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No.74 Sqn RAF - Squadron Profile.

No.74 Sqn RAF

Founded : 1st July 1917
Country : UK
Fate :
Known Aircraft Codes : GM, JH, 4D, ZP

Trinidad

I fear no man

Hurricane of 56 Squadron was shot down by mistake by No. 74 Squadron and Pilot Officer M L Halton-Harrop of 56 sqd was killed on the 6th September 1939

No.74 Sqn RAF


Latest No.74 Sqn RAF Artwork Releases !
 Grid Caldwell, the top New Zealand Ace with 25 victories in his SE5A of 74 Squadron, is shown taking off from his home airfield during the Great War. Keith Logan (Grid Caldwell) was born 16th October 1895.  At the outbreak of World War One, Caldwell joined the territorial army.  He attempted to enlist with the New Zealand expeditionary force destined for Gallipoli but was refused.  In October 1915 he paid the sum of £100 to join the first class of the New Zealand Flying School.  In January 1916 Grid Caldwell arrived in England and was commissioned into the Royal Flying Corps in April that year.  In July 1916 he was posted to No.8 Squadron, flying BE2Cs and Ds on observation duty.  It was on 18th September 1916 his first aerial victory was scored, shooting down a Roland CII.  He transferred to 60 Squadron in November and flew Nieuport 17 fighters and was promoted to Captain in February 1917.  During this period he scored further victories, shooting down Albatros Scouts, and on 17th September was awarded the Military Cross.  In October 1917 he was posted back to England as an instructor.  In March 1918, promoted to Major, he was given command of 74 Squadron RAF flying SE5As.  The squadron under his command was credited with 140 aircraft destroyed and 85 out of control.  This tally was scored in the last eight months of the war with the loss of only 15 pilots killed or taken prisoner.  During his wartime flying, he had fought dogfights with German aces Werner Voss and Herman Becker, and he once survived a mid-air collision, bringing his badly damaged aircraft to ground level, jumping out before it crashed.  He was credited with 11 aircraft destroyed, 3 shared destroyed or captured and 10 out of control, and 1 further shared out of control.  During World War Two he was station commander at Woodbourne and later Wigram and posted to India in 1944.  After the war he was made commander of the British Empire.  He retired from the RNZAF in 1956, and sadly died of cancer in Auckland on 28th November 1980.

Grid Caldwell by Graeme Lothian. (PC)
 New Zealand's highest scoring ace, with 25 victories to his credit, proved himself to be an extraordinary and resourceful leader.  Whilst on a routine patrol in September 1918, Keith Logan 'Grid' Caldwell's 74 Sqn SE5a was involved in a mid-air collision with another SE5a, the impact breaking one of Caldwell's struts and destroying the aerodynamics of his aircraft, which promptly dropped 1,000 ft and went into a flat spin.  Incredibly, Caldwell climbed from the cockpit of his stricken machine and held the broken strut together with his left hand whilst keeping his right hand on the joystick, somehow steering his wayward fighter out of danger and over friendly territory.  With no hope of a safe landing, the Kiwi jumped clear of the SE5a just a second or so before it impacted with the ground. Astounded British soldiers in a nearby trench saw Caldwell stand, dust himself off and walk casually toward them.  He returned to his unit and continued flying until the end of the war.

The Tenacious Grid Caldwell by Ivan Berryman. (PC)
For nearly a thousand years the white cliffs of southern England had taunted many a foreign army.  These fortress walls of chalk, however, were defended by the moat-like waters of the Channel, and together they had shielded the British from her enemies.  Alongside Drake they had defied the armies of Spain and her great Armada and, in 1805, had halted the march of Napoleon's <i>Grand Armée</i>.  No enemy force since that of William the Conqueror in 1066 had successfully managed to cross the Channel in anger but, in May 1940, one of the most powerful armies the world had ever seen arrived at Calais.  An invasion by Hitler's all-conquering Wehrmacht was imminent - or so it seemed.  To cross the Channel and breach the English defences, the Luftwaffe simply had to gain control of the skies, and with massively superior numbers the outcom seemed inevitable.  The fate of Britain lay in the hands of less than 3,000 young airmen from Fighter Command - Churhill's 'Few'.  By July the most famous air battle in history was underway and, over the next three months under tranquil summer skies, the 'Few' battled to defend their Scpetred Isle.  Impossibly outnumbered and flying daily to the point of exhaustion, by October these courageous young men had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, emerging defiantly victorious.  The threat of invasion might be over but a terrible price had been paid - during that long battle for the survival of Britain 544 had been killed and 422 wounded; and of those who survived a further 814 would be killed before the end of the war.  This painting pays tribute to the valiant 'Few', portraying a fleeting moment of calm for the pilots of 74 (Tiger) Squadron during the height of the Battle of Britain.  With his commanding officer Sailor Malan (ZP-A) to his right, Acting Flight Lieutenant John Freeborn (ZP-C) takes time to reflect on another day of intense combat while passing over the white cliffs and the familiar lighthouse at Beachy Head, as the squadron cross the English coast to head for home.

This Sceptred Isle by Robert Taylor.
 Despite having sight in just one eye, Major Edward Mick Mannock was to become one of the most decorated and celebrated aces of World War 1, bringing down an official 61 enemy aircraft in just eighteen months before himself being brought down in flames by enemy ground fire. He was reluctant to add shared kills to his tally, so his actual total of victories is recorded at 73. His decorations include the VC, DSO and 2 Bars, MC and Bar and he is depicted here diving on enemy aircraft in SE5a D278 of 74 Sqn in April, 1918.

Major Edward Mannock by Ivan Berryman. (PC)

No.74 Sqn RAF Artwork Collection
Click the images below to view the fantastic artwork we have available to purchase!



The Tenacious Grid Caldwell by Ivan Berryman.


The Right of the Line by Graeme Lothian.


Dawn Dog Fight, Mick Mannock VC by Graeme Lothian.


Grid Caldwell by Graeme Lothian.


Major Edward Mannock by Ivan Berryman.


First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian.

Tigers Roar by Robert Tomlin.


Height of the Battle by Robert Taylor. (GS)


This Sceptred Isle by Robert Taylor.

Aces for : No.74 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.
NameVictoriesInfo
Adolf Gysbert Malam35.00
John Connell Freeborn13.50The signature of John Connell Freeborn features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available.
Aircraft for : No.74 Sqn RAF
A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by No.74 Sqn RAF. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
SquadronInfo

Hurricane




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Manufacturer : Hawker
Production Began : 1936
Number 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.

Lightning




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Manufacturer : BAC
Production Began : 1959
Retired : 1988
Number Built : 278

Lightning

English Electric (later BAC) Lightning. Originally designed by W F Petter (the designer of the Canberra) The first Lighting Prototype was first flown on the 4th August 1954 by Wing Commander R P Beamont at Boscombe Down. The second prototype P1A, The name of Lightning was not used until 1958) (WG763) was shown at the Farnborough show in September 1955. The Third prototype was flown in April 1957 and was the first British aircraft ever to fly at Mach 2 on the 25th November 1958 The first production aircraft made its first flight on 3rd November 1959 and entered operational service with the RAF on the 29th June 1960with |NO. 74 squadron based at Coltishall. The F1 was followed shortly after by the F1A which had been modified to carry a in-flight refueling probe. The Lightning F2 entered service in December 1962 with no 19 and 92 squadrons. a total of 44 aircraft F2 were built. The F3 came into service between 1964 and 1966 with Fighter Command squadrons, re engined with the Roll's Royce Avon 301 turbojets. The Lightning T Mk 5 was a training version Lightning a total of 22 were built between August 1964 and December 1966. The BAC Lighting F MK 6 was the last variant of the lightning, base don the F3, this was the last single seat fighter and served the |Royal Air Force for 20 years. First Flown on 17th April 1964, and a total of 55 F6 saw service with the Royal Air Force, and the last Lightning F6 was produced in August 1967. A Total of 278 lightning's of all marks were delivered. In 1974 the Phantom aircraft began replacing the aging Lightning's, but 2 F6 remained in service up to 1988 with Strike Command until finally being replaced with Tornado's. Specifications for MK1 to 4: Made by English Electrc Aviation Ltd at Preston and Samlesbury Lancashire, designated P1B, All Weather single seat Fighter. Max Speed: Mach 2.1 (1390 mph) at 36,000 feet Ceiling 55,000 feet Armament: Two 30mm Aden guns and Two Firestreak infra red AAM's. Specificaitons for MK 6: Made by English Electrc Aviation Ltd at Preston Lancashire, designated P1B, All Weather single seat Fighter. Max Speed: Mach 2.27 (1500 mph) at 40,000 feet Ceiling 55,000 feet Range: 800 miles. Armament: Two 30mm Aden guns and Two Firestreak infra red AAM's. or Two Red Top. or two retractable contain 24 spin-stabilized rockets each.

Meteor


Click the name above to see prints featuring Meteor aircraft.

Manufacturer : Gloster
Production Began : 1944
Number Built : 3947

Meteor

The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet. Designed by George Carter, and built by the Gloster Aircraft Company, Armstrong-Whitworth, the Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Gloster Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft but the Gloster design team succeeded in producing an effective jet fighter that served the RAF and other air forces for decades. Meteors saw action with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the Korean War and other air forces used the Meteor. The Royal Danish Air Force, The Belgian Air Force and Isreali Air Force kept the Meteor in service until the early 1970's. A Total of 3947 meteors were built and two Meteors, WL419 and WA638, remain in service with the Martin-Baker company as ejection seat testbeds.

Oxford


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Manufacturer : Airspeed

Oxford

Full profile not yet available.

Spitfire




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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.
Signatures for : No.74 Sqn RAF
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
NameInfo

Squadron Leader Robert Beardsley DFC
Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Robert Beardsley DFC
Squadron Leader Robert Beardsley DFC

An RAFVR pilot, joining 610 Squadron at Biggin Hill at the peak of the Battle of Britain, in August 1940, Beardsley had three confirmed victories before the end of the Battle. Posted to 41 Squadron, Beardsley spent months with the Tangmere Wing in 1941, remembering Bader for his determination to operate the wing on every possible occasion and his calmness of the radio which compared favourably with some other Wing Leaders. Commissioned in June 1941, Beardsley remained with 41 Squadron until November. After a period instructing, he went to North Africa with 93 Squadron, covering the Allied invasion. After D-Day he went to France with 222 Squadron on Spitfires. Beardsley left the RAF in 1945 but rejoined in 1949, flying Meteors with 74 Squadron.



Sqn Ldr Peter Bedwin MBE
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Sqn Ldr Peter Bedwin MBE

No.29 Squadron, No.74 Squadron, 226 OCU




Air Vice-Marshal George Black CB OBE AFC
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Air Vice-Marshal George Black CB OBE AFC

Air Vice-Marshal George Black CB OBE AFC was born on the 10th of July 1932 in Aberdeen and joined RAF in 1950. Black was awarded the first flying scholarship in Scotland, gaining his private pilots licence at Strathtay Aero Club, Perth. e left No.107 (Aberdeen) Squadron Air Training Corps where he gained the rank of Sergeant to commence National Service duty in the RAF. After undergoing flying training in Canada he joined No.263 Squadron RAF at RAF Wattisham in the rank of Flying Officer. George Black served as a fighter pilot. In 1952 his National Service was converted to a permanent commission and he was seconded to the Fleet Air Arm as a carrier pilot. Flying Officer Black returned to the RAF in 1961 in the rank of Flight Lieutenant and served with No.74 Squadron RAF flying English Electric Lightnings. After a period as a flying instructor at HQ Fighter Command, in 1964 he became squadron commnader of No.111 (Fighter) Sqdn (1964-66,) and ldr of the Lightning Aerobatic Team in 1965. In 1967 he became Cdr Lightning Operational Conversion Unit (1967-69,) then Cdr No.5 (Fighter) Sqdn between 1969 and 1970. On promotion to Group Captain in 1972 Black was appointed Station Commander at RAF Wildenrath in Germany. He became Commander Allied Sector One, Brockzetel in May 1980 on promotion to the rank of Air Commodore and was later appointed Aide-de-Camp to HM The Queen in July 1981 until 1983. Air Vice-Marshal George Black retired from the RAF in July 1987. He was awarded an Air Force Cross in 1962 while with No.74 Squadron and achieved a bar in 1971. He was awarded an OBE in 1967 and became a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1987. Air Vice Marshal Black is a member of the RAF Historical Society and during his career recorded over 5,000 flying hours on around 100 different types of aircraft.




Group Captain Byron Duckenfield AFC
Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Group Captain Byron Duckenfield AFC

19 / 11 / 2010Died : 19 / 11 / 2010
Group Captain Byron Duckenfield AFC

Byron Duckenfield started at Flying Training School on 25th November 1935 in a Blackburn B2 at Brough. As a Sergeant, he joined No.32 Sqn at Biggin Hill on 8th August 1936 and flew Gauntlets and Hurricanes. He joined 74 Squadron at Hornchurch on 11th April 1940, flying Spitfires, and on 5th May was posted to 501 Squadron flying Hurricanes at Tangmere. On the 11th of May at Betheniville, he survived a crash in a passenger transport Bombay aircraft in an aircraft in which he was a passenger, While comin ginto land the aircraft at 200 feet the aircraft stalled and the aircrfat fell backwards just levelly out as it histhe ground. 5 of th epassengers were killed when the centre section collapsed and crushed them. Duckenfield was fortunate as he had moved position during the flight. as the two passengers sitting each side of where he was sitting had died in the crash. (it was found later that the Bombay had beeb loaded with to much weight in the aft sectiion. ) recovering in hospital in Roehampton. On 23rd July 1940, he rejoined No.501 Sqn at Middle Wallop, then moved to to Gravesend two days later, scoring his first victory, a Ju87, on the 29th of July 1940. During August and September he scored three more victories. After a spell as a test pilot from 14th September 1940, he was posted to command 66 Squadron on 20th December 1941, flying Spitfires. On 26th February 1942 he took command of 615 Squadron flying Hurricanes from Fairwood Common, taking the squadron to the Far East. In late December 1942 he was shot down in Burma and captured by the Japanese. He remained a POW until release in May 1945. After a refresher course at the Flying Training School in November 1949, he took command of No.19 Squadron flying Hornets and Meteors from Chruch Fenton. After a series of staff positions, he retired from the RAF as a Group Captain on 28th May 1969. Duckenfield would write later his details :

Burma

At first light, 12 Hurricanes IIC aircraft of 615 Squadron, myself in the lead, took off from Chittagong for central Burma to attack the Japanese air base at Magwe, 300 miles away on the banks of the River Irrawaddy. Arriving at Yenangyaung, we turned downstream at minimum height for Magwe, 30 miles to the South and jettisoned drop tanks. Just before sighting the enemy base, the squadron climbed to 1200 feet and positioned to attack from up sun. On the ramp at the base, in front of the hangers, were 10 or 12 Nakajima KI - 43 Oscars in a rough line up (not dispersed) perhaps readying for take. These aircraft and the hangars behind them were attacked in a single pass, before withdrawing westward at low level and maximum speed. A few minutes later perhaps 20 miles away form Magwe, I was following the line of a cheung (small creek), height about 250 feet, speed aboput 280 mph, when the aircraft gave a violent shudder, accompanied by a very lound, unusual noise. The cause was instantly apparent: the airscrew has disappeared completely, leaving only the spinning hub. My immediate reaction was to throttle back fully and switch off to stop the violently overspeeding engine. Further action was obvious: I was committed to staying with the aircraft because, with a high initial speed, not enough height to eject could be gained without the help of an airscrew. So I jettisoned the canopy and acknowledged gratefully the fact that I was following a creek; the banks of either side were hillocky ground, hostile to a forced landing aircraft. Flying the course of the creek, I soon found the aircraft to be near the stall (luckily, a lower than normal figure without an airscrew) extended the flaps and touched down wheels-up with minimum impact ( I have done worse landings on a smooth runway!) My luck was holding, if one can talk of luck in such a situation. December is the height of the dry season in that area and the creek had little water, it was shallow and narrow at the point where I came down: shallow enough to support the fusalage and narrow enough to support wing tips. So I released the harness, pushed the IFF Destruct switch, climed out and walked the wing ashore, dryshod. The question may occur -Why did not others in the squadron see their leader go down? - the answer is simple, the usual tatctic of withdrawal from an enemy target was to fly single at high speed and low level on parallel courses until a safe distance from target was attained. Then, the formation would climb to re-assemble. Having left the aircraft, I now faced a formidable escape problem? I was 300 miles from friendly territory: my desired route would be westward but 80% of that 300 miles was covered by steep north-south ridges impenetrably clothed in virgin jungle; these were natural impediments, there was also the enemy to consider. Having thought over my predicament, I decided the best I could do - having heard reports of mean herted plainspeope - was to get as far into the hills as possible and then find a (hopefully sympathetic) village. I suppose I may have covered about 15 miles by nightfall when I came upon this small hill village and walked into the village square. Nobody seemed surprised to see me (I suspect I had been followed for some time) I wa given a quiet welcome, seated at a table in the open and given food. Then exhaustion took over, I fell asleep in the chair and woke later to find myself tied up in it. Next day I was handed over to a Japanese sergeant and escort who took me back to Magwe and, soon after that, 2.5 years captivity in Rangoon jail.

Sadly we have learned that Byron Duckenfield passed away on 19th November 2010.



Byron Duckenfield during a signing session in March 2010.

Cranston Fine Arts extend our many thanks to Byron Duckenfield for signing a number of our art prints over a number of sessions.



Group Captain Ed Durham
Click the name above to see prints signed by Group Captain Ed Durham
Group Captain Ed Durham

After Meteor, Javelin and Hunter tours, Ed Durham flew Lightnings with No.74 23 and 92 Sqns and took part in the first trans-Atlantic Lightning flights. In 1977 he commanded No.92 Sqn, the last Lightning F2A unit in RAF Germany.




Wing Commander John Freeborn DFC*
Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Wing Commander John Freeborn DFC*

28 / 8 / 2010Died : 28 / 8 / 2010
28 / 8 / 2010Ace : 13.50 Victories
Wing Commander John Freeborn DFC*

Wing Commnader John. C. Freeborn was born on the 1st of December 1919 in Middleton, Yorkshire. John left grammar school at 16 and joined the RAF in 1938, where he made 14 shillings a week and shot pheasant in his spare time. He later visited his classmates after flight school by landing his plane on a nearby cricket pitch. In March 1938 John Freeborn was commissioned in the RAFO, and on the 9th of April 1938 went to Montrose and joined 8 FTS, where he completed his training before going to 74 Tiger Squadron at Hornchurch on 29th October. He relinquished his RAFO commission on being granted a short service one in the RAF in January 1939. Johnie Freeborn flew Spitfires with 74 Squadron over Dunkirk, and claimed a probable Ju 88 on May 21st 1940. On the 22nd of May 1940 he destroyed a Junkers 88, and a probable Bf 109 on the 24th of May followed soon after on the 27th by a Bf 109 destroyed and another probably destroyed. On one occasion his Spitfire was badly damaged over Dunkirk and he crash-landed on the beach near Calais but managed to get a lift home in a returning aircraft. His squadron flew relentlessly during the Battle of Britain. In one eight-hour period, its pilots flew into combat four times, destroying 23 enemy aircraft (three by John Freeborn) and damaging 14 more. Five kills denoted an Ace and by the end of the Battle of Britain, John had seven to his credit and won the DFC. John claimed a Bf 109 destroyed on 10th July, shared a probable Dornier 17 on the 24th, shot down a Bf 109 on the 28th, destroyed two Bf 110s, a Bf 109 and probably another on 11th August, destroyed a Do 17 on the 13th, destroyed another on 11th September and damaged an He 111 on the 14th. Freeborn was made a Flight Commander on 28th August. He shared a Bf 109 on 17th November, shot down two Bf 109s, shared another and damaged a fourth on 5th December, and damaged a Dornier 17 on 5th February and 4th March 1941. John Freeborn had been with his squadron longer, and flown more hours, than any other Battle of Britain pilot and on the 25th of February 1941 John freeborn was awarded a Bar to the DFC. In January, 1942 John Freeborn was posted to Army Air Force Base in Selma, Alababma which was home to the South East Training Command in America. After two months as RAF liaison officer he went to Eglin Field, Florida where he helped in testing various aircraft, including the new fighters the Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang. He returned to the UK in December 1942 and went to Harrowbear, Exeter, and then to Bolt Head as Station Commander. John Freeborn joined 602 Squadron in 1942, and commanded 118 Squadron in June 1943 at Coltishall, leading it until January 1944. In June 1944 he was promoted Wing Commander (the youngest Wing Commander in the RAF) of 286 Wing in Italy. John Freeborn scored 17 victories and left the Royal Air Force in 1946. Sadly, we have learned that John Freeborn passed away on 28th August 2010. John Freeborn was truly one of the great Fighter Pilots of world war two and his autograph is certainly a major additon to any signature collection, as he did not sign a great deal of art pieces.

John Freeborn signing the print In Them We Trust by Ivan Berryman, assisted by Cranston Fine Arts owner David Higgins.

John Freeborn signs the print Close Encounter at a signing session in February 2010.

Cranston Fine Arts would like to extend our many thanks to Wing Commander John Freeborn for spending a day (28/2/2010) with us signing a number of our art prints.



Air Vice-Marshal John Howe CB CBE AFC
Click the name above to see prints signed by Air Vice-Marshal John Howe CB CBE AFC
Air Vice-Marshal John Howe CB CBE AFC

John Howe flew Spitfires, Mustangs and Vampires With the South African Air Force and F-5lD Mustang fighter bombers in the Korean War before joining the RAF 'to fly Hunters'. He commanded the first RAF Lightning squadron when No.74 Sqn converted from Hunters to Lightnings in 1960, and led the famous No.74 Sqn 'Tigers' nine-ship Lightning aerobatic team. He has flown all the legendary USAF 'century series' fighters, and later commanded the F-4 Phantom OCU and RAF Gutersloh.



Air Commodore Bob Lightfoot AFC
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Air Commodore Bob Lightfoot AFC

No.74 Squadron, 226 OCU, No.29 Squadron, Officer Commanding No.5 Squadron.




Flt. Lt. Peter May
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Flt. Lt. Peter May

Peter May was under training as a pilot in the Civil Air Guard at Weston Super Mare on the 3d September 1939 and was immediately accepted for further training with the RAF at Downing College, Cambridge. In June 1940 he was posted to a holding unit at Hernswell, near Lincoln, from which Hampden aircraft were employed in dropping leaflets over Germany. This aerodrome was subjected to one of the first, possibly the first, bombing raid on England by the Germans. Peter went solo on a Magister monoplane at Kingsdown Aerodrome, Chester on the 26 th June 1940. On the 1st July he suffered an engine failure over the Solway Firth, but managed to force land safely. As a reward for this safe landing he was one of six fortunate pupils on the Course of 52 to be selected for training as fighter pilots. His first solo flight in a Spitfire 1 at Hawardene Operational Unit, was on the 10th December 1940. A few days later flying over Liverpool in poor visibility, the engine failed. He decided to pancake in the Mersey but fortunately at the last minute he saw a field alongside. By using his emergency pressure bottle to lower the undercarriage quickly he managed to force land safely. Spitfire 1 aircraft undercarriage had to be raised and lowered manually. In January 1941 with only 20 hours experience on Spitfires he was posted to Sailor Malan's 74 Squadron based at Biggin Hill and later at Manston. This squadron was engaged in protecting the Channel convoys, the south-coast radar stations and the Lysanders on rescue missions over the North Sea. Returning from operational patrol over the Channel on the 21st April 1941, Peter crash-landed at Manston Aerodrome. he was taken to Margate General Hospital suffering from concussion and a broken leg. During the latter part of 1941 Peter was appointed Aerodrome Control Pilot at Manston and recommenced flying non-operationaily in December 1941. In June 1942 he moved to No. 1 Squadron at Tangmere, flying Hurricanes and mainly engaged in sweeps over France. In July it was decided to convert No. 1 squadron into a Night Fighter Squadron. As Peter's nightflying experience was limited he was sent on a Beam Approach Course at Watchfield. Peter was commissioned in 1943 and in 1944 was appointed C.O. of a Communications Flight on the island of Orkney. In July 1945 he joined 286 Hurricane Squadron at Weston Zoyland, Somerset, flying mostly at night. His completed his flying career as Naval Liaison Officer with 667 Squadron at Gosport, flying Spitfire XV1 s. Peter amassed 1687 flying hours, including 110 in Spitfires and 55 in Hurricanes.



Sergeant Butch Morton
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Sergeant Butch Morton

Bob Morton has the honour of a nickname personally bestowed on him by Bader, apparently referring to his modest 5 foot 3 inch height! Like Bader he was shot down over St Omer, on July 9 1941, a month before the Wing Leader. Joining the RAFVR just before the outbreak of war, Morton unusually, did his elementary flying training on Blackburn B2s which he considered far superior to Tiger Moths. After conversion to Spitfires he was posted to 74 Squadron, but in spite of valiant efforts he was not able to operate during the Battle of Britain, transferring to 616 in September 1940. Douglas Bader led the Tangmere Wing from March 1941, always flying with 616 Squadron. Morton clearly remembers Baders invigorating leadership style, but as a young Sergeant Pilot he had little personal contact with him.



Flight Lieutenant George Sheppard
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Flight Lieutenant George Sheppard

Volunteering initially in October 1940 and called up in January 1941, George Sheppard learnt to fly in America and graduated and was commissioned in April 1942. He stayed on as an instructor in America returning to England in March 1943. He joined 198 Typhoon Squadron and after the invasion moved to Normandy in July 1944. He stayed with the squadron all the way through to Germany, becoming a flight commander in February 1945. He flew a total of 84 operational sorties. He felw Meteors with 74 Squadron and Spitfires with 263 Squadron in Italy before demob in May 1946. -- At the time of the Falaise battle we were operating from B7 Martragny and checking my log book I flew 16 ops during this time. The targets in and around Falaise were troop concentrations, tanks, trucks, armoured vehicles and gun positions. A flight which I was in, claimed many tanks, trucks etc, these being the ones that could be identified. One did not hang around after firing rockets and cannons to check results of attacks as the flak was intensive. In our flight we lost 2 pilots killed, 2 baled out but returned to base. Many planes were damaged by flak. I was hit and lost my brakes. Crash landed back at B7. I was also hit by 88mm flak on July 31st and forced landed over our lines at Cuverville, near Caen. After the battle a few of us went down to the Falaise area in our Commer 15 cwt truck. The destruction was incredible, burnt out vehicles, tanks, dead animals in the fields and dead Germans on the roadside. The smell was overwhelming. I thought at the time what it must have been like on the ground being under constant attack from the air. It was the first time I had seen on the ground the destruction caused by rockets, bombs and 20mm cannon fire.




John Spencer CBE AFC
Click the name above to see prints signed by John Spencer CBE AFC
John Spencer CBE AFC

Commanded No 11 Squadron and was last Commander of Royal Air Force Binbrook. Also served on No 74, 23, 92, 19 Squadrons and the Lightning OCU at RAF Coltishall



Sqn Ldr Douglas Tidy
Click the name above to see prints signed by Sqn Ldr Douglas Tidy

14 / 4 / 2010Died : 14 / 4 / 2010
Sqn Ldr Douglas Tidy

Sqn. Ldr. Douglas Tidy was born in 1923. Claiming to be 18 in early 1940 he joined the RAF. Defective eyesight that was discovered (despite charts learned and magic white powder’ ended his career as a tyro pilot and by the summer of 1941 he was in he Operations Room at Portreath in Cornwall, happily still with Spitfires, those of 66 and 130 Squadrons. By 1942 he was in his way to the Middle East, having flown on his first twin-engined aircraft, a Wellington of 38 Squadron, as a Wireless Operator. After an attachment to the Transjordan Frontier Force at Zerka, he joined 74 Squadron which was assisting B24s of the 98th Bomb Group, United States Army Air Corps at Ramat David in Palestine. He served under five Commanding Officers with 74 Squadron, before joining 244 Squadron with Blenheims at Sharjah in the Persian Gulf and later with Wellingtons on Masirah Island. From there he went to Aden and back to the UK with redundant aircrew to Mosquitoes at Haverfordwest. Sadly, we have learned that Douglas Tidy passed away on 14th April 2010.


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