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Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased) - Art prints and originals signed by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)

Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)

One of the most courageous and determined bomber leaders of World War II, Leonard Cheshire flew four operational tours, starting in June 1940 with 102 Squadron on Whitley bombers at RAF Driffield. In November 1940, he was awarded the DSO for getting his badly damaged aircraft back to base. He completed his first tour in January 1941, but immediately volunteered for a second tour, this time flying Halifaxes with 35 Squadron. He became Squadron Leader in 1942, and was appointed commanding officer of 76 Squadron later that year. Leonard Cheshire ordered that non-essential weight be removed from the Halifax bombers in a bid to increase speed and altitude, hoping to reduce the high casualty rates for this squadron. Mid-upper and nose turrets were removed, and exhaust covers taken off, successfully reducing the loss rate. In July 1943 he took command of 617 Squadron. During this time he led the squadron personally on every occasion. In September he was awarded the Victoria Cross for four and a half years of sustained bravery during a total of 102 operations, leading his crews with careful planning, brilliant execution and contempt for danger, which gained him a reputation second to none in Bomber Command. Sadly, Leonard Cheshire died of motor neuron disease on 31st July 1992, aged 74.



Excerpt from VC citation :

In four years of fighting against the bitterest opposition he maintained a standard of outstanding personal achievement, his successful operations being the result of careful planning, brilliant execution and supreme contempt for danger – for example, on one occasion he flew his P-51 Mustang in slow figures of eight above a target obscured by low cloud, to act as a bomb-aiming mark for his squadron. Cheshire displayed the courage and determination of an exceptional leader. It also noted a raid in which he had marked a target, flying a Mosquito at low level against withering fire.

Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)

Items Signed by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)

 A cold winters morning, as dawn breaks over RAF Lissett, revealing that last nights biting wind has once again brought a covering of snow to the airfield.  But, with conditions forecast to improve, tonights operation to bomb industrial targets in Ge......
Action This Day by Richard Taylor. (C)
Price : £1095.00
A cold winters morning, as dawn breaks over RAF Lissett, revealing that last nights biting wind has once again brought a covering of snow to the airfield. But, with conditions forecast to improve, tonights operation to bomb industrial targets in Ge......

Quantity:
 Leonard Cheshire VC is one of the most outstanding of all RAF Bomber Pilots. He devised the master bomber technique - flying low over the target marking with flares, allowing the main force to pinpoint the target in the darkness. Cheshire flew over ......
Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Price : £90.00
Leonard Cheshire VC is one of the most outstanding of all RAF Bomber Pilots. He devised the master bomber technique - flying low over the target marking with flares, allowing the main force to pinpoint the target in the darkness. Cheshire flew over ......

Quantity:
 Leonard Cheshire VC is one of the most outstanding of all RAF Bomber Pilots. He devised the master bomber technique - flying low over the target marking with flares, allowing the main force to pinpoint the target in the darkness. Cheshire flew over ......
Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor. (B)
Price : £100.00
Leonard Cheshire VC is one of the most outstanding of all RAF Bomber Pilots. He devised the master bomber technique - flying low over the target marking with flares, allowing the main force to pinpoint the target in the darkness. Cheshire flew over ......

Quantity:
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
AVAILABLE
 Completing a record 213 operational sorties with Bomber Commands Pathfinder Force, Mosquito LR503 became one of the most successful aircraft in the Royal Air Force during World War II. It flew first with 109 Pathfinder Squadron, and then 105 Pathfin......
Top Dog by Robert Taylor. (C)
Price : £265.00
Completing a record 213 operational sorties with Bomber Commands Pathfinder Force, Mosquito LR503 became one of the most successful aircraft in the Royal Air Force during World War II. It flew first with 109 Pathfinder Squadron, and then 105 Pathfin......

Quantity:
Crucial to every squadron in the RAF were the unsung heroes of World War II - the ground crew. Without the vital support of these dedicated men who refuelled the aircraft, rearmed them, maintained them and kept them flying, the pilots and aircrew wou......
Vital Support by Robert Taylor. (B)
Price : £325.00
Crucial to every squadron in the RAF were the unsung heroes of World War II - the ground crew. Without the vital support of these dedicated men who refuelled the aircraft, rearmed them, maintained them and kept them flying, the pilots and aircrew wou......

Quantity:
 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. ......

Quantity:
 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)
SOLD OUT
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
AVAILABLE
 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)
SOLD OUT
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
AVAILABLE
<b>SOLD OUT. ......
Dambusters by Robert Taylor. (B)
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT. ......NOT
AVAILABLE
<b>SOLD OUT. ......
Lancaster by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT. ......NOT
AVAILABLE
<b> SOLD OUT. ......
Last Flight Home by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT. ......NOT
AVAILABLE
<b>SOLD OUT. ......
Memorial Flight by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT. ......NOT
AVAILABLE
<b>SOLD OUT. ......
Straggler Returns by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT. ......NOT
AVAILABLE

Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)


Signed Mosquito Prints.
Pack Price : £195.00
Saving : £205
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Mosquitos at Dusk by Nicolas Trudgian.
Sunday Afternoon by Geoffrey R Herickx.

Quantity:
Robert Taylor Mosquito Aircraft Print Pack
Pack Price : £165.00
Saving : £95
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Top Dog by Robert Taylor. (B)

Quantity:
Mosquito Signature Aviation Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £130.00
Saving : £90
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Photo Reconnaissance Mosquito by Ivan Berryman. (B)

Quantity:
Mosquito Aircraft Aviation Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £145.00
Saving : £115
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Shining the Way (Mosquito) by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:
Mosquito Aviation Art Print Pack by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £160.00
Saving : £170
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
A De Havilland Beauty by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:
Crew Signature Mosquito Aircraft Prints by Ivan Berryman and Robert Taylor.
Pack Price : £125.00
Saving : £85
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
A Moment's Peace by Ivan Berryman. (C)

Quantity:
Pilot Signed WW2 Mosquito Aircraft Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £180.00
Saving : £100
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Shell House Raiders by Ivan Berryman. (APB)

Quantity:
Crew Signed Mosquito Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £175.00
Saving : £165
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Night Raiders by Ivan Berryman. (C)

Quantity:
Mosquito Aviation Art Prints by Robert Taylor and Philip West.
Pack Price : £160.00
Saving : £90
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Ready for Action by Philip West.

Quantity:
Pilot / Aircrew Signed Mosquito Prints by Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £170.00
Saving : £105
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mosquito into Attack by Robert Taylor
Trainbusters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)

Quantity:

Squadrons for : Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased). A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

No.102 Sqn RAF


Country : UK
Founded : 9th August 1917
Fate : Disbanded 27th April 1963
Ceylon

Tentate et perficite - Attempt and achieve

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.102 Sqn RAF

No.102 Sqn RAF

No. 102 squadron was formed at Hingham in Norfolk in August 1917 and was equipped with FE2b and FE2ds and operated as a night bomber squadron. 102 squadron went to France and operated behind German lines with their main targets being railway stations, railway lines, and railway trains, specialising in night attacks. In March 1919 after the war had finished, 102 squadron returned to Britain and disbanded on the 3rd of July 1919. On the 1st of October 1935, 102 squadron was reformed at RAF Worthy Down with the role again as a night bomber squadron, initially using Handley Page Heyford aircraft. In October 1938, 102 Squadron became part of the newly formed No.4 group of Bomber Command based at RAF Driffield and was now equipped with the new Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber. 102 squadron dropped leaflets in the night from 4th to 5th September 1939 over Germany. The squadron spent six weeks on convoy escort duty under the command of Coastal Command from 1st September until 10th October 1940 flying from Prestwick. 102 Squadron returned to bomber command and soon after Leonard Cheshire won his DSO. On the night of 12th/13th November 1940, Whitley V P5005 found itself slightly off course above the primary target due to problems with the intercom. Changing instead to a secondary target, some railway marshalling yards near Cologne, Pilot Officer Leonard Cheshire suddenly felt his aircraft rocked by a series of violent explosions that caused a severe fire to break out in the fuselage, filling the cockpit with acrid black smoke. As DY-N plunged some 2,000 feet, Cheshire managed to regain control and the fire was eventually extinguished. For bringing his aircraft safely home to 102 Squadrons base after being airborne for eight and half hours, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. 102 Squadron continued for the next thirty-six months to fly night sorties (including the thousand bomber raids) over Germany. In 1944 the squadron attacked rail targets in France in preparation for the invasion. In February 1942 the squadron was adopted by the island of Ceylon, which paid for aircraft for use by the squadron. The squadron transferred to Transport Command on 8th March 1945 and in September 1945 re-equipped with Liberators. The squadrons main role was the return of troops and POWs back from India and it disbanded on the 28th of February 1946. No.102 Squadron used the following aircraft : Fe2b from August 1917 to July 1919. Handley Page Heyford from October 1935 to May 1939 - specifically Mk.II from October 1935 to April 1937 and Mk.III from December 1935 to May 1939. Armstrong Whitworth Whitley from October 1938 to February 1942, specifically Mk.IV from October 1938 to January 1940 and Mk.V from November 1939 to February 1942. Handley Page Halifax from December 1941 to September 1945, specifically Mk.II from December 1941 to May 1944, Mk.III from May 1944 to September 1945 and Mk.VI from July 1945 to September 1945. Consolidated Liberator Mks.VI and VIII from September 1945 February 1946. English Electric Canberra B.2 from October 1954 to August 1956.

No.35 Sqn RAF


Country : UK
Founded : 1st February 1916
Fate : Disbanded 28th February 1982
Madras Presidency

Uno animo agimus - We act with one accord

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.35 Sqn RAF

No.35 Sqn RAF

Full profile not yet available.

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.

No.76 Sqn RAF


Country : UK
Founded : 15th September 1916
Fate : Disbanded 31st December 1960

Resolute

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.76 Sqn RAF

No.76 Sqn RAF

Full profile not yet available.
Aircraft for : Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased)
A list of all aircraft associated with Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (deceased). A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
SquadronInfo

Halifax




Click the name above to see prints featuring Halifax aircraft.

Manufacturer : Handley Page
Production Began : 1941
Retired : 1952
Number Built : 6177

Halifax

Royal Air Force heavy Bomber with a crew of six to eight. Maximum speed of 280mph (with MK.VI top speed of 312mph) service ceiling of 22,800feet maximum range of 3,000 miles. The Halifax carried four .303 browning machine guns in the tail turret, two .303 browning machines in the nose turret in the MK III there were four .303 brownings in the dorsal turret. The Handley Page Halifax, first joined the Royal Air Force in March 1941 with 35 squadron. The Halifax saw service in Europe and the Middle east with a variety of variants for use with Coastal Command, in anti Submarine warfare, special duties, glider-tugs, and troop transportation roles. A total of 6177 Halifax's were built and stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1952

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.

Mosquito




Click the name above to see prints featuring Mosquito aircraft.

Manufacturer : De Havilland
Production Began : 1940
Retired : 1955
Number Built : 7781

Mosquito

Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built.

Mustang




Click the name above to see prints featuring Mustang aircraft.

Manufacturer : North American

Mustang

The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace.

Whitley


Click the name above to see prints featuring Whitley aircraft.

Manufacturer : Armstrong Whitworth
Production Began : 1937
Retired : 1942
Number Built : 1814

Whitley

The Whitley first entered service with No. 10 Squadron in March 1937, replacing Handley Page Heyford biplanes. By the outbreak of the Second World War, seven squadrons were operational, the majority flying Whitley IIIs or IVs, as the Whitley V had only just been introduced. ] With the Handley Page Hampden and the Vickers Wellington, Whitleys bore the brunt of the early fighting and saw action on the first night of the war, when they dropped propaganda leaflets over Germany.[8] Among the many aircrew who flew the Whitley in operations over Germany, was Leonard Cheshire who spent most of his first three years at war flying them. Unlike the Hampden and Wellington—which met specification B.9/32 for a day bomber—the Whitley was always intended for night operations and escaped the early heavy losses received in daylight raids on German shipping, early in the war. With Hampdens, the Whitley made the first bombing raid on German soil on the night of 19/20 March 1940, attacking the Hornum seaplane base on the Island of Sylt. Whitleys also carried out Operation Haddock the first RAF raid on Italy, on the night of 11/12 June 1940. As the oldest of the three bombers, the Whitley was obsolete by the start of the war, yet over 1,000 more were produced before a suitable replacement was found. A particular problem with the twin-engine aircraft, was that it could not maintain altitude on one engine. Whitleys flew 8,996 operations with RAF Bomber Command, dropped 9,845 tons (8,931 tonnes) of bombs and 269 aircraft were lost in action. From April 1942, the Whitley was retired as first-line bomber. It continued to serve as glider tug, paratroop trainer, transport, or radio countermeasures aircraft. It also played an important role in Coastal Command . No. 100 Group RAF used Whitleys to carry airborne radar and electronic counter-measures. In February 1942, Whitleys carried the paratroops who participated in the Bruneval raid (Operation Biting) in which German radar technology was captured from a German base on the coast of France. The British Overseas Airways Corporation operated 15 Whitley Mk Vs converted into freighters in 1942. Running night supply flights from Gibraltar to Malta, they took seven hours to reach the island, often landing during air attacks. They used large quantities of fuel for a small payload and were replaced in August 1942 by the Lockheed Hudson, with the 14 survivors being returned to the Royal Air Force. Long-range Coastal Command Mk VII variants, were among the last in front-line service, with the first kill attributed to them being the sinking of the German submarine U-751, on 17 July 1942, in combination with a Lancaster heavy bomber.

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