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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.88 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 |
En garde - Be on your guard
| No.88 Sqn Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Yangtse Incident by Timothy OBrien. HMS Amethyst about to return fire while a Sunderland of 88 Squadron makes a hurried departure, 23rd of April 1949. |
Friendly Smoke by Michael Turner. As dawn breaks over Normandy on the 6th June 1944, a low flying RAF Douglas Boston of 88 Squadron defies hostile fire to lay a protective smoke screen over the first wave of British troops approaching the invasion beaches. The Boston E for Easy is Piloted by Flight Officer Leslie Valentine C de G. ad his Navigator Pat McVeigh. |
Tribute to the Boston Crews by Ivan Berryman. Boston IIIs of No 88 (Hong Kong) Squadron. These aircraft were involved in the search for the Scharnhorst in February 1942 and frequently attacked targets in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. |
| No.88 Sqn RAF Aircraft details |
 Battle Manufacturer : Fairey | Battle 14th May 1940 was a bad day for losses for the Fairey battle aircraft and its crews during the Battle for France. Sedan was situated on the east bank of the Meuse River. Its capture would give the Germans a base from which to capture the Meuse bridges and cross the river. On 14 May 1940 the Allied air forces, tried to destroy the bridges to slow down the German advance. During these sorties No 71 Wing RAF lost 10 Fairey Battles and 5 Blenheims No.75 Wing RAF lost 14–18 Battles and No 76 Wing RAF lost 11 Battles. Out of 71 bombers dispatched, 40–44 bombers were lost, meaning a loss rate of 56–62 percent Here is the list of Aircraft shot down and the names of their crews Battle K9189 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F H Ridley killed, Sergeant G Atkinson killed, Aircraftsman 1 J S Thomson killed. Battle K9333 , WT-?, - Shot down near Ecly. Pilot Officer H L Oakley ok, Sergeant Martin ok, Aircraftsman 1 Presto ok. Battle K9342 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer F A G Lascelles ok, Sergeant Ordway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Weir ok. Battle K9343 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant V H Moseley killed, Sergeant S D Hibberd killed, Corporal H F Little killed. Battle K9383 , MQ-?, - Damaged by enemy but returned to base. Abandoned during fall of France. Sergeant E E Hopkins ok, Sergeant J Callaghan ok, Aircraftsman 1 D Barber ok. Battle K9483 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer A F Posselt killed, Sergeant D J Bowen killed, Aircraftsman 2 N V Vano killed. Battle L4946 , JN-?, - Crashed near Douchery. Flying Officer J Ing killed, Sergeant J D Turner killed, Aircraftsman 1 W J Nolan killed. Battle L4950 , PH-V, - Crashed near Sedan. Flying Officer E R D Vaughan killed, Sergeant C Shelton-Jones killed, Aircraftsman 1 J D Wright taken prisoner. Battle L4952 , PH-X, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant G D Clancey taken prisoner, Sergeant K Alderson killed, Aircraftsman 1 R T Ainsworth killed. Battle L5188 , PH-C, - Lost near Sedan. Sergeant H R W Winkler taken prisoner, Sergeant M D Smalley taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 L R Clarke taken prisoner. Battle L5190? , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer T B Fitzgerald injured, Corporal Madkins ok. (Note Flying Officer Fitzgerald may not have been in this aircraft but instead P2191.) Battle L5230 , GB-?, - Lost without trace around Sedan. Flight Lieutenant H C Sammels killed, Sergeant F B Abbott killed, Leading Aircraftsman R D Hughes killed. Battle L5232 , HA-?, - Shot down at Sauville. Pilot Officer W A R Harris injured but returned to unit, Sergeant N B Herriot killed, Aircraftsman 1 W Robinson killed. Battle L5233 , RH-?, - Returned to base damaged and was subsequently abandoned during the fall of France. Battle L5235 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer A M Imrie taken prisoner, Leading Aircraftsman A J Taylor killed. Battle L5238 , GB-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant R N Wall killed, Sergeant A C Morgan killed, Leading Aircraftsman H Hatton killed. Battle L5250 , GB-?, - Force landed and abandoned at Suipped. Pilot Officer D C F Murray ok, Sergeant Hemingway ok, Aircraftsman 1 Hill ok. Battle L5422 , HA-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Flying Officer J F R Crane killed, Aircraftsman 1 T W Holloway taken prisoner. Battle L5438 , MQ-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant W A Dunn killed, Sergeant A F Sedgewick killed, Aircraftsman 2 M B Millar killed. Battle L5516 , PM-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Pilot Officer V A Cunningham ok, Aircraftsman 1 J Johnson ok. Battle L5517 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Lieutenant K R Rogers killed. Battle L5523 , GB-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Pilot Officer H E White killed, Sergeant G A Cartwright killed, Aircraftsman 1 J Potter killed. Battle L5581 , RH-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant W G Ross killed, Sergeant F E Beames killed, Leading Aircraftsman J H K Gegg killed. Battle L5585 Mk.1 , GB-?, - Shot down and crashed behind enemy lines Battle P2182 , JN-?, - Shot down near Douzy. Flight Sergeant J Boon killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Aircraftsman 1 S Martin killed.14May1940Battle P2191 , PM-?, - Shot down by an Me109 near Sedan. Sergeant G Beardsley ok, Leading Aircraftsman G F Lewis ok. (Note Sergeant Beardsley may not have been in this aircraft, but in L5190.)14May1940Battle P2246 , WT-?, - Shot down and crash landed behind enemy lines. Squadron Leader J F Hobler injured but evaded capture, Sergeant R V T Kitto evaded capture, Corporal D J Barbrooke evaded capture.14May1940Battle P2267 , MQ-?, - Shot down near Sedan. Squadron Leader C E S Lockett taken prisoner, Sergeant F J Percival killed, Corporal R S Clark killed.14May1940Battle P2324 , HA-?, - Shot down by ground fire near Sedan. Flying Officer D A J Foster taken prisoner, Aircraftsman 1 T J Bryan taken prisoner.14May1940Battle P2333 , WT-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Sergeant A N Spear evaded capture, Sergeant J Brookes killed, Leading Aircraftsman R H Nugent killed.14May1940Battle P2360 , HA-?, - Lost without trace near Sedan. Pilot Officer R T L Buttery killed, Aircraftsman 2 W C Waterston killed.14May1940Battle P5229 , PH-O, - Shot down near Sedan. Sergeant A G Johnson killed, Sergeant E F White killed, Aircraftsman 1 F T Spencer taken prisoner. Battle P5232 , JN-?, - Crashed near Sedan. Flight Sergeant G T Barker killed, Sergeant J D F Williams killed, Leading Aircraftsman A K Summerson evaded capture. |
 Blenheim Manufacturer : Bristol Built : 4422 | Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim, the most plentiful aircraft in the RAFs inventory when WWII began, was designed by Frank Barnwell, and when first flown in 1936 was unique with its all metal monoplane design incorporating a retractable undercarriage, wing flaps, metal props, and supercharged engines. A typical bomb load for a Blenheim was 1,000 pounds. In the early stages of the war Blenheims were used on many daylight bombing missions. On the day that war was declared on Germany, a Blenheim piloted by Flying Officer Andrew McPherson was the first British aircraft to cross the German coast and the following morning 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions The Blenheim units operated throughout the battle, often taking heavy casualties, although they were never accorded the publicity of the fighter squadrons. The Blenheim units raided German occupied airfields throughout July to December 1940, both during daylight hours and at night. Although most of these raids were unproductive, there were some successes; on 1 August five out of 12 Blenheims sent to attack Haamstede and Evere (Brussels) were able to bomb, destroying or heavily damaging three Bf 109s of II./JG 27 and apparently killing a Staffelkapitän identified as Hauptmann Albrecht von Ankum-Frank. Two other 109s were claimed by Blenheim gunners. Another successful raid on Haamstede was made by a single Blenheim on 7 August which destroyed one 109 of 4./JG 54, heavily damaged another and caused lighter damage to four more. There were also some missions which produced an almost 100% casualty rate amongst the Blenheims. One such operation was mounted on 13 August 1940 against a Luftwaffe airfield near Aalborg in north-western Denmark by 12 aircraft of 82 Squadron. One Blenheim returned early (the pilot was later charged and due to appear before a court martial, but was killed on another operation); the other 11, which reached Denmark, were shot down, five by flak and six by Bf 109s. Blenheim-equipped units had been formed to carry out long-range strategic reconnaissance missions over Germany and German-occupied territories, as well as bombing operations. In this role, the Blenheims once again proved to be too slow and vulnerable against Luftwaffe fighters and they took constant casualties While great heroism was displayed by the air crews, tremendous losses were sustained during these missions. The Blenhiem was easy pickings at altitude for German Bf-109 fighters who quickly learned to attack from below. To protect the vulnerable bellies of the Blenheims many missions were shifted to low altitude, but this increased the aircrafts exposure to anti-aircraft fire. In the German night-bombing raid on London on 18 June 1940, Blenheims accounted for five German bombers, thus proving that they were better-suited for night fighting. In July, No. 600 Squadron, by then based at RAF Manston, had some of its Mk IFs equipped with AI Mk III radar. With this radar equipment, a Blenheim from the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) at RAF Ford achieved the first success on the night of 2–3 July 1940, accounting for a Dornier Do 17 bomber. More successes came, and before long the Blenheim proved itself invaluable as a night fighter. One Blenheim pilot, Squadron Leader Arthur Scarf, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for an attack on Singora, Thailand, on 9 December 1941. Another bomber of No. 60 Squadron RAF was credited with shooting down Lt Col Tateo Katō's Nakajima Ki-43 fighter and badly damaging two others in a single engagement on 22 May 1942, over the Bay of Bengal. Katō's death was a severe blow to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. |
 Boston Manufacturer : Douglas Aircraft Company Built : 1942 | Boston There are three marks, the I has two 1,050hp PW Wasps, the II has two 1,200hp PW Wasps and the III has two 1,600hp Wright Cyclones. The Boston I was used by the RAF as a trainer and the II was used as a night fighter and called the Havoc I. The French order called for substantial modifications, resulting in the DB-7 (for Douglas Bomber 7) variant. It had a narrower, deeper fuselage, 1,000 hp (746 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-SC3-G radials, French-built guns, and metric instruments. Midway through the delivery phase, engines were switched to 1,100 hp (820 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-S3C4-G. The French designation was DB-7 B-3 (the B-3 signifying "three-seat bomber"). The DB-7s were shipped in sections to Casablanca for assembly and service in France and French North Africa. When the Germans attacked France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, the 64 available DB-7s were deployed against the advancing Germans. Before the armistice they were evacuated to North Africa to avoid capture by German forces. Here, they fell under control of the Vichy government and briefly engaged the Allies during Operation Torch. After French forces in North Africa had sided with the Allies, DB-7s were used as trainers and were replaced in front line units by Martin B-26 Marauders. In early 1945, a few DB-7s were moved back to France, where they saw action against the remaining isolated German pockets on the western coast. The remainder of the order which was to have been delivered to France was instead taken up by the UK via the British Purchasing Commission. In the course of the war, 24 squadrons operated the Boston. The type saw its first active operations with the RAF in early 1941, when 181 Boston IIs began to be deployed in night fighter and intruder roles. On 4 July 1942 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) bomber crews, flying RAF Boston aircraft, took part in operations in Europe for the first time attacking enemy airfields in the Netherlands. They replaced the Bristol Blenheims of No. 2 Group RAF for daylight operations against occupied Europe until replaced in turn by de Havilland Mosquitos. Some Havocs were converted to Turbinlite aircraft which replaced the nose position with a powerful searchlight. The Turbinlite aircraft would be brought onto an enemy fighter by ground radar control. The onboard radar operator would then direct the pilot until he could illuminate the enemy. At that point a Hawker Hurricane fighter accompanying the Turbinlite aircraft would make the attack. The Turbinlite squadrons were disbanded in early 1943. The III is now used in large numbers on fighter escorted raids on France and the Low Countries and is also used extensively in the Middle East. They have done very good work, and with the Ventura have replaced the Blenheim in this country. The Mk.III is also used as a night fighter and is known as the Havoc II. The A-20G became the largest production run of the Havoc series, numbering some 2,850 total aircraft. The A-20G followed on the heels of the A-20C production model and was a dedicated ground attack platform as opposed to the light bomber designation carried by preceding models. The initial production A-20G block (259 total A-20G-1's) featured the distinctive solid nose assembly mounting 4 x 20mm cannons (deleting the bombardier's nose position and bringing the crew total down to three personnel). The follow-up production block (Block 5) reverted back to a more conventional array of 6 x 12.7mm machine guns as the cannons were prone to jamming and offered up a slow rate of fire. The cannon-armed versions were mostly operated under the Soviet banner via Lend-Lease and understandably proved quite devastating in the ground attack role. Additional armament for either form of this aircraft included 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in a flexible dorsal position and a single 7.62mm machine gun in the ventral position (flexible mount). Bomb load totalled 2,000lbs of internally-held ordnance and/or 374-gallon drop tank. Engines for the aircraft were Wright R-2600-23 Cyclone supercharged radials of 1,600 horsepower each. Top speed was 317 miles per hour with a combat range of 950 miles and a modest ceiling of 23,700 feet. |
 Sunderland Manufacturer : Short Built : 749 | Sunderland The Short Sunderland, Patrol and Reconnaissance Flying Boat. normal crew level 10. maximum speed of 210mph for Mark I, 205mph Mark II and Mark III, and 213mph Mark V. ceiling 17,900 feet and range of 2110 miles (mk I) 2880 miles for Mark V. endurance in the air 13.5 hours. The Sunderland carries 1 .303 machine gun in the nose, (mark I) and four .303 browning machine guns in the Tail Turret. Also in the Mark II four Vickers .303 inch machine guns were used in the body positions. and four browning machineguns in the nose flanks in the Mark III. Maximum bomb load of 4960 lbs. Based on the design of the Civil Empire class flying boat. The Short Sunderland entered service with the Royal Air Force in June 1938 with 230 squadron. and by the end of the war, 20 squadrons of the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force were equipped with Sunderland's. By the end of the production in 1946 a total of 749 were built, The roles the Short Sunderland played, mainly were in Maritime and anti Submarine duties, especially in the battle of the Atlantic, The Sunderland accounted for 58 U-Boats sunk or badly damaged. The Sunderland was also used in other theatres of the war and in the Mediterranean helped in the evacuation of troops from Crete and Greece, as well as helping in the evacuation of troops in Burma. The Short Sunderland remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1959. used during the Korean War, The Berlin Air Lift, and during Operation Firedog, , The Malayan Emergency. |
| No.88 Sqn RAF Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC HMS Amethyst was trapped on the Yangste river by the Commusnist forces. The third Sunderland to drop supplies and crew to the Amethyst was ML772. Also the following day piloted by Dick Dulieu flying out of Shanghai made a reconnaissance flight over the Yangtse, only again to be fired on by the Communist forces, which holed the Sunderland in the port main fuel tank and it had to return to Kai Tak on the 24th. Flying Officer Dick Dulieu flew a second Sunderland NJ176 to Shanghai. |
Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC No.88 Sqn, Sunderlands. Involved in the Yagtse incident. |
Flight Lieutenant John Mackenzie Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Flight Lieutenant John Mackenzie Navigator on Bostons as 88 Squadron took part in the D-Day operations flying smokescreen and bombing operations. |
Squadron Leader Mick Maguire Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Squadron Leader Mick Maguire Having signed up in 1936, he served as both a Gunner and Bomb Aimer with 88 and 9 Squadrons. He flew on many aircraft including Blenheims, Bostons and Lancasters and also spent time with the Air Ministry. |
Gerry Moreby Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Gerry Moreby Gerry Moreby part of the crew of a Sunderland flying boat that went to aid HMS Amethyst during the famed Yangtse Incident of 1949. In 1949, No.88 Sunderland Squadron was stationed at Kai Tak, Hong Kong. We were mainly occupied with the transport of mail and freight between Japan, Singapore and Borneo. Sunderlands were particularly useful where there were no adequate airfields. On the afternoon of 20th April we heard that HMS Amethyst had been fired on by Chinese Communists guns on the Yangtse River. There were urgent talks between the Royal Navy and RAF and it was decided to send an aircraft to Nanking with medical supplies. These would then be sent overland to the Amethyst. All this changed when it was learned that the Amethyst's M.O. had been killed. The plan was now for a Sunderland to land on the river as close to the ship as possible, so that an RAF doctor could be sent on board. The crew of Sunderland D-Dog ML772 was Flt. Lt. Ken Letford DSO DFC (Captain), P.O. Ken Dillon (2nd Pilot), Flt. Lt. Maurice Marshall (Nav.), Engr.1 Lofty Doyle, Sig.1 Gerry Moreby (Wop/Air), Sig.2 Price (Wop/Air) and Gunner Devany (AG). Also on board was Gp. Capt. J.M. Jefferson, Station Commander, RAF Kai Tak. Flt. Lt. Michael Fernley RAF Medical Officer, a Royal Navy Medical Officer plus two Army Despatchers whose names are unknown. Gp. Capt. Jefferson had elected to make the trip himself and the two experienced Army parachute droppers were included as they would be able to accurately release supplies over the ship if a landing was not possible. We had reached the Yangste, flying at 5000ft when we were told by HMS London that landing under heavy fire would be too dangerous and we were ordered back to Shanghai at the mouth of the river. After lunch we heard that the Amethyst's situation was even more desperate than first reported so it was decided to try again. We took off again at about 16.3Ohrs. During the flight it was realised that there might not be enough time to transfer the cases of medical supplies to the ship so we broke open the boxes and the doctors filled their pockets and knapsacks with plasma, anaesthetics etc. As we got closer to HMS Amethyst, Ken Letford came down very low along a creek. Suddenly, there was the main river in front of us and as we circled we saw the ship close to the sand bank, the crew waving to us from the deck. Ken decided to land in the lee of the Amethyst where we would have some protection from the communist batteries. The landing was uneventful and we came to rest less than 100 yards from the Amethyst. Monaghan, the Amethyst's Commissioned Gunner had left Amethyst in a sampan rowed by chinese women. He persuaded them to row to the aircraft, We opened the door and Monaghan climbed in. At that moment the Communists opened fire and Michael Fearnley saw that the terrified women were rowing away rapidly, so, he hurriedly jumped in the sampan which proceeded to zig-zag away back to the Amethyst, leaving Monaghan and the Naval Doctor plus most of the medical supplies behind on the aircraft. Although everything was open and the anchor down, Ken Letford shouted that he was going to take off at once. Sig. Price and myself rushed down to the bows and chopped the anchor free. The rest of us shut what doors we could and we climbed away, pursued by fire from the Chinese guns. As most of the medical supplies destined for the Amethyst had not been delivered and were still aboard D-Dog we decided to make another attempt the next day and this time we were to take a Padre with us to bury the dead. This time the Gp. Capt. demanded and got a much fuller briefing. On the second sortie (22.04.49) we successfully landed alongside HMS Amethyst, opened the rear door and launched a rubber dinghy, attaching it by rope. Once again several bursts of shell and other gunfire forced us yet again into an immediate take-off. Goodbye dinghy. We were airborne again on 23.04.49 from Shanghai to carry out reconnaissance in the area where HMS Amethyst was. We were hit by ground fire and the port main tank was holed causing heavy leaking into the bomb bay. Also on landing we discovered the main aileron control wire between the Signaller's position and the Captain's position running along the floor, was almost severed and that two bullets were lodged in the Navigator's computer which was in his Nav's bag. The bullets had entered through the portside of the wardroom, continuing upwards through the control housing in the floor of the upper deck. Luckily, the computer had stopped the bullets travelling in line for the Gp. Capt.'s bottom, which was strategically placed between the two pilots. Also, the 0.5in round that had entered the starboard side, passed through the sleeve of Ken Dillon#39;s uniform and did no harm, so we all reckoned that lady luck had been on our side. Quite an eventful few days away from Kai-Tak. |
Flt Lt Aubrey Niner Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Flt Lt Aubrey Niner Aubrey Niner was a Blenheim pilot with 88 Sqn. He was shot down over Lille in July 1942 and during one of several planned attempts from Stalag Luft III he was a gymnast in the famous Wooden Horse escape plot prior to 'The Great Escape'. |
  Flying Officer Leslie Valentine CdeG Our estimated value of this signature : £30 Died : 2014 | Flying Officer Leslie Valentine CdeG Entrusted with one of the RAFs most critical roles on D-Day, Valentine took his 88 Squadron Boston down to between 30 and 50 feet above the D-Day beaches laying smoke to protect the invasion fleet from enemy fire. Above and over his aircraft arched the trajectories of shells from the capital ships of the Royal Navy and the German heavy guns firing back. Before and after D-Day Valentine flew many sorties against tactical targets by both night and day. He flew two tours back to back, 60 operations in all. Valentine had originally joined the army and saw action in France in 1940 with the Highland Light Infantry. Gaining selection for pilot training in the RAF he was sent to Canada for training, returning to 13 Operational Training Unit at Bicester in January 1943. He joined 88 Squadron in May 1944. Leslie Valentine died in April 2014. |
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