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Dakota DOUGLAS DAKOTA, Transport aircraft with three crew and can carry 28 passengers. speed 230-mph, and a altitude of 23,200 feet. maximum range 2,100 miles. The Douglas Dakota served in all theatres of world war two, The Royal Air Force received its first Douglas Dakota's in April 1941, to 31 squadron which was serving in India. These were DC2, later DC3 and eventually C-47 Dakotas were supplied. The Douglas Dakota was developed from the civil airliner of the 1930's. The Royal Air Force received nearly 2,000 Dakotas, But many more than this served in the US Air Force and other allied countries. The last flight of a Douglas Dakota of the Royal Air Force was in 1970. You can still see Douglas Dakota's in operational and transport use across the world. |
| Dakota Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings WW1 Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
The Ubiquitous Dakota by Ivan Berryman. The Douglas C-47 Skytrain - or Dakota, as it was known in RAF service - saw extensive use both as a glider tug and troop transport throughout World War 2, most notably for delivering paratroops to their designated drop zones over Normandy in June 1944 and over Arnhem in September the same year, often in the face of extreme anti-aircraft fire and attacks from enemy fighters. Here, C47s of the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron, 436th Troop Carrier Group drop paratroops above Holland as part of Operation Market Garden. |
Arnhem - September 17th 1944 by Graeme Lothian. Douglas C47 Dakotas fly into the landing and drop zone at Renkum Heath, September 17th 1944. |
Dakota Over Burma by Geoff Lea. No text for this item |
Road to the Rhine by Robert Taylor. As the Allied armies dashed across France after victory in Normandy, they remained reliant on one thing - supplies. With Cherbourg the only port in use, everything depended on trucks to deliver enough fuel, food and ammunition to keep the momentum going. But there was a problem. Too few trucks, and too few drivers. The invasion was in danger of stalling, and if it did, the Germans might just regain the initiative. Action was needed, and quickly. Montgomery argued that all resources be channeled into a single, powerful thrust into Germany, but Eisenhower disagreed. the Allies would advance on a broad front. But he did give Montgomery the First Allied Airborne Army to try and capture the major bridges in Holland on the road to the Rhine, ahead of the Allies advance. For the men of the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles, their task was to seize the bridges at Eindhoven. The 82nd would do the same at Nijmegan, and the British 1st Airborne would capture the farthest bridge, at Arnhem. On the ground the British 30th Corps would advance northwards and link up with them, and, if successful, turn the German flank on the Rhine. On 17th September 1944 the plan was put into action, the 101st quickly securing all of its objectives, and the 82nd capturing one bridge. The British 1st Airborne fought its way into Arnhem and seized the bridge over the Rhine. Now all they had to do was hold out until the 30th Corps arrived. But 30th Corps was making slow progress, and although the men of the 101st and the 82nd held out until relieved, in Arnhem it was too late to save the British 1st Airborne. Battle-weary, without ammunition or supplies, only a few survivors escaped back across the Rhine. Of the 10,000 men who had landed, just 2,000 made it out. If the operation had succeeded the war in Europe might have been over by Christmas 1944. Instead, hostilities would continue through the bitter winter. |
D-Day Invaders by Stan Stokes. You are about to embark on the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other fronts, you will bring the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. These were the final words of Supreme Commander Eisenhower to the huge force assembled in June of 1944 on the eve of D-Day. Parachute infantry units would play an important role on D-Day. Although Billy Mitchell had contemplated forming airborne military forces during WW I, it was not until May of 1939 that the United States commenced a study regarding the feasibility of creating an air infantry. By 1940 an all-volunteer test platoon had been organized at Ft. Benning, Georgia. As the threat of War continued, the Army began experimenting with gliders in mid-1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army established Parachute Infantry Battalions, and by early 1943 an Airborne Command was organized as well as an Air Transport Command to facilitate the training of air crews necessary for the deployment of airborne forces. By mid-1942 authorization was received to form two airborne divisions the 82nd and the 101st. With a strength of about 8,000 men, these divisions were about half the normal strength of an infantry division. The first major test for Americas new airborne forces came in North Africa during operation TORCH where the 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry was deployed. The 82nd Airborne was later successfully deployed during the invasion of Sicily. Operation OVERLORD, the code name for the D-Day invasion, included both of Americas Airborne Divisions as well as the British 6th Airborne Division. The plan called for numerous parachute jumps and glider landings during the evening prior to the invasion. Supplemental jumps or landings would take place later during daylight hours to reinforce these troops and bring in supplies. Although eighteen aircraft were utilized as pathfinders, the evening jumps were highly scattered and off target in many cases. Despite the massive difficulty in reassembling, the troops of the 101st and 82nd performed their missions with distinction. By June 9 nearly all airborne objectives had been secured despite heavy casualties. Both the 101st and the 82nd each lost about 1,200 men killed-in-action. By occupying German forces behind the invasion front, these airborne forces saved the lives of many on the beaches at Normandy. The 101st and 82nd Divisions continued fighting until mid-July when they were pulled back to England. During these hectic weeks of fighting casualty rates were in excess of 50%. As depicted in Stan Stokes painting, which is dedicated to all those who participated in the Great Crusade, a C-47 Skytrain (bearing white and black invasion stripes) passes over the beaches of Normandy following a drop behind enemy lines on June 6, 1944. |
Perpetual Motion by Robert Tomlin. Dakota KN442 lands again at Gatow during the autumn of 1948 at the height of the Berlin Airlift as Yorks and Hastings wait to take off for the return. Each print is autographed by the pilot, navigator and signaller who flew KN442 on the airlift. KN442 is rare among airlift aircraft in that it still flies today as G-AMPZ for Air Atlantique more than 50 years on. |
Rare Pair of D-Day prints by Robert Taylor - Into Battle by Robert Taylor and Crash Landing by Robert Taylor. Into Battle - Piling out of their C47 Dakotas, US paratroopers decent into the Drop Zone inland from Utah Beach D-Day 1944. Crash Landing - A Glider Pilot brings his fully laden CG Glider into the Normandy battlefield - D-Day 1944. |
A Bold Leap by John Young. Red Berets drop on Arnhem. |
| Top Aces for : Dakota | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| James Douglas Lindsay | 7.00 | The signature of James Douglas Lindsay features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Dakota Pilot and aircrew signature details |
J Bain DFC AE WOP AG Our estimated value of this signature : £10 Died : 2007 | J Bain DFC AE WOP AG WOP/AG 44 & 49 Squadrons. 54 ops. Born 28th May 1919 Hamilton Ontario. Died 2nd April 2007 Lincoln, UK. Married Helen Bettie Patricia Wright on 19th September 42 in Doncaster. Initially WOP/AG from 1940 to 1942. Retrained in Sth Africa as Pilot, returned to Transport Cmd Dakotas in 1944, and left service in 1946. Started out as Sgt aircrew, won DFC as Mid Upper turret gunner in Lancaster over Brest harbour by shooting down an ME109 Early 1941. Commissioned mid 1941, ended war as Flt Lt. Tours on 49 Sqn Hampdens - 5 Grp Bomber Command as Grp Gunnery Officer - 44 Sqn Lancasters, then pilot training and 2 different Dakota Sqns of Transport Command. |
Clifford Barraclouth Our estimated value of this signature : £35 Died : 2010 | Clifford Barraclouth Clifford R Barraclough received his pilots license in 1940, and a commerical rating a year later at Bettis Field in Pittsburgh. In 1943 Clifford was hired by All American Aviation - later to become Allegheny Airlines - as an instrument instructor based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter Barraclough joined the US Army Air Corps, and was stationed at New Castle Army Air Base as a service pilot for the Ferry Command. Initially stationed in Nashville and later Reno, Barraclough was reassigned to Misamar, India in early 1945. For the balance of the war Clifford flew the Hump in the C-46 from India to Kunming, China. In 1946 Barraclough was recalled by All American Aviation, and flew SR-10s and Beech D18-Cs for air mail pick-up. All American then entered the passenger business flying DC-3s, and changed its name to Allegheny - later to become part of US Air. Barraclough remained with the airline until his retirement in 1977. He captained a number of aircraft including Convair 340s, 440s, 540s and 580s. Also, on September 1st 1966, Clifford piloted Alleghenys first scheduled jet flight in a DC-9. He passed away on the 22nd of September 2010. |
 Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2017 | Flight Lieutenant Bernard W Brown Flight Lieutenant Bernard Walter Brown was accepted for a short service commission in 1938, and after being accepted arrived in England in September, training at 5 E&RFTS, Hanworth and in late January 1939 he was posted to 5FTS, Sealand. He then went to No 1 School of Army Co-Operation at Old Sarum for a course on Lysanders in August 1939, and soon after joined 613 Squadron. Bernard Walker Brown was flying one of six Hectors detailed to dive-bomb gun emplacements near Calais. On the way to the target, he test-fired his forward gun but a fault caused the muzzle attachment to fly off, penetrate the fuselage and hole the main fuel tank. He jettisoned his bombs and turned back and make a forced-landing. In August 1940 he volunteered for Fighter Command, converting to Spitfires. He joined 610 Squadron at Biggin Hill. In late September he went to 72 Squadron, but on the 23rd was shot down by a Bf 109. He bailed out of the aircraft, badly wounded. Returning to active duty in November 1940, he was posted to 8FTS, Montrose for an instructor's course, after which he went to Rhodesia, subsequently instructing at Cumalo. In 1943, he trained with Transport Command, becoming a ferry pilot. He flew between the United Kingdom and the Middle East. He transferred to the RNZAF in January 1944 and by the end of the year was flying Halifaxes. He was released in 1945 to fly Dakotas with BOAC and later joined BEA, flying with the airline until his retirement in 1972. He died on 23rd January 2017. |
Flight Lieutenant E Carlisle-Brown AE Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Flight Lieutenant E Carlisle-Brown AE As a Pilot with 39 Squadron he flew Beauforts during the siege of Malta, and he later flew a Dakota over Normandy on D Day, and finished with 271 Squadron flying Dakotas in Burma. |
Flying Officer Don Carruthers Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Flying Officer Don Carruthers Joining the RAF in 1941 he trained as a wireless operator and completed his ops training at Lossiemouth on Wellingtons where he formed up with a crew that was to stay together for his entire operational career in Bomber Command. In 1943 he was posted to 466 squadron at Leconfield on Wellingtons before converting to the Halifax. He and his crew volunteered for the Pathfinder Force and joined 35 squadron on Halifax's and then Lancasters. In 1945 having completed a total of 63 operations he moved to Transport Command flying Dakotas in India with 238 squadron and then Calcutta with 52 squadron. He left the RAF in 1946. |
Lt Col John W Dalton Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Lt Col John W Dalton Royal Air Force Dakota pilot participated in the Berlin Airlift and later commander 54 Air Refueling Squadron (AETC) from 29th Jun 1987 to 18th July 1989. |
Colonel Richard Dick Denison Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2018 | Colonel Richard Dick Denison Navigator Dick Denison's first combat missions were flown during the D-Day invasion, flying C47s towing gliders into the Normandy bridgehead, and making casualty evacuations. He transferred to the 552nd Squadron, 386th Bomb Group flying the Martin B26 Marauder, before converting over to the Douglas A26 Invader. Dick completed a total of 40 combat missions during his tour. He died on 1st February 2018. |
Staff Sergeant Mike Hall Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Staff Sergeant Mike Hall Called up in 1939 to The Rifle regiment transferring to Glider Pilot Regiment in March 1942. Returning to the UK Mike was a reserve for D-Day but took a glider into Arnhem on the first lift. Returning by boat across the river after a week's hard fighting in the Oosterbeek perimeter, he was posted to India initially flying Waco gliders before becoming a second pilot on Dakotas. |
Leading Aircraftsman Alan Hartley Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Leading Aircraftsman Alan Hartley As a flight mechanic with 271 Squadron he worked on Dakotas and he and his fellow ground crew worked tirelessly throughout the Normandy, Arnhem and Rhine crossing campaigns. Earmarked for aircrew he missed his initial operation at Arnhem, during which his aircraft was shot down and lost with all crew. |
Colonel Sid Harwell Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Colonel Sid Harwell Col Sid Harwell. C-47 pilot who had more combat experience than most C-47 pilots, and participated in the Airborne assault during D-day with the 87th Troop Carrier Sqn dropping 101st Airborne Paratroopers into Ste-Mere-Eglise. |
 Sergeant Leopold Heimes Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2009 | Sergeant Leopold Heimes Already in the Belgian Air Force, he moved to 235 Sqn Coastal Command as an Air Gunner on Blenheims during the Battle of Britain before becoming a pilot, flying Spitfires and Catalinas with 350 Sqn before converting to 76 Sqn on Dakotas in India. Heimes stayed in the RAF until September 1951 having been gazetted as a Master Pilot. Sadly, Leopold Heimes died in 2009. |
Flt. Lt. Ronald Homes DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Flt. Lt. Ronald Homes DFC Joined the RAF in March 1942 and after initial training, went to Terrell, Texas, USA for his flying training, where he gained his wings in May 1943. He returned to the UK and joined the Special Operations No. 101 Sqdn. in May 1944, going on to complete 32 Ops. over Europe. After his bombing tour he converted onto Dakotas, joined No. 238 Sqdn. and flew out to India and Burma, then on to Australia and the South Pacific. After the Japanese surrender he joined 1315 Flight and flew up to Japan with the occupation forces. |
Flt Lt Bernard Hyde Our estimated value of this signature : £30 Died : 2020 | Flt Lt Bernard Hyde No.271 Sqn, RAF Down Ampney. As a second Pilot he flew Dakotas during 1944 to 1945 in Burma on many special operations. He died aged 94 on 2nd September 2020. |
Wing Commander George Walter Johnson Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2004 | Wing Commander George Walter Johnson Wing Commander George Walter 'Johnnie' Johnson flew more than 60 operations against targets in Germany before becoming one of the Royal Air Force's most experienced test pilots. After leaving the RAF, he embarked on a career in the aviation industry and played a leading role in the success of overseas sales of the Harrier and Hawk jets. Johnson joined No 158 Squadron, flying Halifax bombers, at the height of the Battle of Berlin early in 1944. On his first operation over the 'Big City', the radio communications with his two gunners failed immediately after take-off. He could justifiably have returned to base; but, conscious of the stigma of being thought 'LMF' (lacking moral fibre) on his first operation, he decided to press on to the target, using light signals to keep in contact with his crew. Flying the same aircraft the next night, the fault recurred. Reflecting that he had got away with it the night before, he stayed with the bomber stream and dropped his bombs. By the end of March, Johnson and his crew had flown 16 operations and losses had been so high - 16 crews in four operations - that they were the senior crew on the squadron. They were then transferred to the Pathfinder Force to fly Lancasters with No 635 Squadron at Downham Market. Priorities for Bomber Command had changed in the build-up to the D-Day landings, and supply dumps, marshalling yards and transportation targets in France were attacked. Returning from one target early on June 15, Johnson and his crew were crossing the Thames Estuary at low level 'when something overtook us going very quickly and apparently on fire'. They had seen one of the first V-1s launched against London. The Pathfinder force marked targets for the main bomber attack supporting the breakout from Normandy. Johnson flew as a marker against the V-1 sites in the Pas de Calais and the huge construction site at Wizernes before the bombing offensive against Germany was resumed. His aircraft was hit by flak over Kiel and then by night fighters. Despite the damage to his Lancaster, he landed safely. By the end of October, Johnson had completed 62 operations, including 46 as a Pathfinder. He was awarded a Bar to the DFC he had been given earlier in the year for his 'high standard of courage, determination and devotion to duty'. The son of a civil servant, George Walter Johnson (always known as Johnnie) was born on January 8 1923 at Camberley, Surrey. He was educated at Erith County School, Kent, and joined the RAF on his 18th birthday. Johnson trained as a pilot in the United States before returning to England where, to his great disappointment, he was sent to be a flying instructor on single-engine aircraft. After a year trying to persuade the authorities to send him to an operational squadron, he was expecting to be posted to fighters, but found himself training on four-engine bombers. After completion of his bomber tours, Johnson was sent to Transport Command before joining the RAF Mission to Australia and New Zealand to fly Dakotas. He first went to Canada to collect a new aircraft and then flew it from Montreal, via the Pacific islands, to Sydney. For the next year he flew freight and passengers between Australia and the Pacific staging posts occupied by the British and Commonwealth forces as the Japanese retreated; he flew into Hong Kong shortly after the Japanese surrender. After a spell as the personal pilot to the RAF Chief of Staff (Australia), he returned to England and joined No 6 Course at the Empire Test Pilots' School. He was just 23, and had flown 2,500 hours on more than 20 different types of aircraft. Johnson spent the next three years at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down during which he tested some of the early jet fighters and bombers. He conducted the hot weather trials of the Vampire jet fighter at Khartoum. During a test flight to assess the efficiency of an airventilated suit being developed to keep pilots cool, the cockpit heating system stuck on hot, and Johnson just managed to land before passing out. The doctors lifted him clear of the cockpit and measured his body temperature before thinking of giving him some water. Johnson returned to England to learn that he had been posted to Namao, Alberta, to join the Winter Experimental Flight to conduct cold weather trials. During two years in Canada, Johnson flew many aircraft to assess performance in extreme cold temperatures. This often involved taking aircraft to airfields in the Yukon and to Churchill on Hudson Bay where outside temperatures reached minus 45 degrees centigrade. After spending another three years at the Empire Test Pilots' School as an instructor, Johnson was sent to the RAF Staff College, Bracknell, then became a staff officer at Fighter Command. In February 1962 he was appointed to command the Operations Wing at RAF Tengah, Singapore, the home of four RAF squadrons of Hunters, Javelins and Canberras and a RNZAF bomber squadron. In November 1963 the generally even tenor of station life overseas was interrupted by the 'confrontation' with Indonesia. With detachments of his squadrons in Malaysia, Kuching and Labuan, Johnson had a hectic time, commenting that 'confrontation' became 'a way of life, never reaching a climax but causing a good deal of frustration, proving that 'action stations' with no subsequent action is extremely debilitating'. On coming home, Johnson joined the staff of the RAF Staff College at Andover, where the student body was half British and half 'visiting officers'. The close association with many foreign air force personnel was to be important for his future. Johnson retired from the RAF in 1969, having flown more than 100 types of aircraft, in order to join the Hawker Siddeley Aviation marketing team, led by Bill Bedford, the former chief test pilot, whom he eventually succeeded. Sadly on the 28th July 2004 Wing Commander G W Johnnie Johnson died aged 81 (Telegraph obituary) |
Kenneth Keisel Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Kenneth Keisel Kenneth G Keisel enlisted in the United States Army Air Corp in January of 1942. In March of 1943 he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer at Luke Field, Arizona. Keiel was assigned to the Air Transport Command and sent off to Chabua, Assam, India. Ken would complete ninety-seven round trips over the Hump, flying the venerable C-46. Because of the difficult terrain and unpredictable weather these trips were challenging and often dangerous. Keisel flew to numerous airfields in China delivering much needed medical, food, and other supplies needed to assist in the war effort against Japan. Keisel received the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Air Medals, the Chinese War Memorial Medal, and his Chinese Pilot Wings. In 1945 Ken ferried fighter aircraft back to the states, before his discharge on 4th December 1945. Ken served several years as the Flight Leader for the 107th Bomb Squadron of the Michigan Air National Guard. Between 1948 and 1991 Ken remained involved in flying primarily as a corporate pilot, but he also served as a research test pilot for the University of Michigan in the mid 1950s. Ken has logged many hours flying Gulfstream 2s and 3s, Lockheed Jetstar, Hawker 125s and Handley Page Jetstreams. |
Squadron Leader Malcolm Laidlay DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Squadron Leader Malcolm Laidlay DFC Malcolm Laidlay joined the RAF in 1942 and trained in Canada. After volunteering to fly gliders, he was posted to India in 1944 and flew Hadrians; subsequently, during the Burma campaign, he flew Sentinel L.5s and also took part in supply-dropping from Dakotas. Demobilized in 1947, he rejoined the RAF in 1949. In 1950 he was posted to Hong Kong and detached to Japan, flying Sunderland flying boats on operations around Korea; later, his squadron was re-located to Singapore where he took part in operations over Malaysia. After flying Canberras as a flight commander in Cyprus in 1957/58, he then participated in the 'Intensive Flying Trials' for the MkII Vulcan at RAF Waddington. In 1961 he joined 101 Vulcan Squadron as a flight commander and, after participating in a ten-day, 24hr airborne alert flight-refuelled trial, he took part (in 1963) in 'Exercise Walkabout', the 18hr non-stop flight-refuelled flight of three Vulcan's from RAF Waddington to Perth (Australia). After leaving the RAF in 1976, he joined the Civil Service and retired in 1989. |
  Pilot Officer Bill Leckie, AEM, KW Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2021 | Pilot Officer Bill Leckie, AEM, KW Bill Leckie was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 23rd June 1921, joined the Royal Air Force in June 1941 and went to St Johns Wood on the 15th of September 1941. Bill Leckie started his flying training on the 4th of April 1942 at Stoke Orchard near Cheltenham in Tiger Moths. He went to Canada on the 26th of May 1942 at Monkton for further training until June before going on to Detroit and on to Pensacola, Florida on the 1st October 1942, flying Stearman and Catalina Flying boats until 31st March 1943 when Bill went to Prince Edward Island for further training. Back in the UK, Bill was expecting to join a Coastal Command squadron flying Catalinas but was transferred to Bomber Command and a conversion course on to Whitleys at Kinloss Scotland on the 22nd of February 1944, and joined 77 Squadron at Full Sutton on the 19th July 1944 on Halifaxes, flying 6 bombing missions, one being the bombing of the Flying Bomb Factory at Russesheim, before transferring to 148 Special Duties squadron on the 19th of August 1944 and going to Brindisi. Pilot Officer Bill Leckie was involved in the dropping of supplies (guns, ammunition and food) to the Polish during the Warsaw uprising. This was a costly mission and many aircraft were lost. (Bill was flying Halifax JD319 (FS - G). For his efforts in air-dropping supplies during this period, Bill Leckie was awarded the Polish Cross of Valour (KW). Pilot Officer Bill Leckie was also the Pilot for Operation Ebensburg on Sunday 8th April 1945. Halifax B.II Series 1 (Special) JP254 of 148 Special Duties Squadron carried out the misison to drop four SOE agents and their equipment near Alt Aussee salt mine in the Austrian Alps. Thier mission was to secure and protect 6,755 items of the worlds greatest works of art that had been looted and stored by the Germans as they swept across Europe. With the allied forces closing in, the Germans had planned to blow up the entire store to prevent the artworks from falling into the hands of the liberators. Once on the ground, the four agents linked up with local resistance fighters and the mine and its valuable contents were eventually secured, the explosives made safe and the entire cache taken into the safe keeping of the 80th US Infantry Division as the German occupation of Europe crumbled. Bill Leckie stayed with 148 Squadron until 18th May 1945 when he was posted to Cairo with 216 Squadron (Dakotas) of Transport Command and on 1st January 1946 to 78 Squadron flying Dakotas again until 1st June 1946 , finally leaving the RAF on the 18th September 1946. He died in October 2021. |
Warrant Officer Edward Leslie Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Warrant Officer Edward Leslie As a Pilot, Edward joined 48 Squadron at Down Ampney on Dakotas. He towed a glider on the second day at Arnhem and completed two further Operations doing supply drops. He also took part in the Rhine crossing before being transferred to 52 Squadron out in Burma. |
  Sqd Ldr Larry Lewis DFC DFM Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2015 | Sqd Ldr Larry Lewis DFC DFM Squadron Leader Larry Lewis (born October 25th 1918 in Bristol, died May 12th 2014) earned the DFM as an air gunner before training as a pilot. After picking up air crash survivors from behind Japanese-held lines in Siam, he was awarded the DFC. On May 29th 1945 Japanese fighters shot down a Liberator bomber of 358 Squadron over Siam (Thailand) during a flight to drop supplies and US Special Forces to the 'Seri Thai' (Free Thailand) Resistance movement. Some of the crew and passengers survived the crash landing and were sheltered by natives and police. Once SOE in India had been alerted to the plight of the survivors, a rescue mission was mounted. On June 14th Lewis took off in his Dakota and flew at very low level to a remote airstrip at Pukio in Siam. He found the short runway adequate but the aircraft became bogged down at the end of the landing run. Within an hour, however, it had been recovered with the aid of Siamese workers and Lewis took off with seven passengers, including some of the crew of the crashed Liberator. The citation to his DFC concluded, he successfully completed a mission well into enemy territory, in daylight. The results obtained are an excellent tribute to his outstanding ability. One of seven children, Laurence 'Larry' Godfrey Lewis was born in Bristol on October 25 1918 and educated at Bristol Grammar School. He won a Pelaquin Scholarship but had to leave school at 15 to help support his family. He joined the Auxiliary Air Force as a metal rigger in May 1939 and served with No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron. Equipped with Hurricane fighters, and based in the south of England, the squadron was heavily involved during the Battle of Britain. Lewis volunteered for pilot training but was selected to be an air gunner, commencing his training in late 1940. At the end of the year he was posted to No.12 Squadron equipped with the Wellington bomber. During a daylight attack on Brest, his aircraft was attacked by a German fighter, which he engaged and probably shot down. He completed 33 operations over enemy territory as a rear gunner including the three 'Thousand Bomber Raids' in the spring of 1942. He was awarded the DFM for his outstanding keenness, reliability and devotion to duty. Lewis was finally selected for pilot training, which he completed in Canada where he converted to the Dakota. He arrived in the Far East in January 1945 and joined No 357 (Special Duties) Squadron at Jessore near Calcutta. Over the next six months he completed 42 operations dropping supplies and agents over Burma and Siam. Some of these long-range missions involved flying over enemy territory for many hours and in extreme weather conditions to find small clearings marked by flares and cloth panels. Some areas were so small that as many as eight or nine runs were necessary before all the loads could be dropped, sometimes from heights of 100 feet. After the capture of Rangoon, flights were mounted from advanced airfields when sorties could be mounted deep into Siam, Indo-China and Malaya in support of clandestine forces. Lewis flew his final sortie on August 3rd 1945 when he made eleven runs to drop his 'packages' over a clearing in southern Burma. After serving at Air HQ Burma in a plans appointment, Lewis was released form the RAF in March 1946. He received the Air Efficiency Award. |
 Wing Commander James Lindsay DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Wing Commander James Lindsay DFC Born in September 1922, James 'Doug' Lindsay joined the RCAF in February 1941, training on Harvards. He was posted to the UK, arriving in March 1943 and joining 403 Sqn in October that year. In his first tour, he claimed 5 Me109s as well as 2 Fw190s, plus another damaged. Of the Me109s he shot down, three of these were in a single minute, earning him a DFC. For his second tour, he rejoined 403 Sqn in April 1945, claiming a probable Fw190 during his short time with this squadron before he moved to 416 squadron until the end of the war in Europe. After the war he stayed with the air force, and in 1952 served during the Korean war with the USAF. He flew F-86 Sabres with the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 51st Fighter Wing, claiming victories over two MiG-15s and damaging 3 others. In 1953, he returned to the UK with No.1 Fighter Wing leading Sabres in formation at the Queen's Coronation. He retired in 1972, having flown more than 30 different types of aircraft (excluding different Mks). These included, Harvard, Anson, Master, Spitfire, Typhoon, Tempest, Hurricane, Mustang, Beaufort, Beaufighter, Oxford, Dakota, Tiger Moth, Vampire and Sabre. |
Flight Lieutenant James F Manning Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Flight Lieutenant James F Manning Flew Dakotas with No.30 Sqn during the Berlin Airlift. |
Ken Moon Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Ken Moon Flew Dakota 214 of No.96 Squadron on December 8th 1945. Here are Ken's own recollections of his time with the Dakota : I volunteered for aircrew towards the end of 1942 and was called up in January 1943. I trained in Canada and qualified as a Navigator early in 1944 and was posted to the Far East early in 1945 and to 96 Squadron in August 1945. We flew Dakota aircraft operating in Burma on many sorties in support of the 14th Army who were fighting against the Japanese. Supplies and personnel were flown in and the return trip often included casualties. At the end of the month we were recalled to Bilaspur in India and were told that we were to take part in an airborne operation on Penang halfway down the coast of Malaya. I had done all the flight planning for this operation and two days later we were called to attend what we thought was the final briefing. Imagine our surprise when it was announced that it had been called off because the Americans had dropped atom bombs on the Japanese mainland resulting in a complete surrender. We were told that the following day we would go back into Burma and be based at Hmawbi some thirty miles north of Rangoon and take part in flying out the ex prisoners of war who had been in captivity for some three and a half years and had suffered extreme hardships and brutality. We lived under canvas for the next few months and when this job was completed our crew were fortunate to be posted to Kaitak, Hong Kong, mainly to fly for the British Embassy, which was being moved from Chunking, which was the wartime capital of China, to Nanking, which was to be the future peacetime capital. (Of course this did not take place because the communists took over and Peking, now known as Beijing, became the new capital) During this time we flew a wide variety of cargoes including passengers such as Kings Messengers and the occassional VIP as well as troops, military personnel, casualties and ex pows. We carried diplomatic mail, jeeps, aero engines and tyres, ammunition, aviation fuel, food and rations, medical personnel, and a great deal of mixed freight. The Dakota was a truly wonderful aircraft and was wel liked by all its crews. It was said that General Eisenhower when listing the foru weapons which did most to win the war included the jeep and the Douglas Dakota. To quote an unnamed pilot - You might wreck a Dakota, but you will never wear it out. After nearly a quarter of a century of faithful service it was retired from the RAF in April 1970. The crew I usually flew with consisted of the following : Pilot - Flt Sgt Ridley, Navigator - (myself) Flt Sgt Moon, Radio Operator - Flt Sgt Robson. All were later promoted to Warrant Officer. Also 2nd Pilot Sgt Bamber or Sgt Gough. At the end of 1946 I was demobbed and returned home realising how fortunate I was having had such experiences - sometimes dangerous, sometimes exciting but always interesting. |
Flight Lieutenant John Rollins DFC AFC Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2005 | Flight Lieutenant John Rollins DFC AFC After joining the RAF in 1940 he was called up in early 1941 and entered OTU where he qualified as an observer and was then posted operationally to 466 Sqn at Leconfield on Wellingtons. At the end of 1942 he joined 35 Sqn as a Navigator at Gravely as part of the Pathfinder Force, initially on the Halifax and later converting to Lancasters. He remained with the Pathfinders until 1944 when he was posted to Stoney Cross to convert back to Wellington 1C's as a way of becoming reacquainted with two engined aircraft. he spent the remainder of the war flying Dakotas in the Far East and left the RAF in mid 1946. Died 26th March 2005. |
Flight Lieutenant Reg Simpson Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Flight Lieutenant Reg Simpson Reg joined the RAF in 1941 and, after training in Arizona, USA, qualified as a pilot. He was posted to 353 Sqn and served in India from September 1944. During that time he flew more than 1,200 hours on Dakotas flying out of Palam and Mauripur and delivering any supplies needed almost anywhere. Reg also spent much of his career playing cricket for Nottinghamshire and England. He played 27 tests for England between 1948 and 1955, amassing 30,000 runs and captaining his county for 10 years. He was also voted one of Wisden's top cricketers of 1950. During the war he played cricket regularly for the RAF alongside other serving cricketers such as Bill Edrich and Denis Compton. At the age of 92 Reg is the oldest surviving English test cricketer. |
  Flight Lieutenant Robert Souter Our estimated value of this signature : £50 | Flight Lieutenant Robert Souter Robert Souter joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in February 1941, and after training was posted in 1942 to the Middle East, joining No.108 Squadron then flying Wellingtons. He first flew operationally in June of that year, in the Western Desert campaign, and the last operation of his first tour was in Nov 1942 with the battle of El Alamein. After a period with No.26 OTUWing, Robert undertook a second tour - this time flying Lancasters with No.49 Squadron, up to the end of the war. He had completed a total of 47 operations by that time. After the war he flew Dakotas and Liberators with RAF Transport Command. |
Squadron Leader F. Stillwell Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | Squadron Leader F. Stillwell Enlisted in 1943 Trained in America and the Isle of Man. Posted to 238 Squadron flying Dakotas from Abingdon. Detached to Vienna flying the Balkan routes before returning to the UK to join 30 Squadron to take part in the Berlin Airlift. Flew a total of 266 trips during Operation Plainfare again from Buckeburg, Wunstorf and Lübek. Went on to various postings in the UK and around the world including flying VIPs out of Changi and being O/C 115 Squadron flying the Varsity out of RAF Northolt. Retired from the RAF in 1974. |
 Staff Sergeant Edward H Tunison Our estimated value of this signature : £10 | Staff Sergeant Edward H Tunison Entering training in August 1943 he served as a Radio Operator on a C-47 called Placid Lassie (now restored) with the same crew throughout his time in Europe. Based at RAF Fulbeck, his crew moved to RAF Aldermaston in early June 1944 to drop paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division into Cherbourg in the early hours of D-Day. He made two more trips that day, flying fuel into Normandy, operating into pre-fabricated steel forward runways, and in re-supply missions for Patton's Third US Army. In September of 1944, during Operation Market Garden, he was engaged in towing Horsa gliders carrying British troops into Eindhoven, Holland. He later flew re-supply operations into the Battle of the Bulge, towed gliders during the Rhine crossings and undertook the evacuation of wounded from all sides. He served with the 74th TCS, 434th TCC, 9th Air Force. |
 Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2015 | Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright Squadron Leader Michael Terry Wainwright joined 64 Squadron RAF flying Spitfires and in May 1940 during the Battle of Birtain destroyed an Me109. On the 25th of July his section destroyed a Messershmitt Bf109 fighter encountered off the south coast. He went on to become a flight instructor at the Central Flying School at RAF Upavon, Wiltshire, and later flew Douglas Dakotas. Sqd Ldr Michael Terry Wainwright retired form the Royal Air Force in March 1958, but continued his flying as an instructor and also as a Civil Airline Pilot in the UK as well as the Middle East. Michael still flew until August 1st 1990 and logged a total of 14,100 hours. He died on 23rd March 2015. |
 Pilot Officer Jim Weston Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Pilot Officer Jim Weston Jim Weston originally joined the RAF in 1941 and on completion of training was sent as a pilot with 23 Squadron at Little Snoring. Flying Intruder flights their job was to taget German night fighters over North West Europe. After the war, as a pilot on Dakotas, Jim took part in the Berlin air lift. |
| Dakota Squadron details |
No.10 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , ZA, PB, | No.10 Sqn RAF Rem acu tangere - To hit the mark
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No.187 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 2nd September 1957 Known Codes : , 5L, PU, | No.187 Sqn RAF Versatile |
No.216 Sqn RAF Country : UK The squadron was disbanded on 20 March 2014. Known Codes : , HM, SH, VT, | No.216 Sqn RAF CCXVI dona ferens - 216 bearing gifts |
No.233 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st January 1964 Known Codes : , EY, 5T, ZS, | No.233 Sqn RAF Fortis et fidelis - Strong and faithful |
No.238 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 4th October 1948 Known Codes : , VK, FM, KC, WF, | No.238 Sqn RAF Ad finem - To the end |
No.24 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , NQ, OAA, ZK, | No.24 Sqn RAF Commonwealth In omnia parati - Ready in all things |
No.240 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 8th January 1963 Known Codes : , BN, SH, | No.240 Sqn RAF Sjo-Vordur Lopt-Vordur - Guardian of the sea, guardian of the sky |
No.243 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th April 1946 Known Codes : , SN, VM, WP, | No.243 Sqn RAF Swift in pursuit |
No.271 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st December 1946 Known Codes : , BJ, L7, YS, | No.271 Sqn RAF Death and life |
No.30 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , DP, JN, RS, VT, | No.30 Sqn RAF Ventre a terre - All out |
No.31 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , CB, 5D, EE, ZA, | No.31 Sqn RAF In caelum indicum primus - First into Indian skies |
No.353 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st October 1946 | No.353 Sqn RAF Fear naught in unity |
No.357 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th November 1945 | No.357 Sqn RAF (Special Duties) Mortem hostibus - We bring death to the enemy |
No.436 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Disbanded 30th June 1946 Known Codes : , U6, | No.436 Sqn RCAF Elephant Onus portamus - We carry the load |
No.437 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Disbanded 16th June 1946 Known Codes : , OAA, Z2, | No.437 Sqn RCAF Omnia passim - Anything anywhere |
No.46 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st August 1975. Known Codes : , FH, PO, RJ, XK, | No.46 Sqn RAF Uganda We rise to conquer |
No.48 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 7th January 1976 Known Codes : , OY, I2, ZW, | No.48 Sqn RAF Forte et fidele |
No.512 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 14th March 1946 Known Codes : , DN, HC, | No.512 Sqn RAF Pegasus militans - Pegasus at war |
No.52 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st December 1969 Known Codes : , MB, QO, | No.52 Sqn RAF Sudore quam sanguine - Through sweat other than through blood |
No.525 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st December 1945 Known Codes : , WF, | No.525 Sqn RAF Vinciendo vincimus - We link together to conquer |
No.53 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 14th September 1976 Known Codes : , FH, PU, TE, | No.53 Sqn RAF United in effort |
No.575 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th August 1946 | No.575 Sqn RAF The air is our path |
No.76 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st December 1960 Known Codes : , MP, NM, | No.76 Sqn RAF Resolute |
No.77 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 10th July 1963 Known Codes : , DV, KN, TB, YS, ZL, | No.77 Sqn RAF Ease potius quam videri - To be, rather than seen |
No.78 Sqn RAF Country : UK 78 Squadron was disbanded on 30 September 2014 Known Codes : , EY, ED, YY, | No.78 Sqn RAF Nemo non paratus - Nobody unprepared |
No.805 Sqn FAA Country : UK | No.805 Sqn FAA Fleet Air Arm |
No.96 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 21st January 1959 Known Codes : , 4H, ZJ, | No.96 Sqn RAF Nocturni obambulamus - We prowl by night |
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