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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Squadrons UK and Commonwealth No.77 Sqn to No.105 Sqn  No.80 Sqn |
[UP] - No.77 Sqn RAAF - No.78 Sqn - No.79 Sqn - No.80 Sqn - No.81 Sqn - No.83 Sqn - No.85 Sqn - No.87 Sqn - No.88 Sqn - No.89 Sqn - No.90 Sqn - No.91 Sqn - No.92 Sqn - No.97 Sqn - No.99 Sqn - No.101 Sqn - No.102 Sqn - No.103 Sqn - No.104 Sqn - No.105 Sqn |
Nil nobis obstare potest - Nothing can stop us
80 Squadron was formed at Montrose on the 10th August 1917, and saw action in France, specialising in the ground attack role. Remaining in Belgium after the war, they moved to Egypt in May 1919 where it was renumbered 56 the following year. 80 squadron re-formed at Kenley on 8th March 1937, equipped with Gloster Gauntlets and Gladiators. Posted to Egypt in May 1938, the squadron joined No.33 to form a Gladiator Wing for defence of the Suez canal. When Italy entered the war, 80 squadron was stationed at Amriya equipped with Gladiators and one Hurricane. In November 1940, the squadron moved to Greece and in February 1941, the squadron equipped with a mixture of Gladiators and Hurricanes was used on bomber escort duties. In March the Germans came to the aid of their Italian Allies and on 24th March the squadron was evacuated to Crete and then to Palestine. In November 1941 they returned to the Western Desert to take part in the relief of Tobruk. During 1942-43, the squadron was on defence duties and convoy escort work over the Eastern Mediterranean. Posted to Italy in January 1944 and then onto the UK, they were re-equipped with Spitfires Mk IX. 80 Squadron then took part in bomber escorts, sweeps and armed reconnaissance. They began to re-equip with the Hawker Tempest, and were used for anti V1 operations. 80 Squadron was posted to the continent to support the Arnhem landings and roamed over Germany in the ground attack role. They remained in Germany as part of the occupation force until 1949. It was then sent to Hong Kong on air defence duties equipped with Spitfires and Hornets between 1949 and 1955. Disbanded in 1955, 80 Squadron reformed in Germany as a P R Squadron equipped with Canberras PR7. They finally disbanded in September 1969.
| No.80 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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Pattle's First Victory, 4th August 1940 by David Pentland. Gloster Gladiators flown by Flt. Lt. M.T. Pattle and Flying Officer Johnny Lancaster surprise a flight of Breda 65s from 59A Squadriglia over Bit Taob El Essem, North Africa. Pattle went on to be top Commonwealth Air Ace of all time. |
Forgotten Hero by Stan Stokes. Marmaduke St. John Pattle, known as Pat to his friends, was born in South Africa in 1913. Pattle came from a family with a military tradition, and upon graduation from Graemian College he joined the South African Air Force. Pattle, unfortunately, was not accepted for air crew training, and he returned to civilian life for a time. In 1936 Pattle went to England where he joined the RAF, graduating near the top of his class in pilot training. He was assigned to No. 80 Squadron which flew the Gloster Gladiator. In 1938 the squadron was moved to Egypt. When war broke out in 1939, Pattle had been promoted to Flight Commander. For the first several months of the war Pattle saw little action as his missions were routine patrols of the Suez Canal. When Italy entered the War in 1940, the situation changed dramatically, as the British were vastly outnumbered in North Africa by both Italian troops and aircraft. Pattles first victory, in a Gladiator, came on July 24, 1940. When Italy attacked Greece, No. 80 Squadron was moved north to assist the Greek army in fighting the invaders. Pattle attained several more victories before the end of 1940, and his reputation as an excellent tactician and marksman had grown. In February of 1941, Pattles squadron received the first of their Hawker Hurricanes, a vastly superior aircraft when compared to the aging Gladiators. Pattle wasted no time in adapting to his new machine, and bagged his first victory in a Hurricane on February 20. A week later the Italians mounted a massive offensive, attempting to gain as much ground as possible before Germany joined in the hostilities. No. 80, No. 33, and No. 112 Squadrons saw tremendous action during this offensive. In one 90-minute air battle during the campaign No. 80 and No. 33 attained an amazing 27 confirmed victories. Pattles score rose swiftly and steadily during this campaign, and many of his victims were CR.42 and G.50s. In April, Hitlers forces attacked both Greece and Yugoslavia. More than 1,000 Luftwaffe combat aircraft were thrown into the battle, including the high performance Bf-109. Despite the numerical superiority of the Luftwaffe, the RAF pilots fought on. Pattle destroyed two 109s in a strafing attack on April 8th, and on the next day he downed his first German bomber. Hopelessly outnumbered, and with only fifteen serviceable Hurricanes left, the RAF fought on. On April 19 Pattle and the remaining Hurricanes intercepted a flight of more than 100 German aircraft heading for Athens. Pattle downed two 110s and a 109, but his Hurricane was riddled by a 110 which had snuck up on his tail. Pattles Hurricane tumbled into the sea. While Pattles official victory total remains under some dispute, those pilots which fought alongside him during those hectic months of aerial combat, insist that Pattle, recipient of the DFC, downed more than forty enemy aircraft, making him one of the top Allied aces of WW II. |
Tribute to Peter Wykeham-Barnes by Ivan Berryman. Lattely known as Air Marshal Sir Peter Guy Wykeham, KCB, DSO and Bar, OBE, DFC and Bar, AFC - he is shown here baling out of his stricken Gloster Gladiator of No.80 Sqn over North Africa on 4th August 1940. At the time he would have been known as Peter Wykeham-Barnes - a flying Ace who would go on to score 14 victories plus 3 shared in a wartime career which also saw him fly with No.274 Sqn and command No.73 Sqn, No.257 Sqn and No.23 Sqn. Remaining with the Royal Air Force after the war, he became a test pilot and served with the US Air Force in the Korean War before taking serveral roles in the RAF, culminating in Deputy Chief of Air Staff from 1967 until retirement in 1969. He died in 1995. |
Gloster Gladiator Mk II L8011 YK-O. by M A Kinnear. Aircraft History: Built by Gloster Aircraft, L8011 was one of a batch of 28 Gladiators delivered in September 1938 to the Royal Air Force. Allocated to 80 Squadron, L8011 saw service in North Africa and Greece, until it was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Air Force, 15th December 1940. Squadron Leader Marmaduke T St. John Pat Pattle, DFC: Born on 3rd July 1914 in Butterworth, Cape Province, South Africa, Pat Pattle joined 80 Squadron in 1937. The Squadron was sent to Egypt in April 1938, and Pattle became a flight commander in 1939. During August 1940 the Squadron moved up to the Libyan border. Whilst escorting a Lysander, Pattles flight was engaged by a force of Italian fighters. Pattle (claiming 2) was forced to bale out inside Italian territory, but returned to base the next day. The Squadron moved to Greece in November in support of Greek forces on the Albanian border. Pattle was awarded the DFC in February 1941. In March he was awarded a bar to the DFC promoted to Squadron Leader and given command of 33 squadron equipped with Hawker Hurricanes Mk I. By this time he was credited with 23 victories. Due to the chaotic conditions during the British and Greek retreat, records were lost. However, relying on personal records and memories, it appears that his score of victories was 50 (possibly as high as 60) making him the highest scoring RAF pilot of the war. On 20th April 1941, he led the combined remnants of No.s 33 and 80 squadrons from Eleusis airfield. Although suffering from influenza and fatigue and on his third sortie of the day, Pattle led the remaining Hurricanes to intercept a German formation over Eleusis Bay. He was seen to shoot down a Bf110 but two other Bf110s then attacked him. Pattle was hit and he was seen slumped forward in the cockpit of his aircraft as it fell into the Bay. |
Textbook Attack by David Pentland. Bir el Gobi, North Africa, 8th August 1940. A full squadron sweep into Libya by 80 Squadron, designed to give the enemy a bloody nose was devised and implemented by Squadron Leader Paddy Dunn. In all 13 of the unit's Gloster Gladiators engaged some 16 Fiat Cr.42s and 2 Ro.37s, inflicting considerable damage on the enemy. Last to enter the fray were the top cover vic of Pat Pattle, Sid Richens and Greg Shorty Graham. By the end of the brief 5 minute battle 9 Italian aircraft were confirmed destroyed plus 6 probables. |
| No.80 Sqn RAF Aircraft details |
 Canberra Manufacturer : English Electric | Canberra The English Electric Canberra first flew on Friday 13 May 1949 when its performance created a sensation. Such was the quality of the original design that in May 1951, when the first B2 Canberras entered service with No 101 Squadron at RAF Binbrook they could out manoeuvre all the fighters of the period and fly with impunity more than 10,000 feet above them. Operated by 17 airforces in more than 20 different variants, Canberras have been to war at Suez and in India, in Vietnam and the Falklands campaign, and in 1996 Canberra PR9s were engaged in operational reconnaissance flights over Bosnia and in other regions. It is widely and justifiably regarded as one of the greatest aircraft designs of all time. | |
DH.103 Hornet Manufacturer : de Havilland Built : 383 | DH.103 Hornet The Hornet prototype RR 915 first flew on 28 July 1944 with Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. at the controls. Powered by twin Merlin engines, it was the fastest twin piston-engined fighter in Royal Air Force service, a little slower than the fastest (single) piston-engined Supermarine Spiteful. The Hornet also has the distinction of being the second fastest wooden aircraft ever built, after the Heinkel He 162, and the second fastest operational twin propeller-driven aircraft — being slightly slower than the unconventional German Dornier Do 335 of 1945. The Hornet entered service in 1946 with 64 Squadron based at RAF Horsham St Faith. Next to convert to the Hornet was 19 Squadron at RAF Wittering, followed by 41 Squadron and 65 Squadron, both based at RAF Church Fenton. No. 65 Sqn was to participate in one of the first official overseas visits by an RAF unit when they visited Sweden in May 1948. Pilot conversion to the Hornet was provided by No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit (O.C.U.) which was based at RAF Molesworth. Operationally, the Hornet I (later F 1) was to last only a short time before being superseded by the F 3 version. The first Hornet F 3 was PX 366 which flew at the Farnborough Air Show in June 1946. New units to convert to this mark were 33 Squadron, 45 Squadron (based at RAF Tengah, Singapore where, in early 1952, the unit converted to the Hornet from the unreliable Bristol Brigand) and 80 Squadron. Along with 64 Sqn these squadrons operated in Malaysia where they replaced Beaufighters and Spitfires operating against Communist guerrillas during the Malayan Emergency. Armed with rockets and/or 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs Hornets, with their long range and good endurance, were able to spend up to two hours loitering over the target area. They also proved to be very reliable; 45 Sqn Hornets, based in Singapore achieved 4,500 operational sorties over five years. The last operational Hornet sortie was flown on 21 May 1955. On 23 July 1954, two Hornets from RAF Kai Tak in Hong Kong were the first to arrive on the scene of a shootdown of a Cathay Pacific Skymaster off the coast of Hainan Island. All Hornets were withdrawn from operational service by mid-1956 | |
Gauntlet Manufacturer : Gloster | Gauntlet No profile available | |
 Gladiator Manufacturer : Gloster Built : 746 | Gladiator GLOSTER GLADIATOR: A continuation form the Gloster Gauntlet aircraft the Gloster Gladiator (SS37) becoming designated the F.7/30 was named Gladiator on the 1st July 1935. The first 70 Gladiators had Under wing machine guns (Vickers or Lewis) before the browning became standard The first aircraft arrived at Tangmere airfield on in February 1937 to no. 72 squadron. at the outbreak of world war two a total of 218 Gladiators had been received by the Royal air force with a total of 76 on active service. They served also in the Middle eats and in 1940 when Italy joined the war was nearly the only front line fighter in the middle east. Between 1939 and 1941. the Gloster Gladiator flew in many war zones. flying in France, Greece, Norway, Crete Egypt Malta and Aden. The Aircraft claimed nearly 250 air victories. It stayed in front line duties until 1942, then becoming fighter trainer, and other sundry roles. It continued in these roles until the end of world war two. The Naval equivalent the Sea Gladiator a short service in the Middle east and European waters. A Total of 746 aircraft were built of these 98 were Sea Gladiators.. Performance. speed: 250mph at 17,500 feet, 257 mph at 14,600 Range 430 miles. Armament: Two fixed .3-03 browning machine guns | |
 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. | |
 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. | |
| No.80 Sqn RAF Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Flight Lieutenant James Kyle DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £45 | Flight Lieutenant James Kyle DFM James Kyle joined the RAF in 1941 and trained as a pilot in Dallas, Texas, before returning home to become a member of 197 Typhoon Fighter Squadron at Drem upon its formation. In March 1943 the Squadron moved to Tangmere, and he became one of a precious few survivors of a full tour of operations, being awarded the DFM in 1944. He was demobilised in 1947 as a flight commander with 80 Tempest Fighter Squadron in Germany. He spent some years away from the service but the urge to fly never left and he rejoined the RAF in 1951 and became a Qualified Flying Instructor. He retired in 1974 after 30 years service. | |
  Flight Lieutenant James Pickering AFC Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2004 | Flight Lieutenant James Pickering AFC Jim Pickering joined the RAFVR in 1937, and was attached to 769 Sqn FAA, then 804 Sqn FAA. In June 1940 he returned to the RAF and flew Spitfires with 64 Sqn during the Battle of Britain. With 418 Flight Jim flew Hurricanes to Malta from HMS Argus on 2nd August 1940. This flight was to reinforce Maltas handful of outdated Gladiators and few surviving Hurricanes, and on 16th August was amalgamated to become 261 Squadron. With this unit Jim flew Hurricanes and at least five operations in the legendary Gladiators, which have been immortalised as Faith, Hope, and Charity. In April 1941 Jim was posted, first to Egypt, then 80 Squadron in October 1942, and 145 Squadron in December. He returned to the UK in 1943. Born in 1915 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, James Pickering studied the printing business in Europe during the 1930s. Convinced that Hitler represented a threat which could lead to war, Pickering joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1937. As a 'week-end' flyer he earned his wings as a Sergeant Pilot in April of 1939. In September of that year Pickerings unit was mobilized. He was sent to an attachment of the Fleet Air Arm, where he flew Gladiators, Skuas, and Rocs, following his carrier training. In June of 1940 Pickering returned to the RAF flying Spitfires with No. 64 Squadron based in Kenley during the Battle of Britain. Pickering was selected along with eleven other carrier-qualified pilots to fly Hurricanes to Malta off the deck of the HMS Argus. On arrival in Malta these new Hurricanes and their pilots were integrated with the 3 flyable Gladiators and 3 Hurricanes already there to form No. 261 Squadron. This unit carried on the defense of Malta against Italian and German bombing missions which were launched regularly from Sicily, only sixty miles distant. Because of his earlier experience with the Gladiator, Pickering flew both Gladiators and Hurricanes at Malta for eight months. It is believed that Pickering is the last living RAF pilot to fly the Gladiator at Malta. Following his assignment in Malta, Pickering joined No. 1 Aircraft Delivery Unit which ferried aircraft from the West African Gold Coast and Port Sudan to various points throughout the war theater of operations. Pickering delivered a P-40 Warhawk to the Flying Tigers which involved one of the first flights 'over the hump.' In October of 1942 Pickering returned to operational flying with No. 80 Squadron (Hurricanes) at EI Alamein, and later with No. 145 Squadron (Spitfires). Having completed three separate operational tours, Pickering returned to England when victory was achieved in North Africa. In England, Pickering was assigned as a test pilot with No. 3501 Servicing Unit. He tested modifications to the Spitfire, and also test flew a number of P-51 Mustangs. Later he was transferred to No. 151 Repair Unit as its Chief Test Pilot. This was the largest unit of this kind in the RAF. Because of these experiences, Pickering is unusual in having flown eighty different types of aircraft during the War. Awarded the Air Force Cross, Pickering was released from the RAF at Wars end. He returned to his family-owned printing business, and spent his working career with the company, from which he retired in 1965. He also served as an outside Director of the largest Building Society in Britain. Pickering joined the Volunteer Reserve once again following the War, and continued to fly with the RAF until reaching the mandatory age limit of sixty. Pickering has had a private pilots license since 1938. He has flown thousands of hours and he is an expert on geological and archaeological research from the air. A Fellow of both the Geological Society and the Society of Antiquaries, Jim Pickering epitomizes the English character of determination and persistence which was so vastly underestimated by Hitler during WW2. He died on 6th October 2004. | |
  John Jack Stafford Our estimated value of this signature : £35 Died : 2015 | John Jack Stafford Jack Stafford left New Zealand for the UK in 1943 and was assigned to Hurricanes with OTU at Annan before being posted to No.486 Squadron in November 1943 as a Sergeant Pilot. Based at Tangmere flying the Hawker Typhoon, No.486 Sqn was engaged in dive-bombing and ground attack operations over Europe in preparation for D-Day the following year. In April 1944 after a brief hiatus with de Havilland, Stafford returned to action and was credited with eight V-1s destroyed between 19th June and 29th August. He was promoted to Warrant Officer and commissioned the following month. Stafford was involved with covering the airborne invasion to capture the Arnhem and Nijmegan Bridges before the squadron moved to Grimbergen in Belgium. After No.486 Sqn moved to Volkel in Holland, Stafford and Flying Officer Bremner were credited with the first confirmed Me262 for the squadron on Christmas Day 1944. Jack was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in February 1945 and made Flight Commander of A Flight. On 12th April Stafford shot down and Fw190D-9 east of Ludwigslust, his last of the war. On 15th May he was posted to No.80 Sqn at Fassberg before moving to Copenhagen. His final tally was 2 confirmed kills, 3 shared and 8 V-1 rockets destroyed. Jack received the DFC and left the RNZAF in April of 1946. Sadly John passed away on the 1st of August, 2015. | |
| Aces for : No.80 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 |
| Marmaduke Pattle | 34.00 | |
| William Vale | 22.00 | |
| John Harry Stafford | 5.00 | The signature of John Harry Stafford features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
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