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Cranston Fine Arts Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Countries UK

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Teamwork by Ivan Berryman. 8 of 9 editions available. All 4 editions featuring up to 7 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £290.00

Combat Over Domremy by Graeme Lothian. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 4 additional signatures. £140.00 - £175.00

A Moment's Peace by Ivan Berryman. 6 editions. 3 of the 6 editions feature up to 3 additional signatures. £2.90 - £260.00

Blackburn Beverley C.Mk.1 XM108 of 84 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. 2 editions. £2.90 - £10.00

Lone Patrol by Ivan Berryman (PC) One edition. £2.90

Forming Up by Randall Wilson. (GL) 2 editions. £400.00 - £500.00

Hawker Hurricane Mk I L1856 of 1 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. One edition. £10.00

Tribute to the 617 Sqn Dambusters Crew of Lancaster AJ-G by David Pentland. 2 of 3 editions available. All 3 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £75.00 - £105.00

Mosquito Coast by Stephen Brown. 2 editions. Both editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £95.00 - £120.00

Combat Over Beachy Head by Nicolas Trudgian. 7 editions. All 7 editions feature up to 5 additional signature(s). £70.00 - £180.00

Channel Dash - A Whirlwind Encounter by Robin Smith. 2 editions. £62.00 - £90.00

Moment of Truth by Keith Woodcock. 2 editions. Both editions feature an additional signature. £75.00 - £90.00

Pathfinder Halifax by Nicolas Trudgian. 3 editions. All 3 editions feature up to 4 additional signature(s). £65.00 - £320.00

Hudson Attack by Marii Chernev. One edition. £20.00

Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian. 4 editions. All 4 editions feature up to 2 additional signature(s). £60.00 - £110.00

Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian. 5 of 7 editions available. 4 of 6 editions featuring up to 7 additional signatures are available. £2.00 - £280.00

Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock. 2 editions. Both editions feature an additional signature. £60.00 - £85.00

Peaceful Interlude (Spitfires) by Ivan Berryman. 5 editions. 4 of the 5 editions feature up to 2 additional signatures. £70.00 - £400.00

Evening Flight by Gerald Coulson. One edition. £20.00

Angels of Malta - Faith, Hope and Charity by Ivan Berryman. 9 of 11 editions available. 3 of 4 editions featuring up to 6 additional signatures are available. £2.90 - £500.00

The Night They Broke the Dams - Operation Chastise by Ivan Berryman. 3 of 4 editions available. £9.00 - £20.00

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Text for the above items :

Teamwork by Ivan Berryman. The afternoon of 3rd August 1944 saw Lancasters of 15 Sqn assigned to an attack on German V-1 Rocket stores at Bois de Cassan. While over the target the squadron encountered heavy flak. During the return journey, Lancaster LS-P fell behind the rest of the squadron but luckily for the crew, two P-38 Lightnings who had been involved in fighter sweeps, spotted the straggling Lancaster and escorted it back to base at Mildenhall.

Combat Over Domremy by Graeme Lothian. During WW II ofjuly 1944, the RAF Bomber Command were planning yet another bombing raid, this time over Stuttgart in Germany. The no.514 Sq., based in Cambridgeshire, England, were one of the Lancaster Bomber Squadrons chosen for the mission. Flight Lieutenant THOMAS HARVELL was a member of the 7 man crew for Lancaster Bomber no.LM206 selected, (the crew being Flt Lt. Robert Jones, Flt Lt Thomas Harvell, Co-pilot, Flt Lt Kenneth Hedley, Loader, Bomb Aimer, Sgt George Robinson, Navigator (survived) Sgt Robert Lane, Air Gunner, Flt Sgt Frank Stanley Johns, Wireless operator, and Sgt Alfred Braine, Air Gunner.) He was flight engineer and co-pilot with II missions already behind him. The RAF carried out nearly all their raids at night. This was the night of July 28/29 1944 and they were on course in the vicinity of Neuf Chateau (S.WNancy) France. Suddenly they were attacked by a prowling Luftwaffe Nightfighter aircraft, which later proved to be a JUNKERS 88 flown by HEINZ ROKKER. The Lancaster shuddered on the first hit but continued flying. THOMAS HARVELL was moving to the back of the aircraft and had dropped window, (strips of foil) to confuse ground radar, when they were hit again. This time they lost an engine after an explosion and LM206 started to plunge earthwards. (The Merlin Engine can been seen today at the French Airforce museum, St.Dizier, Lorraine) FI.Lt. HOMAS HARVELL was literally blown out of the doomed Lancaster, hitting his head and becoming unconcious. As luck was on his side, he regained his senses whilst falling through the air and pulled his chute at the last minute. He landed heavily and injured his leg. The pilot and four other members of the crew perished but navigator George Robinson also managed to use his chute and was captured after landing, by the german occupation forces. George Robinson now lives in South Africa. The other five crew members are all buried at Neuf Chateau and their graves can be seen to this day. THOMAS HARVELL was able to evade capture and was found by a member of the FFI (French Resistance), who hid him in various hideouts. After being treated for his wounds by Dr.CORNU, a prominent surgeon of Neuf Chateau, several attempts were made to smuggle THOMAS HARVELL back to England without much success. It was decided, by the FFI, to make one last attempt and this time THOMAS HARVELL was given a bicycle and new identity papers. He was told to cycle in the direction of the Swiss border west of Besacon and make contact with the Daubs area FFI commander, JEAN LAPPRAND.It was decided it was too dangerous to cross the border at this time and as THOMAS HARVELL had already become a member of the French Resistance, he continued fighting the war side by side with his French Resistance colleagues. It was in this part of France, that he witnessed a trial of a double agent/traitor of the FFI, who was quickly executed by firing squad. At this point in time, OREST BILAK came into the picture. He was born in Ukraine and had joined the Ukranian Army in 1942. He had become a senior NCO officer when his whole battalion were ordered to join forces with a german SS unit. They had much fighting experience and took part in some very bloody battles. Some elements of the Ukranian people had, at first, welcomed the germans but this soon changed and sometime in 1944 many were deserting. This was the case with OREST BILAKs battalion who had just been ordered to march into the mountain stronghold of JEAN LAPPRAND and wipe them out. Instead they had killed their german SS commanders and after talks with JEAN LAPPRAND had fought on with the FFI including THOMAS HARVELL. Together they liberated the region including the town of PIERREFONTAINE, ahead of the advancing allied forces Sept. 1944. It could be said that THOMAS HARVELL was the only British serviceman who fought with the german SS without being called a traitor. Another RAF pilot, Paul Bell a canadian and THOMAS HARVELL were now able to make contact with the 711 US Army. After six weeks, including a ride in the Dakota of General Patch, they finally made it back to England. On his arrival, THOMAS HARVELL became an instructor/advisor until the end of the war. He later made a career in the British Police Force. He regularily travels to France to meet all his wartime colleagues and now lives in Southampton, England. OREST BILAK was demobilised in 1946. Around this time he met his future wife (in France) who was also Ukrainian and had been working during the war in underground factories for the germans. By pure chance they had both attended the same school in Ukrainia. After the war OREST BILAK made a career in the clothing industry They live in retirement at a small mountain village near Lyon, France. They have 10 grandchildren. He has also devoted much of his time and money for a childrens home, in France, for the underprivileged from Ukraine. Out of his battalion of 450 men, of those who survived, 230 stayed with the French Foreign Legion, some emigrated to Canada, USA and Australia. 116 returned to the Ukraine, only to be arrested and sent to a Siberian prison for 10 years and a further 10 years hard labour. OREST BILAK and his wife visited the Ukraine for the first time in 1994 and met some of their old colleagues. JEAN LAPPRAND remains, to this day, secretive about his time in the FFI. Without a doubt he was very lucky to survive the war, considering his responsibility and fame. After the war he had his own carpentry business and lives in retirement with his wife at Pierrefontaine in good health. After much research we were able to trace and find HEINZ ROKKER, the Luftwaffe pilot who shot down Lancaster LM 206. We had a remarkable reunion at Neuf Chateau on September 14th 1999, where Thomas Harvell and Heinz Rokker met for the first time. It was a civic event with official invitation from the town mayor. A visit was made to the cemetery where the five Lancaster crew members are buried and HEINZ ROKKER laid a wreath on behalf of the german Nightfighters Pilots Association. This was followed by a speech at the town hall. A magnificent feast finished the event at the restaurant next to DOMREMY.

A Moment's Peace by Ivan Berryman. A de Havilland Mosquito patrols high above the clouds. This versatile all-wooden aircraft first flew on the 25th of November 1940. This aircraft was used in a wide variety of roles, including as a fighter-bomber and as a Pathfinder for bombers.

Blackburn Beverley C.Mk.1 XM108 of 84 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. No text for this item

Lone Patrol by Ivan Berryman (PC) No 611 Squadron was one of the earliest to receive the Spitfire Mk IX, the first aircraft in the RAFs inventory that could take on Germanys mighty Focke-Wulf 190 on equal terms. OC of 611 Sqn in February 1942 was Sqn Ldr Hugo Armstrong, shown here flying BS435, FY-F.

Forming Up by Randall Wilson. (GL) Lancasters - B1 R5689 VN-N 50th Squadron RAF leads a gaggle of Lancs as they gain altitude to form up over the English coast.

Hawker Hurricane Mk I L1856 of 1 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock. No text for this item

Tribute to the 617 Sqn Dambusters Crew of Lancaster AJ-G by David Pentland. The image shows Lancaster AJ-G attacking the Mohne dam. Alongside is the portrait of AJ-G pilot Wing Cdr G P Gibson. The very first aircraft to attack the dams, AJ-G dropped its bomb short of the Mohne, but drew anti-aircraft fire away from the following Lancasters, before returning home safely Crew of G for George : Pilot : Wing Cdr G P Gibson Flight Engineer : Sgt J Pulford Navigator : Plt Off H T Taerum Wireless Operator : Flt Lt R E G Hutchison Bomb Aimer : Plt Off F M Spafford Front Gunner : Flt Sgt G A Deering Rear Gunner : Flt Lt R D Trevor-Roper.

Mosquito Coast by Stephen Brown. Seagulls take flight as the distant drone of Merlin engines starts to rise above the sound of wind and surf on their deserted beach. Overhead Mosquito B Mk IVs of 139 Squadron return low across the North Sea after a successful mission. In moments they will be gone, with only a few miles to navigate before they land at their base at Horsham St Faith in Norfolk.

Combat Over Beachy Head by Nicolas Trudgian. Mickey Mount, flying his 602 Squadron MkII Spitfire, successfully attacks a Messerschmitt Me109 low over the cliffs of Beachy Head on the south coast during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. Spitfires and Me109s were so evenly matched at this early point in the war that the outcome of such contests were usually decided by the skill of the competing pilots.

Channel Dash - A Whirlwind Encounter by Robin Smith. February 12th 1942. A Westland Whirlwind rushes an attack on the Scharnhorst as one of 20 Me109s defending the German ships arrives on the scene. Despite opening fire at every opportunity, all four Whirlwinds of No.137 Squadron were lost against the overwhelming opposition of enemy fighters from JG2 and the defensive guns of the ships. Three official claims for Whirlwinds were made by German pilots of JG2 that day - one by Johannes Stolz, another by Willi Reuschling and a third by high-scoring ace Egon Mayer, claiming his 29th victory in a tally that would rise to over 100 before his death in 1944.

Moment of Truth by Keith Woodcock. The print depicts the moment as the first Hurricane of 46 squadron of the Royal Air Force, piloted by Sqn Ldr Kenneth Cross, without arrestor hooks or wires approaches the ill-fated carrier HMS Glorious. during the evacuation of Norway in June 1940. Bing later said We showed them they were wrong. The Fleet Air Arm pilots were delighted saying Marvelous bloody marvelous, now we will get them too. All had landed safely by 4.30am on June 8th.

Pathfinder Halifax by Nicolas Trudgian. Remembered fondly by many RAF, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand bomber crews, the Halifax served many diverse roles in WWII, including service with Special Duties, dropping agents and supplies behind enemy lines. Halifax MkIIs of 35 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, head out over the Lincolnshire coastline at dusk bound for Germany, August 1942. No.35 Squadron was one of the five squadrons selected to form the original Pathfinder Force.

Hudson Attack by Marii Chernev. On October 5th 1942 Lockheed Hudson N of 269 Squadron encountered and sank U-619 which was on its first patrol.

Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian. Lancaster V-RA, with its young Canadian crew, flew just a handful of operations. On the night of June 12, 1944, it was set afire by a JU88, forcing the crew to bale out. Seeing the rear gunner trapped Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski vainly braved the inferno to help, losing his parachute to the flames. He was forced to jump without it. Miraculously the burning Lancaster pancaked, and the rear gunner survived. Andrew Mynarski was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. Mynarskis Lancaster is depicted setting out on that fateful night. Four of the crew members: Brophy, navigator Robert Bodie, radio operator James Kelly and pilot de Breyne were hidden by the French and, except for Brophy, returned to England shortly after the crash. Vigars and the wounded bomb aimer Friday were captured by the Germans and interned until they could be liberated by American troops. Pat Brophy joined French Resistance fighters and, after waging war on the ground behind enemy lines, made it back to London in September, 1944 where he learned of Mynarskis death. It was not until 1945 when Pat Brophy was reunited with Art de Breyne and the rest of the crew, that the details of his final moments on the aircraft were revealed. He related the story of the valiant efforts made by Mynarski to save him.

Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian. Of the many famous combat aircraft to serve their respective countries in the Second World War, two perhaps more than any others, created huge impact and consternation upon seasoned opposing pilots when they first appeared on the battlefront - the Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Me262. Both in their day represented enormous advances in aircraft design and power, and both have continued to capture the imagination of aviation enthusiasts ever since. As the war progressed the Spitfire continually upgraded its performance and by the time the Luftwaffes new Me262 turbo-jet arrived on the scene the sleek new Mk XIV, powered by the awesome Griffon engine, was among the fastest piston-engine fighters of the war. The stage was set for a clash between the most powerful piston-engine fighter and the worlds first turbojet, and it was not long before the pilots of these two most advanced combat aircraft met in the hostile skies over western Europe. Ill-advisedly employed by Hitler as the wonder-bomber, the Me262 was initially issued to Bomber Units, one of which being KG51. Tasked with undertaking lightning fast raids upon advancing Allied ground forces, the shark-like jets employed their spectacular speed advantage to surprise, strike and escape. Not to be outdone, the RAF responded with their supremely fast Spitfire XIVs which had already proven themselves highly effective against Germanys V1 flying bombs. In his painting, Nick Trudgian recreates a typical moment: Spitfire Mk XIVs of 41 Squadron have intercepted and damaged a Me262 of KG51 and, with smoke and debris pouring from its damaged Jumo 004 Turbojet, the stricken Luftwaffe jet will be lucky to make it home. A dramatic painting and a fine tribute to the RAFs contribution to the Victory in Europe.

Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock. A Short Sunderland Mark III of 201 sqn. Coastal Command above an allied convoy in the North Atlantic as it continues to search for marauding German U-Boats.

Peaceful Interlude (Spitfires) by Ivan Berryman. A pair of Spitfires on patrol over the southern counties during the Battle of Britain.

Evening Flight by Gerald Coulson. No text for this item

Angels of Malta - Faith, Hope and Charity by Ivan Berryman. Although key to the allied campaign in the Mediterranean, Malta was virtually undefended against air raids in the early part of the Second World War. Just four Gloster Sea Gladiators, packed in crates, were deposited on the island by HMS Glorious, these aircraft originally intended for operations in Norway. Three of them were hurriedly assembled, the fourth being held in reserve, and were instantly engaged in fierce fighting against Italian raiders. Nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity, their determined pilots fought for seventeen days without relief, their achievements playing a major part in fooling the Italian intelligence into thinking that this crucial Mediterranean outpost was much more heavily defended than it really was.

The Night They Broke the Dams - Operation Chastise by Ivan Berryman. Guy Gibsons Lancaster having unsuccessfully dropped its bomb, draws enemy fire from the aircraft of Sqn Ldr Young as his bomb explodes spectacularly on the Mohne Dam during the audacious Dams Raids of 16th/17th May 1943.