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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 |
 Flight Lieutenant S V Grimes *Signature Value : £15 | Wireless Operator with No.617 Sqn. |
 Flight Sergeant Charles Avey *Signature Value : £10 | Joining the RAF in 1944 he was posted to 617 Sqn as a Mid Upper Gunner on Lancasters and flew on the last 11 Operations of the war, dropping Grand Slam and Tall Boy bombs. |
  Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased) *Signature Value : £45 | Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022. |
  Squadron Leader L S Benny Goodman (deceased) *Signature Value : £40 | Benny Goodman (Pilot) volunteered for aircrew at 18 years of age and was called up in 1940. After basic training he went to RAF Abingdon - a Whitley OTU - for what he was told would be straight through training. This did not materialise and he found himself in the role of a Ground Gunner. In 1941, a posting eventually came through to the Initial Training Wing followed by Elementary Fyling School at Peterborough and an instructors course at Woodley, Reading; then to Clyffe Pyparde, a holding unit. A sea journey to Canada followed and Service Flying Training School on Ansons. On completion he was posted to Kingston, Ontario, to instruct Acting Leading Naval Airmen on the Royal Navy tactics of the time, e.g. jinking after take off, dive bombing, etc. Eventually he returned to the UK and OTU on Wellingtons at Silverstone and Heavy Conversion Bomber Unit at Swinderby on Stirlings, followed by a short course at the Lancaster Conversion Unit. After an interview Benny and his crew were surprised and delighted to find they had been selected for 617 squadron - this was in 1944 and they had stayed together as a crew on 617 squadron until the war in Europe ended. He completed 30 missions - all with Jock Burnett as his flight engineer. Notable raids Jock took part in were on the Tirpitz, 29th October 1944, dropping the Grand Slam 22,000 bomb on the Arnsberg Viaduct, 19th March 1945, and the attack on Berchtesgarten Eagles Nest, 25th May 1945. Benny Goodman died in July 2021. |
 Wing Commander John Bell *Signature Value : £10 | After initially training as a Navigator he went on to complete most of his 50 ops in Lancasters as a Bomb Aimer with 617 Sqn, including all the raids against the Tirpitz. |
| Artist Details : James Dietz |
| Click here for a full list of all artwork by James Dietz |
 James Dietz Born in San Francisco, Jim graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1969. He had a successful illustration career in Los Angeles and New York, with a steady flow of work ranging from automobile ads, movie posters, and romantic and historical/action book covers. By 1978, Jim and his wife had moved to Seattle, where Jim's work gradually shifted away from commercial illustration to primarily historical aviation, automotive and military art. Today his work is internationally known and collected, and his style, with its emphasis on depth of story, is recognized by collectors of historical art. His list of clients includes Boeing, Bell Helicopter, Federal Express, Allison, Cessna, Flying Tigers, the Indianapolis 500, BMW, US Air Force Documentary Art Program, Wingnut Studios, Meadowbrook and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the National Guard and many U.S. Army organizations and associations to include: the 82nd Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army Rangers, Special Forces, 1st Division, 2nd Division 3rd Division, 4th Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Regiment, the Command General Staff College, and the United States Army War College. Awards include: Best in Show, EAA Aviation Art Show, three successive years, 1989-91 Named Master Artist, EAA, 1992 People's Choice Award, American Society of Aviation Artists, 1988 Best in Show, Franklin Mint Artists Show, 1992 Best in Show & three Best of Era Awards, San Antonio Military Art Show, 1992 Honorable Mention, American Society of Aviation Artists Show, 1994 Best in Show, Flying Magazine/Simuflite Art Show, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001 Award of Merit, Flying Magazine/Simuflite Art Show, 1995, 2000 Best in Show, Naval Aviation Museum Art Show, 1994, 2000 First Place, Naval Aviation Museum Art Show, 1995 R. G. Smith Award for Excellence in Naval Aviation Art, National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL, 1997 Best in Show, Women in Aviation Show, C.R. Smith Museum, Dallas, TX, 1997 Stanley Wanlass Award, for excellence in strength of design and composition, echoing the spirit of the automobile, Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, 1997 Featured Artist, Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, 1999 Award of Excellence, Automotive Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 1999, 2000 Peter Helck Award, Automotive Fine Artists of America show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, 1999, 2000 League of WWI Aviation Historians, four Silver Cups Jim Dietz from san Francisco graduated in 1969 from the Art centre College of Designed. and many of his military paintings hang in regimental collections. including the 82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne Division and the us Army Rangers. More about James Dietz |
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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 |
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Bell, John (signed in person)
(signed in person)
Bell, John (signed in person)
(signed in person)