|
|
|
James Gray
| Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased) James Gray was in college and taking a civilian pilot training course when the European war began. 'I tried for the U.S. Army Air Corps and couldn't pass the physical,' he says. 'I heard that the British were recruiting pilots for the Royal Air Force. I wanted to fly a fast fighter.' Like many prospective Eagle Squadron pilots, Gray went to a special school in the United States and learned flying from former U.S. Army Air Corps pilots before shipping off to England. James Gray joined the RAF as an American volunteer in September 1941, and was posted to 71 Eagle Squadron flying Spitfire Vbs. Gray's first missions in the Spitfire were mostly convoy patrols over the English Channel. By September of 1941, the faster Spitfire Mk.V had replaced No.71 Squadron's Mk. IIs, and along with the aircraft change came Eagle missions of a little more range - sweeps across the Channel into France. These missions were dubbed Rhubarbs, Circuses and Rodeos, depending on the number of aircraft used, their tactics and varied methods of enticing the Luftwaffe to fight. Gray says he shot down his first enemy plane in the spring of 1942. The day before, some RAF bombers had been badly shot up on a major operation. Rescue boats went out looking for aircrew that might still be floating in dinghies, and Spitfires were sent to provide air cover for the operation. While on this patrol they were attacked by a number of Fw190's. Gray attacked one of the Fw190s which was pursuing Wing Leader Bob Sprague's Spitfire, Gray opened fire with his cannons and sent the Fw190 plunging into the sea. Staying in the RAF throughout the war, he flew Spitfires in North Africa and the Mediterranean, first with 93 Squadron, and later 111 Squadron. His luck eventually ran out in Italy when he was shot down early in 1945 whilst serving with 72 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant James Gray was shot down on January 4th, 1945, his 26th birthday. Gray's Squadron's Spitfire IXs were carrying 500-pound bombs in ground attacks against German troops in northern Italy. He was taken POW for four months in Stalag-Luft I, north of Berlin. Among Flight Lieutenant James Gray's awards and decorations is the prestigious British Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). After the war Flight Lieutenant James Gray became a pilot for United Airlines, started flying the DC-3, then flew the Convair 340 and, after a long successful career, retired as a Captain in DC-8 jets. He was also the historian for the Eagle Squadrons. James Gray at the age of 90 passed away on the 25th of November 2009. |
Items Signed by Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased) |
| Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Price : £210.00 | In the dark days of 1940 following Dunkirk, a seemingly defenceless Britain stood starkly alone in Europe, facing the might of an all-conquering Nazi Germany. Protected only by the narrow waters of the English Channel, it was left to a tiny band of...... | |
| Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. (AP) SOLD OUT | In the dark days of 1940 following Dunkirk, a seemingly defenceless Britain stood starkly alone in Europe, facing the might of an all-conquering Nazi Germany. Protected only by the narrow waters of the English Channel, it was left to a tiny band of...... | NOT AVAILABLE |
| Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. (B) Price : £285.00 | In the dark days of 1940 following Dunkirk, a seemingly defenceless Britain stood starkly alone in Europe, facing the might of an all-conquering Nazi Germany. Protected only by the narrow waters of the English Channel, it was left to a tiny band of...... | |
| Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. (C) SOLD OUT | In the dark days of 1940 following Dunkirk, a seemingly defenceless Britain stood starkly alone in Europe, facing the might of an all-conquering Nazi Germany. Protected only by the narrow waters of the English Channel, it was left to a tiny band of...... | NOT AVAILABLE |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased) |
| Pack 717. Pack of two Spitfire prints by Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian. Pack Price : £585.00 Saving : £344 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. (B) September Victory by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) Where Thoroughbreds Play by Ivan Berryman. | |
| Aviation Art of Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman. Pack Price : £260.00 Saving : £140 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Billy Drake - First of Many by Ivan Berryman. Hurricane Mk.IIC by Ivan Berryman. (F) | |
Pack 715. Pack of two WW2 Spitfire aviation prints by Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian. Pack Price : £350.00 Saving : £75 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. (B) First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) | ||
Pack 716. Pack of two special edition Spitfire prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £380.00 Saving : £135 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. (B) First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (C) | ||
Pack 718. Pack of two WW2 Spitfire prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman. Pack Price : £225.00 Saving : £85 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. The Thoroughbred by Ivan Berryman. |
Pack 719. Pack of two No.71 Squadron Spitfire prints by Robert Taylor and John Young. Pack Price : £255.00 Saving : £120 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Spitfire Over Buckingham Palace by John Young. (AP) | ||
Battle of Britain Spitfire Print Pack by Ivan Berryman and Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £265.00 Saving : £165 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman. (D) Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. | ||
Battle of Britain Signature Spitfire Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman. Pack : SOLD OUT | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : In the Playground of the Gods by Ivan Berryman. (D) First Combat by Robert Taylor | NOT AVAILABLE | |
RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Prints by Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £280.00 Saving : £100 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Fastest Victory by Robert Taylor | ||
Spitfire Aviation Art Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman. Pack Price : £280.00 Saving : £70 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Land, Sea and Air by Ivan Berryman. (C) |
Pilot Signed Spitfire Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman. Pack Price : £285.00 Saving : £65 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Land, Sea and Air by Ivan Berryman. (APD) | ||
RAF Eagle Squadron Spitfire Aviation Prints by Robert Taylor. Pack Price : £295.00 Saving : £135 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Eagle Force by Robert Taylor. Eagle Squadron Scramble by Robert Taylor |
Squadrons for : Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased) | ||
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased). A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
Squadron | Info | |
Country : UK Founded : 1st August 1917 Adstantes - Standing by | No.111 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : UK Founded : 27th March 1917 Fate : Disbanded 31st May 1957 Eagle First from the eyries | No.71 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
Country : UK Founded : 28th June 1917 Fate : Disbanded 12th November 1981 Basutoland Swift | No.72 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. |
Aircraft for : Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased) | |||
A list of all aircraft associated with Flight Lieutenant James Gray (deceased). A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Supermarine Production Began : 1936 Retired : 1948 Number 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. |
Contact Details |
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com |
|