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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 |
 Captain Robert J Shoens *Signature Value : £10 | Serving as First Pilot on B-17 Our Gal Sal with the 351st Bomb Squadron, Bob's first mission was on 5th January 1944 and he went on to complete a total of 28 missions. These included the first major daylight raids to Berlin on 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th March 1944, in fact his crew were the only 351st aircraft to return from the raid on 6th March. He was awarded the DFC, Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and ETO ribbon with one Battle Star. |
 First Lieutenant James S Rasmussen *Signature Value : £10 | Joining the 349th Bomb Squadron as a Navigator, Jim's first mission aboard Lassie Come Home was a raid to Frankfurt on 5th January 1945. He went on to complete a total of 33 raids over Europe and was awarded the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters and ETO ribbon with three Battle Stars. |
 First Lieutenant John A Clark *Signature Value : £10 | As a Co-Pilot John served on three crews with the 418th Bomb Squadron on B-17s Lucky Lassie and Miss Conduct. His first mission was flown on 10th September 1944 to Mainz and by the end of hostilities he had completed a total of 32 operations. He was awarded the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, ETO ribbon with three Battle Stars, French Croix de Guerre with Palm and French Legion of Honor. |
  Lt Col Henry Hank Cervantes *Signature Value : £45 | Lt Col. Henry Cervantes was born in Fresno, California in October 1923. He joined the US Air Force and graduated on the 27th June 1944. Lt Col. Henry Cervantes was one of only a few Mexican American Pilots, of The Bloody100th Bombardment Group flying B-17s. On 18th March 1945 he flew on the last Eighth Air Force mission to Berlin, and on 7th April got home safely after his B-17 E-Z Goin' was badly damaged in a head-on attack by Me109s of Rammkommando Elbe. |
 Major John H Luckadoo *Signature Value : £10 | Part of the original cadre of the 100th Bomb Group, John's first mission as a Co-Pilot was on 26th June 1943 on a raid to Le Mans, France. By 13th February he had completed 25 operations which included missions as Co-Pilot, Pilot and Command Pilot. He went on to become Squadron Operaions Officer for the 351st and 350th Bomb Squadrons and was awarded the DFC, Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the French Legion of Honor. |
 Staff Sergeant Albert J Arreola *Signature Value : £10 | Al served as a Ball Turret Gunner with the 351st Bomb Squadron. His first mission in April 1944 was aboard B-17 Their Latest Rumour and he went on to complete a total of 35 raids on Europe including D-Day 6th June which was his 21st. He was awarded the DFC, Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, French Legion of Honor and the ETO ribbon with three Battle Stars. |
 Staff Sergeant Albert M Freitas *Signature Value : £10 | Part of the original cadre of the 100th Bomb Group, he served as a Radio Operator with the 350th Bomb Squadron. Albert's first mission was in June 1943 and he went on to complete 23 operations, including Regensburg on 17th August 1943, before being shot down on 28th April 1944 over Sottevast, France. He was captured and remained a PoW until the end of hostilities. His awards include a Purple Heart, Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and ETO ribbon with three Battle Stars. |
 Staff Sergeant Joe R Urice *Signature Value : £10 | As a Tail Gunner with the 351st Bomb Squadron, Joe's first mission was on 13th January 1945 and he went on to complete a total of 13 missions aboard B-17s One Time and Pard before the end of hostilities. He was awarded the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and ETO ribbon with two Battle Stars. |
 Staff Sergeant Lewis D Payne *Signature Value : £10 | As a Waist Gunner with the 349th Bomb Squadron Lewis' first mission was on 6th July 1944. On 5th August he flew in the Ball Turret with another crew but it turned out to be his 14th and final mission after getting wounded. He was awarded a Purple Heart and Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster. |
 Staff Sergeant Lewis E Herron *Signature Value : £10 | As a Tail Gunner with the 350th Bomb Squadron Lewis served on B-17 Heaven Sent. On 24th August 1944 he flew his first raid to Rhuland, Germany, and went on to complete a total of 33 missions over Europe. He was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters and the French Legion of Honor. |
| Artist Details : Robert Taylor |
| Click here for a full list of all artwork by Robert Taylor |
 Robert Taylor The name Robert Taylor has been synonymous with aviation art over a quarter of a century. His paintings of aircraft, more than those of any other artist, have helped popularise a genre which at the start of this remarkable artist's career had little recognition in the world of fine art. When he burst upon the scene in the mid-1970s his vibrant, expansive approach to the subject was a revelation. His paintings immediately caught the imagination of enthusiasts and collectors alike . He became an instant success. As a boy, Robert seemed always to have a pencil in his hand. Aware of his natural gift from an early age, he never considered a career beyond art, and with unwavering focus, set out to achieve his goal. Leaving school at fifteen, he has never worked outside the world of art. After two years at the Bath School of Art he landed a job as an apprentice picture framer with an art gallery in Bath, the city where Robert has lived and worked all his life. Already competent with water-colours the young apprentice took every opportunity to study the works of other artists and, after trying his hand at oils, quickly determined he could paint to the same standard as much of the art it was his job to frame. Soon the gallery was selling his paintings, and the owner, recognising Roberts talent, promoted him to the busy picture-restoring department. Here, he repaired and restored all manner of paintings and drawings, the expertise he developed becoming the foundation of his career as a professional artist. Picture restoration is an exacting skill, requiring the ability to emulate the techniques of other painters so as to render the damaged area of the work undetectable. After a decade of diligent application, Robert became one of the most capable picture restorers outside London. Today he attributes his versatility to the years he spent painstakingly working on the paintings of others artists. After fifteen years at the gallery, by chance he was introduced to Pat Barnard, whose military publishing business happened also to be located in the city of Bath. When offered the chance to become a full-time painter, Robert leapt at the opportunity. Within a few months of becoming a professional artist, he saw his first works in print. Roberts early career was devoted to maritime paintings, and he achieved early success with his prints of naval subjects, one of his admirers being Lord Louis Mountbatten. He exhibited successfully at the Royal Society of Marine Artists in London and soon his popularity attracted the attention of the media. Following a major feature on his work in a leading national daily newspaper he was invited to appear in a BBC Television programme. This led to a string of commissions for the Fleet Air Arm Museum who, understandably, wanted aircraft in their maritime paintings. It was the start of Roberts career as an aviation artist. Fascinated since childhood by the big, powerful machines that man has invented, switching from one type of hardware to another has never troubled him. Being an artist of the old school, Robert tackled the subject of painting aircraft with the same gusto as with his large, action-packed maritime pictures - big compositions supported by powerful and dramatic skies, painted on large canvases. It was a formula new to the aviation art genre, at the time not used to such sweeping canvases, but one that came naturally to an artist whose approach appeared to have origins in an earlier classical period. Roberts aviation paintings are instantly recognisable. He somehow manages to convey all the technical detail of aviation in a traditional and painterly style, reminiscent of the Old Masters. With uncanny ability, he is able to recreate scenes from the past with a carefully rehearsed realism that few other artists ever manage to achieve. This is partly due to his prodigious research but also his attention to detail: Not for him shiny new factory-fresh aircraft looking like museum specimens. His trade mark, flying machines that are battle-scarred, worse for wear, with dings down the fuselage, chips and dents along the leading edges of wings, oil stains trailing from engine cowlings, paintwork faded with dust and grime; his planes are real! Roberts aviation works have drawn crowds in the international arena since the early 1980s. He has exhibited throughout the US and Canada, Australia, Japan and in Europe. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC was hailed as the most popular art exhibition ever held there. His paintings hang in many of the worlds great aviation museums, adorn boardrooms, offices and homes, and his limited edition prints are avidly collected all around the world. A family man with strong Christian values, Robert devotes most of what little spare time he has to his home life. Married to Mary for thirty five years, they have five children, all now grown up. Neither fame nor fortune has turned his head. He is the same easy-going, gentle character he was when setting out on his painting career all those years ago, but now with a confidence that comes with the knowledge that he has mastered his profession. Sadly he passed away in January 2024. More about Robert Taylor |
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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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Shoens, Robert J (signed in person)
Shoens, Robert J (signed in person)