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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 |
 Flt. Lt. Michael Penny *Signature Value : £20 | His war service began in October 1940 at I.TW. Newquay. On completion of his training he was posted to No. 24 E. F.T.S. Luton. After 11 hours dual flying he first flew solo in a Miles Magister. After forty hours instruction he was posted to No. 9 S.F.T.S. Hullavington for advanced flying on Miles Masters and Hurricanes. On completing this course he was presented with his 'Wings', having now flown 62 hours. His next posting was to No. 60 O.T.U. at East Fortune where he converted to B & P Defiants. 'The Defiant was a very unpleasant aircraft to fly, very heavy and I did not like the idea of becoming a night fighter in this aircraft' said Michael. He was then posted to No. 153 Squadron in Northern Ireland; after only a few days the Squadron was disbanded and he was given a chance to convert to Beaufighters or stay on 'singles'. Michael requested training for Spitfires but was informed that there were no vacancies at that moment in time. He then asked if he could fly Lysanders being used to tow drogues. His request was granted and he flew Lysanders until January 1943 when his posting came through to 58 O.T.U. Grangemouth. He completed 50 hours on Spitfires and was posted to 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron 124 Airfield, Lasham. Michael recalls, 'Although we were operational, we were now in 2 nd T. A. F. and most of our flying was done in cooperation with the Army and Tank Cor. This involved continual very low flying and demanded very strict air flying discipline - this held me in good stead as time went on'. In May 1943 the Squadron moved to 121 Airfield Fairlop where he flew his first operation over occupied Europe on a fighter sweep over Rouen, followed by an escort op. with Ventura bombers to Zeebruger; this was his first experience of enemy antiaircraft fire. Various escort and fighter sweeps followed. There followed a series of moves to various airfields in Sussex and Kent. In early 1944 the Squadron, then stationed at Ford, had bombs fitted to our aircraft for dropping on V1 launch sites. 'We began our dive at about 10,000 feet and released our bomb at 5000 feet - a most unpleasant experience. This brought us into range from all kinds of anti-aircraft fire, but fortunately we suffered very few direct hits,' Michael recalls. After completing over 120 operations Michael was posted 'tour expired' by the Air Comm. and went on to become a Spitfire flying instructor. He was demobilised in November 1945. |
 Flt. Lt. Peter May *Signature Value : £25 | 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. |
  Squadron Leader Harry Moon (deceased) *Signature Value : £50 | Flying his Hurricane off the carrier Ark Royal for Malta on June 30th 1941, Harry Moon was fortunate to arrive on the island to join 249 Squadron in a period when the opposition was provided by the Italians. The Hurricane were equal to this task and Moon took part in many combats. However, in December the Lufttwaffe appeared again and losses rose sharply. In February 1942, he was transferred to 126 Squadron when 249 was temporarily disbanded as a result of losses and pending the arrival of Spitfires. In April 1942, he was posted to the Middle East. He died on 29th April 2014. |
| The Aircraft : | |
| Name | Info |
| 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. |
| Artist Details : Philip West |
| Click here for a full list of all artwork by Philip West |
 Philip West Philip West is recognised as one of the worlds finest aviation artists. Collectors of his original oil paintings span the globe, many waiting patiently for his next breathtaking canvas to appear. With some one hundred and eight limited editions behind him, a waiting list of commissioned paintings for clients both existing and new, and a head full of ideas for new limited edition prints, life is never dull for this Wiltshire based artist! Self-taught, after years of painting pictures for friends and relatives, Philip took the plunge and became a full-time professional artist. Since then he has developed a very loyal and expanding for both his original paintings and prints. Whilst jets, and Phantoms in particular, light Philips fire, he is also a master painter of piston-engined classics; being renowned for his rendition of Avro Lancasters and Supermarine Spitfires. Philip is also one of the few artists to also enthusiastically paint pictures of Fleet Air Arm aircraft. Philips knowledge of aircraft and the accuracy of his work combine to record a moment in history so perfectly, that both collectors and admirers of his work are able to feel a real sense of the excitement and drama that his work portrays. More about Philip West |
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Moon, Harry 
(signed in person)
