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Stirling Bomber Prints by Graeme Lothian and Philip West.
PCK1595. Stirling Bomber Prints by Graeme Lothian and Philip West. Aviation Print Pack.
Items in this pack : Item #1 - Click to view individual item DHM2205. Teamwork by Philip West. As night falls, Short Stirlings of XV Squadron based at Mildenhall, Cambridgeshire, await their crews for yet another nocturnal mission. One of the almost forgotten Bomber Command aircraft that made a very significant contribution to the war effort. Signed by Wg. Cdr. F H P Austin OBE RAF, F/Lt Geoffrey Ware, DFC AE FCA and A R Charlesworth. Signed limited edition of 300 prints. Image size 24 inches x 8 inches (61cm x 20cm)
Item #2 - Click to view individual item DHM1326. Tribute to the Crews of the Stirling by Graeme Lothian. Outward bound, Stirling III of 199 Squadron based at Lakenheath, Suffolk, heads out on another night of operations in August 1943. EE953, Sqd letters EX - E of 100 group is piloted by F/L Tom Austin DFC who finished his tour by the end of October 1944, winning the DFC with his bomb aimer F/O Jack Lawrence. Nicknamed the Queen of the Skies, the Stirling was the 1st four engined bomber to enter service with the RAF in 1941. The cockpit stood a massive 22.5 feet from the ground and had an operational ceiling of only 12,000 feet, well within the range of the enemy AA guns. By September 1944 other bombers were taking the brunt of the attack to the Germans and the Stirlings were used mainly for glider towing especially for D-day and Arnhem. Signed limited edition of 1150 prints. Image size 25 inches x 15 inches (64cm x 38cm)
Website Price: £ 135.00
To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £290.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £155
All prices are displayed in British Pounds Sterling
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| Signatures on this item | | *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | | Name | Info | 
A R Charlesworth *Signature Value : £15 (matted)
| Volunteered at the age of 18 in 1942 and trained as a pilot in Canada. On returning to England in spring of 1942, he trained on Whitley Bombers and converted to Stirlings in January 1945. He took part in the Rhine Crossing towing a Horsa glider, which was his last operation. He joined 299 Sqdn at Shepherds Gove in April 1945 and was heavily engaged in towing gliders (Horsas) and supply drop training. Before the end of the European was, he flew Stirling [Vs supplying our advancing armies through Europe and completed one operational supply drop to Denmark underground forces. He left the RAF in 1947. | 
F/Lt Geoffrey Ware, DFC AE FCA *Signature Value : £15 (matted)
| Started his RAF career in December 1940 at No 1 Receiving Wing Babbacombe, then No 4 Initial Training Wing at Paignton. A long wait in the Liverpool area during which it was sunbathing or fatigues, led to a five-week trip in convoy to South Africa. There followed an enthralling year in what was then Southern Rhodesia for Elementary Flying Training on Tiger Moths and Service Flying Training on Harvards leading to the award of Wings. Instead of being sent to the Middle East, as was normal, a fast, unescorted trip took a boatload of fledgling pilots and navigators back to the UK. It appeared that the strategy of the war had changed and the emphasis was then on the build up of Bomber Command and therefore he was converted to multi-engined aircraft on Oxfords at South Cerney and on Wellingtons at further conversion to Stirlings at Waterbeach, plus two further crew members (making a crew of seven) and on to an operational tour with XV Squadron at Bourn and the award of the WC. It may be appropriate here to mention that the navigator was Brian E.B. Harris, DFC who has provided pictures and information to the authors of 'Oxford's Own' (a history of XV Squadron) and 'The Stirling'. He has also produced a video tape called 'Remember The Stirling'. Brian is now the Chairman of 7he Stirling Project' which is a charity devoted to trying to build a Stirling aircraft for display purposes. (for further details tel: 01483 892626) Following the appropriate training F/Lt Ware became an Instructor at an Operational Training Unit and was Mentioned in Dispatches. After the War was over he transferred to Transport Command and spent the rest of his time in the RAF flying Liberators, mostly empty, to Karachi, and returning with 26 passengers, mostly troops. It was not easy to give up flying completely and he remained with the RAFVR and the RAux AF until they closed down, as a relief from and transition to, training to be a Chartered Accountant.
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Wg. Cdr. F H P Austin OBE RAF *Signature Value : £10 (matted)
| Joined the RAF in September 1932 as an aircraft apprentice. After three years at Cranwell he was posted to No16 (AC) Squadron and trained as an Air Gunner. In 1937, he joined No. 36 (TB) Squadron in Singapore and in January 1939 he returned to the UK for training as an Air Observer. He was promoted to Sergeant and joined 149 (B) Squadron at Mildenhall. He flew his first operational sortie on 4th September 1939 (Kiel Canal) and continued operating with the squadron until his captain (Wg. Cdr. P. I. Harris DFC) was selected to command No7 Squadron. After aircraft familiarisation on Stirling aircraft he arrived at Oakington in October 1940. Now commissioned he was a crew member on the very first Stirling Operation on 10th February 1941, targeting oil tanks at Rotterdam. In September 1941, he was selected for Specialist Armament training, followed by spells as Chief Armament Instructor at Moreton-in-Marsh and Wellesbourne Mountford. Posted to Air Headquarters in India, in September 1945 and subsequently moved to the RAF Staff College in Haifa in 1946. After a flying refresher course he served with the Bomber Command Development Unit at Marham until 1948. After an exchange posting with RAAF HQ Melbourne he returned to the UK in January 1954 on promotion to Wg. Cdr. (Admin) at RAF Kinloss. His final posting was to the Supreme HQ Allied Powers Europe in 1959, retiring in 1965. |
| Artist Details : Graeme Lothian | | Click here for a full list of all artwork by Graeme Lothian |
 Graeme Lothian
Graeme Lothian is an artist whose ability has seen him apply his talent to many different subjects - military, aviation, naval and landscape art. Having spent time in the army, taking on adventures such as parachuting, the discipline he has obtained from his experiences has been key to allowing him to take on his first love - painting - full time. Graeme first took on painting full-time by producing paintings of WW2 aircraft, such as Spitfires and Messerschmitts, but over his career in art, now spanning over two decades, has also produced many military and naval pieces too. More recently, he has undertaken a masive project of painting the River Thames, from its source, through London and beyond, producing over 50 paintings in this series, as well as a book. Graeme Lothian describes himself as a landscape painter. The paintings may have a Tiger, Steam Train, Spitfire or Kentish Oasts in them, but they're still landscapes. Graeme started painting in 1978 in oils, a medium he has stayed with since then. Joining the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces at the beginning of the 1980s, a parachuting accident curtailed his career and he returned to his first love - art. In the early 90s he formed a partnership with the late great Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson CB CBE DSO(two bars) DFC(bar) the top scoring Allied fighter pilot of WWII. Embarking on a career as an aviation artist, travelling all over Britain and Europe obtaining the signatures for his prints. Personally meeting the most famous aviators and top aces of both sides of the last war. Graemes first book An Artist on the Thames came out in 2004. His second, An Artist in London, which has taken 5 years to complete, is due out in the autumn of 2012. In between, he printed an Everest painting carrying the signatures of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Chris Bonnington. Graeme had solo exhibitions in 1981, 1989 in Sydney, Australia, 2007, 2008. In 2009, Graeme was one of only 56 other artists to exhibit at the internationally acclaimed and prestigious BP Portrait Awards at the National Portrait Gallery, London. In 2010 Graeme went to Afghanistan as the artist to the Joint Forces Medical Group (JFMG). He covered everything medical in Helmand including many hours in the hospital at Camp Bastion watching the surgeons operating. The subsequent paintings and artwork were displayed at the Royal Society of Medicine, Wimpole Street, London. He returned to Afghanistan as the official artist to 20 Armoured Brigade and 101 Logistic Brigade's Herrick 15 winter tour 2011-2012. This time he was covering first the logistics and then the infantry soldier, taking him to places such as Nad e Ali, Babaji, Nahr e Saraj and Gereshk. 20 Armoured Brigade published an art book, 'Soldiers Flowers', showing art from their serving personnel on the tour. Graeme, subject to confirmation, is due back in Helmand again, this time as artist to 4 Mechanized Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Bob Bruce on their Herrick 17 winter tour, 2012-2013. Born in Sri Lanka, Graeme has painted all over the world including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Syria, India and most recently Oman and Jordan. His originals hang all over the world and to date has had over 80 limited edition art prints published.
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Graeme with German Ace Ernst Wilhelm Reinert and the painting Fighter General |
Graeme sketching in Musa Qala, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, March 2010. |
More about Graeme Lothian
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