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Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased) - Art prints and originals signed by Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)

Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)

Volunteering for RAF aircrew in 1940, Bill Reid learned to fly in California, training on the Stearman, Vultee and Harvard. After gaining his pilots wings back in England he flew Wellingtons before moving on to Lancasters in 1943. On the night of Nov 3rd 1943, his Lancaster suffered two severe attacks from Luftwaffe night fighters, badly wounding Reid, killing his navigator and radio operator, and severely damaging the aircraft. Bill flew on 200 miles to accurately bomb the target and get his aircraft home. For this act of outstanding courage and determination he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Died 28th November 2001.



Citation for the Victoria Cross, gazetted 14th December 1943.

On the night of November 3rd, 1943, Flignt Lieutenant Reid was pilot and captain of a Lancaster aircraft detailed to attack Dusseldorf. Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast, the pilots windscreen was shattered by fire from a Messerschmitt. Owing to a failure in the heating circuit, the rear gunners hands were too cold for him to open fire immediately or to operate his microphone and so give warning of danger; but after a brief delay he managed to return the Messerschmitts fire and it was driven off. During the fight with the Messerschmitt, Flight Lieutenant Reid was wounded in the head, shoulders and hands. The elevator trimming tabs of the aircraft were damaged and it became difficult to control. The rear turret, too, was badly damaged and the communications system and compasses were put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid ascertained that his crew were unscathed and, saying nothing about his own injuries, he continued his mission. Soon afterwards, the Lancaster was attacked by a Focke Wulf 190. This time, the enemys fire raked the bomber from stem to stern. The rear gunner replied with his only serviceable gun but the state of his turret made accurate aiming impossible. The navigator was killed and the wireless operator fatally injured. The mid-upper turret was hit and the oxygen system put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid was again wounded and the flight engineer, though hit in the forearm, supplied him with oxygen from a portable supply. Flight Lieutenant Reid refused to be turned from his objective and Dusseldorf was reached some 50 minutes later. He had memorised his course to the target and had continued in such a normal manner that the bomb-aimer, who was cut off by the failure of the communications system, knew nothing of his captains injuries or of the casualties to his comrades. Photographs show that, when the bombs were released, the aircraft was right over the centre of the target. Steering by the pole star and the moon, Flight Lieutenant Reid then set course for home. He was growing weak from loss of blood. The emergency oxygen supply had given out. With the windscreen shattered, the cold was intense. He lapsed into semiconsciousness. The flight engineer, with some help from the bomb-aimer, kept the Lancaster in the air despite heavy anti-aircraft fire over the Dutch coast. The North Sea crossing was accomplished. An airfield was sighted. The captain revived, resumed control and made ready to land. Ground mist partially obscured the runway lights. The captain was also much bothered by blood from his head wound getting into his eyes. But he made a safe landing although one leg of the damaged undercarriage collapsed when the load came on. Wounded in two attacks, without oxygen, suffering severely from cold, his navigator dead, his wireless operator fatally wounded, his aircraft crippled and defenceless, Flight Lieutenant Reid showed superb courage and leadership in penetrating a further 200 miles into enemy territory to attack one of the most strongly defended targets in Germany, every additional mile increasing the hazards of the long and perilous journey home. His tenacity and devotion to duty were beyond praise.

London Gazette, 1943.

Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)

Items Signed by Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)

 Lancaster LM360, piloted by Bill Reid, is raked by fire from stem to stern by a Luftwaffe Fw190 fighter.  Bill Reid had already sustained injuries to his head, torso and hands from a previous attack by an Me110, but, with this rest of his crew unsca......
Bill Reid VC by Graeme Lothian. (P)
Price : £500.00
Lancaster LM360, piloted by Bill Reid, is raked by fire from stem to stern by a Luftwaffe Fw190 fighter. Bill Reid had already sustained injuries to his head, torso and hands from a previous attack by an Me110, but, with this rest of his crew unsca......

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 Became a pilot on Wellingtons then Lancasters in 1943, earning his Victoria Cross when his Lancaster was attacked by night-fighters.  His navigator and radio operator were killed and Reid himself badly injured, but he flew on 200 miles to accurately......
Clipped Signature - Bill Reid VC.
Price : £70.00
Became a pilot on Wellingtons then Lancasters in 1943, earning his Victoria Cross when his Lancaster was attacked by night-fighters. His navigator and radio operator were killed and Reid himself badly injured, but he flew on 200 miles to accurately......

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 RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe.  ......
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith.
Price : £140.00
RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe. ......

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 RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe.  ......
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith (AP)
Price : £170.00
RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe. ......

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 RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe. ......
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith. (B)
Price : £380.00
RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe. ......

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 RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe. <br><br><i>This print has some light handling damage to outer edge of border.  If we sold framed prints, we would frame these up and sell them as new, the damage is so light.  Instead we have reduce......
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith. (Y)
Price : £100.00
RAF Avro Lancaster flies low over occupied Europe.

This print has some light handling damage to outer edge of border. If we sold framed prints, we would frame these up and sell them as new, the damage is so light. Instead we have reduce......

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 A Lancaster has been damaged and is left far behind the main force to make its own perilous way home as best it can. Seeing the vulnerability of their friends, a Mosquito crew expose themselves to the same dangers, and throttle back to stay alongsid......
Cloud Companions by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
A Lancaster has been damaged and is left far behind the main force to make its own perilous way home as best it can. Seeing the vulnerability of their friends, a Mosquito crew expose themselves to the same dangers, and throttle back to stay alongsid......NOT
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A Lancaster has been damaged and is left far behind the main force to make its own perilous way home as best it can. Seeing the vulnerability of their friends, a Mosquito crew expose themselves to the same dangers, and throttle back to stay alongside......
Cloud Companions by Robert Taylor (AP)
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A Lancaster has been damaged and is left far behind the main force to make its own perilous way home as best it can. Seeing the vulnerability of their friends, a Mosquito crew expose themselves to the same dangers, and throttle back to stay alongside......NOT
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 On the evening of 17th August 1943, a total of 596 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, spearheaded by the Pathfinder Force, set out on what called for, and what became, the most precise bombing raid of the war.  Success was vital.  The target was a secl......
Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Price : £265.00
On the evening of 17th August 1943, a total of 596 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, spearheaded by the Pathfinder Force, set out on what called for, and what became, the most precise bombing raid of the war. Success was vital. The target was a secl......

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 On the evening of 17th August 1943, a total of 596 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, spearheaded by the Pathfinder Force, set out on what called for, and what became, the most precise bombing raid of the war.  Success was vital.  The target was a secl......
Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor. (AP)
SOLD OUT
On the evening of 17th August 1943, a total of 596 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, spearheaded by the Pathfinder Force, set out on what called for, and what became, the most precise bombing raid of the war. Success was vital. The target was a secl......NOT
AVAILABLE
 On the evening of 17th August 1943, a total of 596 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, spearheaded by the Pathfinder Force, set out on what called for, and what became, the most precise bombing raid of the war.  Success was vital.  The target was a secl......
Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor. (B)
SOLD OUT
On the evening of 17th August 1943, a total of 596 aircraft of RAF Bomber Command, spearheaded by the Pathfinder Force, set out on what called for, and what became, the most precise bombing raid of the war. Success was vital. The target was a secl......NOT
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A superb study of a pair of Lancaster heavy bombers as they set out on a mission over occupied Europe, painted against a powerful cloudscape. Both Bill Reid and Norman Jackson won Britains supreme award, the Victoria Cross, flying in Lancasters.......
Lancaster VC by Robert Taylor
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A superb study of a pair of Lancaster heavy bombers as they set out on a mission over occupied Europe, painted against a powerful cloudscape. Both Bill Reid and Norman Jackson won Britains supreme award, the Victoria Cross, flying in Lancasters.......NOT
AVAILABLE
Winter in Northern Europe brings short days, long nights and, for the most part, appalling weather making navigation difficult and flying hazardous, even by todays electronically sophisticated standards.  Throughout RAF Bomber Commands arduous six ye......
Strike and Return by Robert Taylor (C)
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Winter in Northern Europe brings short days, long nights and, for the most part, appalling weather making navigation difficult and flying hazardous, even by todays electronically sophisticated standards. Throughout RAF Bomber Commands arduous six ye......NOT
AVAILABLE
Winter in Northern Europe brings short days, long nights and, for the most part, appalling weather making navigation difficult and flying hazardous, even by todays electronically sophisticated standards.  Throughout RAF Bomber Commands arduous six ye......
Strike and Return by Robert Taylor (D)
SOLD OUT
Winter in Northern Europe brings short days, long nights and, for the most part, appalling weather making navigation difficult and flying hazardous, even by todays electronically sophisticated standards. Throughout RAF Bomber Commands arduous six ye......NOT
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 Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the maiden flight of the Avro Lancaster on 9th January 1941. ......
Lancaster by Frank Wootton.
Price : £400.00
Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the maiden flight of the Avro Lancaster on 9th January 1941. ......

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 With its mission completed, the mighty Lancaster slowly rolls to a halt on the lonely dispersal point, the roar of its four pulsating Merlin engines steadily slackens, replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the snapping cracks of cooling metal......
Day Duties for the Night Workers by Robert Taylor. (C)
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With its mission completed, the mighty Lancaster slowly rolls to a halt on the lonely dispersal point, the roar of its four pulsating Merlin engines steadily slackens, replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the snapping cracks of cooling metal......NOT
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 Sometimes it was five, every so often it might be six, occasionally it was three, but usually it was seven men who flew together as a crew with RAF Bomber Command.  They formed the closest of bonds, forged through an anvil of freezing temperatures, ......
Towards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor. (C)
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Sometimes it was five, every so often it might be six, occasionally it was three, but usually it was seven men who flew together as a crew with RAF Bomber Command. They formed the closest of bonds, forged through an anvil of freezing temperatures, ......NOT
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 By April 1945 everyone, except a few die-hard fanatical Nazis, knew the war in Europe was over; the end was only a matter of time. So when Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancaster bombers to destroy Hitler's infamous Obersalzberg ......
Home Again England by Robert Taylor.
Price : £155.00
By April 1945 everyone, except a few die-hard fanatical Nazis, knew the war in Europe was over; the end was only a matter of time. So when Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancaster bombers to destroy Hitler's infamous Obersalzberg ......

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 By April 1945 everyone, except a few die-hard fanatical Nazis, knew the war in Europe was over; the end was only a matter of time. So when Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancaster bombers to destroy Hitler's infamous Obersalzberg ......
Home Again England by Robert Taylor. (AP)
Price : £295.00
By April 1945 everyone, except a few die-hard fanatical Nazis, knew the war in Europe was over; the end was only a matter of time. So when Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancaster bombers to destroy Hitler's infamous Obersalzberg ......

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 By April 1945 everyone, except a few die-hard fanatical Nazis, knew the war in Europe was over; the end was only a matter of time. So when Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancaster bombers to destroy Hitler's infamous Obersalzberg ......
Home Again England by Robert Taylor. (B)
Price : £225.00
By April 1945 everyone, except a few die-hard fanatical Nazis, knew the war in Europe was over; the end was only a matter of time. So when Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancaster bombers to destroy Hitler's infamous Obersalzberg ......

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Royal Air Force ground crew engineers work on the engine of a Lancaster at its squadron's airfield.  A fitting tribute to the Avro Lancaster bomber of Bomber Command and all the crews that flew in and also worked on this magnificent aircraft. ......
Lancasters by Keith Woodcock. (B)
Price : £80.00
Royal Air Force ground crew engineers work on the engine of a Lancaster at its squadron's airfield. A fitting tribute to the Avro Lancaster bomber of Bomber Command and all the crews that flew in and also worked on this magnificent aircraft. ......

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Enemy Coast Ahead by M A Kinnear. (AP)
Price : £190.00
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Avro Lancaster W4118 (ZN-Y) piloted by Wing Commander G.P. Gibson CO of 106 squadron en-route to attack Schneider Armament works at Le Creusot in 1942. ......
Enemy Coast Ahead by M A Kinnear (B)
SOLD OUT
Avro Lancaster W4118 (ZN-Y) piloted by Wing Commander G.P. Gibson CO of 106 squadron en-route to attack Schneider Armament works at Le Creusot in 1942. ......NOT
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On April 25th 1945, the RAF despatched over 300 Lancasters to attack The Eagles Nest, Hitlers private mountain top castle at Berchstegaden.  It was a symbolic raid, for the war was almost over, but it seemed appropriate that, after almost six years o......
Escort for the Straggler by Robert Taylor.
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On April 25th 1945, the RAF despatched over 300 Lancasters to attack The Eagles Nest, Hitlers private mountain top castle at Berchstegaden. It was a symbolic raid, for the war was almost over, but it seemed appropriate that, after almost six years o......NOT
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<b>SOLD OUT. ......
Dambusters by Robert Taylor. (B)
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SOLD OUT. ......NOT
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V-RA is seen on final approach to RAF Colerne early on the morning of 6 June 1944.......
Early Morning Arrival by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
V-RA is seen on final approach to RAF Colerne early on the morning of 6 June 1944.......NOT
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A Lancaster of 626 Squadron takes evasive action during a raid over Osterfeld in December 1944, as a Messerschmitt Me110 G.4 night-fighter makes a pass beneath the bomber.  ......
Lancaster Under Attack by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
A Lancaster of 626 Squadron takes evasive action during a raid over Osterfeld in December 1944, as a Messerschmitt Me110 G.4 night-fighter makes a pass beneath the bomber. ......NOT
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<b> SOLD OUT. ......
Last Flight Home by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT. ......NOT
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 A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for anot......
No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Price : £210.00
A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for anot......

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 A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for anot......
No Turning Back by Robert Taylor (AP)
Price : £325.00
A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for anot......

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 A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for anot......
No Turning Back by Robert Taylor (B)
Price : £295.00
A Lancaster of No. 61 Squadron, RAF, piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Reid, under attack from a German Fw190 en route to Dusseldorf on the night of November 3rd, 1943. Already injured in a previous attack, Bill Reid was again wounded but pressed on for anot......

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Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)


German Night Fighter Aviation Art Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £280.00
Saving : £170
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5/U8 by Ivan Berryman.
Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 by Ivan Berryman.
Gunner's Moon by Ivan Berryman.

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RAF Lancaster Bomber Print Pack.
Pack Price : £340.00
Saving : £315
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
One Hundred Up! by Simon Atack.
Operation Manna by Ivan Berryman.

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Pack 517. Pack of two RAF Lancaster aviation art prints by Robert Taylor and Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £260.00
Saving : £150
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Distant Dispersal by Graeme Lothian (B)

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Robert Taylor Lancaster Print Pack.
Pack Price : £400.00
Saving : £235
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Duel in the Dark by Robert Taylor.

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Avro Lancaster Print Pack by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £330.00
Saving : £165
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Avro Lancaster B.1 by Ivan Berryman. (D)

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Lancaster Aircraft Aviation Print Pack by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £300.00
Saving : £135
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Chadwick's Masterpiece by Ivan Berryman.

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WW2 Lancaster Bomber Prints by Robert Taylor and Gerald Coulson.
Pack Price : £350.00
Saving : £150
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Outbound Lancaster by Gerald Coulson. (C)

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Pilot and Aircrew Signed Lancaster Prints by Robert Taylor and Simon Smith.
Pack Price : £325.00
Saving : £250
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith.

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Aircrew Signed Avro Lancaster Prints by Robert Taylor and Gerald Coulson.
Pack Price : £320.00
Saving : £325
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Summer Harvest by Gerald Coulson. (B)

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WW2 Avro Lancaster Prints by Graeme Lothian and Simon Smith.
Pack Price : £215.00
Saving : £155
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Distant Dispersal by Graeme Lothian. (C)
The Shining Sword by Simon Smith.

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Signed Lancaster Bomber Art Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £300.00
Saving : £150
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Gunner's Moon by Ivan Berryman. (C)

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Crew Signed Avro Lancaster Aviation Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £320.00
Saving : £170
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Nursing Her Home by Ivan Berryman. (B)

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Signed Avro Lancaster Bomber Aviation Art Prints by Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £400.00
Saving : £175
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Home at Dawn by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Classic Lancaster Bomber Prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Taylor.
Pack Price : £370.00
Saving : £295
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian.

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Crew Signed Avro Lancaster WW2 Bomber Prints by Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £300.00
Saving : £160
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian.

Quantity:
WW2 Lancaster Bomber Prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Robert Taylor.
Pack Price : £320.00
Saving : £225
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Target Peenemunde by Robert Taylor.
Moonlight Hunter by Nicolas Trudgian.

Quantity:
WW2 Luftwaffe Night Fighter Aviation Prints by Ivan Berryman and Robert Taylor.
Pack Price : £230.00
Saving : £125
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Gunner's Moon by Ivan Berryman. (C)

Quantity:
WW2 German Night Fighter Aviation Art by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £220.00
Saving : £100
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Messerschmitt Me262B-1a/U1 by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:
WW2 Night Aviation Combat Prints by Ivan Berryman and Robert Taylor.
Pack Price : £230.00
Saving : £120
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Incident over Mannheim by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:
Fw190 Night Fighter Aviation Art by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £215.00
Saving : £105
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

No Turning Back by Robert Taylor.
Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5/U8 by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:

Squadrons for : Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased). A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

No.61 Sqn RAF


Country : UK
Founded : 25th July 1917
Fate : Disbanded 31st March 1958

Per prurum tonantes - Thundering through the clear sky

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.61 Sqn RAF

No.61 Sqn RAF

On July 1917 at RAF Rochford in Essex No.61 Squadron was formed and along with two other squadrons formed the London Air Defence Area intended to counter the daylight air raids. 61 squadron was equipped with the Sopwith Pup. The squadron first went into action on 12 thAugust, when a formation of 10 German Gotha bombers were seen over the Thames. Sixteen Sopwith Pups of No.61 Squadron took off to intercept them and succeeded in turning the enemy back, but not before two bombs had been dropped near No.61s hangars on Rochford Aerodrome. In 1918, 61 squadron was re-equipped with SE5s. When the armistice had been signed and the war was over 61 squadron was disbanded on 13th June 1919. No. 61 Squadron was re-formed on 8th March 1937 as a bomber squadron, and initially flying Hawker Audax, then the Avro Anson, followed by the Bristol Blenheim and during World War II flew with No. 5 Group, Bomer Command flying the Handley Page Hampden. The squadrons first operational mission was on 25th December 1939. The squadron then was equipped with the Avro Manchester. The slow delivery of the Manchester meant that the squadron operated both aircraft from July 1941 when the first Manchesters arrived, through to October 1941 when the use of the last of the Hampdens stopped. The squadron struggled on with the Manchester before converting to the Avro Lancaster in 1942, which 61 squadron flew for the rest of the war. Four of its Lancasters; ED860 N-Nan, EE176, JB138, and LL483, each served on more than 100 operational sorties. Records show that in the case of the first three aircraft, the long road to their centuries included participation in the raid on 3/4 November 1943, when Flt Lt William Reid of No. 61 Squadron won the Victoria Cross. After the war No. 61 Squadron re-equipped with Avro Lincolns in May 1946 and saw action in Malaya during Operation Firedog and during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. In 1954 at RAF Wittering, 61 Squadron was equipped with the new English Electric Canberra. The Canberras of the squadron were used during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Finally on March 31st 1958, 61 squadron wasd disbanded.

No.617 Sqn RAF


Country : UK
Founded : 23rd March 1943

Apres mois, le deluge - After me, the flood

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.617 Sqn RAF

No.617 Sqn RAF

Full profile not yet available.
Aircraft for : Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased)
A list of all aircraft associated with Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid VC (deceased). A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
SquadronInfo

Lancaster




Click the name above to see prints featuring Lancaster aircraft.

Manufacturer : Avro
Production Began : 1942
Retired : 1963
Number Built : 7377

Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' Operation Gomorrah in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992.

Wellington




Click the name above to see prints featuring Wellington aircraft.

Manufacturer : Vickers
Production Began : 1938
Retired : 1953

Wellington

The Vickers Wellington was a Bomber aircraft and also used for maritime reconnaissance. and had a normal crew of six except in the MKV and VI where a crew of three was used. Maximum speed was 235 mph (MK1c) 255 mph (MK III, X) and 299 mph (MK IIII), normal operating range of 1805 miles (except MK III which was 1470miles) The Wellington or Wimpy as it was known, was the major bomber of the Royal Air Force between 1939 and 1943. The Royal Air Force received its first Wellingtons in October 1938 to 99 squadron. and by the outbreak of World war two there were 6 squadrons equipped with the Vickers Wellington. Due to heavy losses on daylight raids, the Wellington became a night bomber and from 1940 was also used as a long range bomber in North Africa. and in 1942 also became a long range bomber for the royal Air Force in India. It was well used by Coastal Command as a U-Boat Hunter. The Wellington remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1953. Probably due to its versatile use, The aircraft was also used for experimental work including the fitting of a pressure cabin for High altitude tests. The Vickers Wellington could sustain major damage and still fly, probably due to its construction of its geodesic structure and practical application of geodesic lines. Designed by Sir Barnes Wallis

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