enemy islands. On one occasion he led a formation which attacked an airfield and destroyed many aircraft on the ground; Squadron Leader Urwin-Mann also obtained a hit on a petrol installation, causing a violent explosion and a large fire. Another of his successes was the destruction of a portion of the main railway line during a sortie at Gela in January, 1943. During the same operation, Squadron Leader Urwin-Mann engaged a Messerschmitt 210, shooting away its starboard engine. With his great skill and inspiring leadership this officer has raised his squadron to a high pitch of fighting efficiency. He died on 7th March 1999.

Aces for : No.238 Sqn RAF
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name.
Name	Victories	Info
Richard George Arthur Barclay	6.00