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History of 126 Squadron, Royal Air Force
126 Squadron. Super
Marine Spitfire of 126 Squadron shown in aviation art prints available
from Cranston Fine Arts the aviation art company, part of the Royal Air
Force squadron's history in aviation art. Squadron Leader John Plagis, Commanding Officer of 126 Squadron, in his
Spitfire LFIX, returns from France on 24th July 1944 after shooting down
an Me109. Plagis went on to score 15 aerial victories before the end of
World War II.
Fighter Pilots of 126 squadron. Flight Lieutenant Ken
Evans DFC. Joining the RAF in 1939, Ken Evans was posted to 600
Squadron, where he flew night operations. In September 1941 he was posted
to 130 Squadron to fly Spitfires, and in early 1942 was ordered to Malta.
Arriving in Gibraltar he joined the carrier HMS Eagle. On 18 May he flew
his Spitfire to Malta from the Eagle, to join 126 Squadron. Seeing much
action over the island in June and July, in August he returned to
Gibraltar to lead a new flight back to Malta, this time embarking on the
carrier HMS Furious. One of 126 Squadrons most successful pilots on Malta,
Ken was awarded the DFC, and credited with 5 destroyed, 3 probables and 3
damaged. Commissioned on Malta, he returned to the UK, and in September
1943 was posted to 165 Squadron as a flight commander
Summer of 44 by Nicolas Trudgian Mk
IX Spitfires of No. 126 Squadron return to base following a low-level
attack on German installations in Normandy, a few days prior to D-Day,
June 1944.Below, a busy railway station is surrounded by the activity of
American troops making final preparations for the greatest invasion in
history. Signed by Pete Brothers, Johnnie Johnson.
Muscateer
by Robert Tomlin Squadron Leader John Plagis, Commanding Officer of 126 Squadron, in his
Spitfire LFIX, returns from France on 24th July 1944 after shooting down
an Me109. Plagis went on to score 15 aerial victories before the end of
World War II. |
| Malta - George Cross by Robert Taylor. Pilot Officer John Bisley of 126 Squadron in combat with Me 109s from JG-53 during one of the intense aerial air battles over Valetta in April 1942. Between the summer of 1940 and the end of 1942, Malta became one of the most bombed places on earth. The RAFs desperate fight to retain control of the diminutive Mediterranean island, and the defiant courage of the people of Malta, is one of the epic stories of World War Two. Malta Edition. Signed limited edition of 250 prints.. Price £250.00 Signed by Flight Lieutenant Ken Evans DFC, Flight Lieutenant Ian MacLennan DFM, Flight Lieutenant Colin Parkinson DFC, Flight Lieutenant Jack Rae DFC*, Squadron Leader Arthur Roscoe DFC, Flight Lieutenant Allan Scott DFM, Group Captain Billy Drake DSO DFC*, Commander Mike Crossley DSC* Royal Navy and Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC.
Malta Edition. Limited edition of 25 artist proofs.. Price £395.00 Signed by Flight Lieutenant Ken Evans DFC, Flight Lieutenant Ian MacLennan DFM, Flight Lieutenant Colin Parkinson DFC, Flight Lieutenant Jack Rae DFC*, Squadron Leader Arthur Roscoe DFC, Flight Lieutenant Allan Scott DFM, Group Captain Billy Drake DSO DFC*, Commander Mike Crossley DSC* Royal Navy and Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC. ITEM CODE RT0003 |
| Gallant Ohio by Robert Taylor Spitfires of 126 and 185 Squadrons successfully fend off a last desperate attempt by enemy aircraft to sink the crippled American tanker Ohio, still some 80 miles short of the beleaguered island of Malta. Badly damaged and barely afloat the Ohio, assisted by Royal Navy destroyers Penn, (foreground), Bramham (lashed to Ohios port side) and Ledbury, limped into port to a tumultuous welcome, on August 15, 1942. Her vital cargo of fuel kept the islands air defences alive, and ultimately made the island secure. Signed limited edition of 850 prints. Paper size 32 inches x 23 inches (81cm x 58cm). Price £200.00 Flight Lieutenant Tony Holland DFC AE DFC (US), Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin GCB MVO DSC, Lieutenant Commander George Marten LVO DSC, Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC and Wing Commander Laddie Lucas CBE DSO DFC.
Limited edition of artist proofs. Paper size 32 inches x 23 inches (81cm x 58cm). Price £325.00 Flight Lieutenant Tony Holland DFC AE DFC (US), Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin GCB MVO DSC, Lieutenant Commander George Marten LVO DSC, Lieutenant Peter Twiss OBE DSC and Wing Commander Laddie Lucas CBE DSO DFC. ITEM CODE DHM2264 |
| Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian. Like the Messerschmitt 109, its great adversary throughout almost six years of aerial combat, the Spitfire was a fighter par excellence. Good as many other types may have been, these two aircraft became symbols of the two opposing air forces they represented. Their confrontation, which began in 1940 during the Battle of Britain, continued without interruption until the last days of World War Two. From an air force teetering on extinction in the dark days of 1940, by the summer of 1944 the pilots of RAF Fighter Command had fought their way back to become top dogs. And when the invasion of northern France came, they swept over the beaches in force, cutting deep into enemy occupied territory, hammering the enemy in the air and on the ground. Key to this air superiority was the supreme performance of the Spitfire, its ability to out-fly the Luftwaffes best, and the wily leadership of the pilots who had survived the early air battles of the war. Among the best was 26 year old Pete Brothers, by 1944 a highly successful and experienced fighter pilot commanding his own Wing. Having fought through the battles of France and Britain, now with a clutch of air victories to his credit, in 1944 he took command of first the Exeter Wing, and then the Culinhead Wing, ideally placed to support the coming invasion of Normandy. Nick Trudgians striking painting recreates a typical scene as Mk IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron, led by Wing Commander Pete Brothers flying his Mk V11 Spitfire wearing high altitude paint scheme, race back to base at RAF Culinhead after a low-level attack on enemy transport in Normandy. The Culinhead Spitfire Wing flew constant armed Rhubarb attacks in support of the invasion from D-Day - June 6 1944 - till the first improvised strips were established in France a few weeks following the invasion. This beautiful aviation print, contrasting the frenetic pace of war with a restful English coastal landscape, evokes the memory of a legendary fighter aircraft that, flown by gallant pilots, helped change the course of history. Prints are signed by Pete Brothers and two other pilots who flew Spitfires in combat during World War II. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 30 inches x 23 inches (76cm x 58cm). Price £140.00 igned by Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC*, Lieutenant General Avi Baron M Donnet CVO DFC FRAeS and Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM.
Limited edition of 25 artist proofs. Paper size 30 inches x 23 inches (76cm x 58cm). Price £200.00 Signed by Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC*, Lieutenant General Avi Baron M Donnet CVO DFC FRAeS and Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs. Paper size 30 inches x 23 inches (76cm x 58cm). Price £195.00 Signed by Air Commodore Peter Brothers CBE, DSO, DFC*, Lieutenant General Avi Baron M Donnet CVO DFC FRAeS and Squadron Leader Arthur Leigh DFC, DFM. ITEM CODE DHM2659 |
| Muscateer by Robert Tomlin. Squadron Leader John Plagis, Commanding Officer of 126 Squadron, in his Spitfire LFIX, returns from France on 24th July 1944 after shooting down an Me109. Plagis went on to score 15 aerial victories before the end of World War II. Open edition print. Image size 10.5 inches x 15.5 inches (27cm x 40cm). Price £14.00 ITEM CODE DHM2508 |
| Summer of 44 by Nicolas Trudgian. As the Allied invasion of northern France drew nearer, the entire length of southern England had seemingly become one huge army camp. While the local population went about its daily business as best it could, British and American troops massed at every point near the coast in readiness for the imminent crossing of the Channel. Though the RAF fighters of 10 Group were tasked in the Air Defense role, like all RAF squadrons that could be spared, they became involved with the softening up process, a pre-requisite of any large scale landing on enemy occupied territory. Under the leadership of Wing Commander Peter Brothers, 10 Groups Spitfire Wing based at Culmhead was heavily involved flying shipping patrols over the beachhead and Rhubarbs - low-level strikes of opportunity - disrupting enemy movements and communications.Nicolas Trudgians comprehensive painting Summer of 44 recreates with such realism a scene in southwest England just a few days before the Normandy landings in June 1944. Mark IX Spitfires of No. 126 Squadron, returning from combat over France, sweeps low over the local branch line railway station on their way back to Culmhead. Below, as the GWR Prairie tank engine pulls out of the station, American troops are assembling their equipment in readiness for the impending invasion. Adding great atmosphere to his composition, Nick has painted a classically peaceful English landscape, highlighting the unique contrast between war and peace that pervaded Britain during that summer of 44. Signed limited edition of 450 prints. Paper size 27 inches x 21 inches (69cm x 53cm). Price £140.00 Signed by Air Commodore Peter Brothers and Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, in addition to the artist.
Limited edition of 80 artist proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 21 inches (69cm x 53cm). Price £190.00 Signed by Air Commodore Peter Brothers and Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, in addition to the artist.
Limited edition of 50 publishers proofs. Paper size 27 inches x 21 inches (69cm x 53cm). Price £185.00 Signed by Air Commodore Peter Brothers and Air Vice-Marshal Johnnie Johnson, in addition to the artist. ITEM CODE DHM2034 |
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