We are very pleased and proud to announce our
"SWORDFISH TRIBUTE SERIES"
of
Signed Limited Edition (only 40 of each)
Swatches of Irish Linen
Original Fabric removed from Swordfish NF389.
In order to commemorate the part played by the Swordfish aircraft and the men of the Fleet Air Arm in this action and others during WWII we have produced a series of
Eight TRIBUTE CERTIFICATES each bearing one or more swatches of Irish Linen fabric removed from the port upper wing of Swordfish III NF389
The signatures on these swatches are from some of the air crew (Pilots, Observers and TAGs) who took part
We are delighted to announce that we have been able to send over £7,500 to the RNHF thanks to the sales of these swatches.......they are selling fast and obviously will never be available again !
Atlantic Convoys - ESCORT Carriers
Atlantic Convoys - MAC (Merchant Aircraft Carriers) SHIPS
Special - Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown RN
U-Boat Hunters (3 x signatures)
New - Sir George Martin / Don Bunce (Training School)
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cost: £82.00 including postage UK |
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One swatch with 3 Air crew from H.M.S. Victorious |
Rear Admiral P.D. Gick CB OBE DSC* L.D. Sayer MBE DSM D.A. Bunce CGM |
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One swatch with 1 Air crew from H.M.S. Ark Royal |
Lt. Cdr. P. MEADWAY
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This Limited Edition consists of TWO images each approx. 46 x 30 cm, plus TWO signed swatches.
L.D. Sayer MBE DSM was the Telegraphist Air Gunner (TAG) in Swordfish 'F' from HMS Victorious, piloted by the late Lt. P.D. Gick (who later became Rear Admiral Gick CB OBE DSC* ). They led one of the sub-flights of three aircraft coming in from the west on the evening of May 24th 1941. Gick was not happy with his first approach and so went around again, managing to evade the worst of the flack by keeping low over the sea. All three dropped their torpedoes at around 50 ft. But only Gick and Sayer's torpedo found it's target. D.A. Bunce CGM was the Telegraphist Air Gunner (TAG) in aircraft 'C', one of three aircraft in the first sub- flight to attack, led by Lt. Cdr. Esmonde. All three aircraft managed to drop their torpedoes at around 100 ft. Don was 19 years of age and was to celebrate his 20th birthday 3 days later - the day the Bismarck was finally sunk ! Sub-Lt. (A) P.B.Meadway - the Observer in aircraft '2A' one of three Swordfish in the second sub-flight from HMS Ark Royal on the evening of 26th May 1941. At 9,000 feet, in cloud and with ice forming on the wings, they got an ASV (air to surface vessel radar) contact and began their dive under heavy fire. It was one of the torpedoes from this flight that hit Bismarck amid ships.
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Channel Dash (3 x signatures) (40 only) Cost: £52.00 including postage UK |
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3 of only 5 survivors of the ill-fated attempt to destroy Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen |
Lt. Cdr. Edgar Lee DSO Lt. Cdr. Pat Kingsmill DSO D.A. Bunce CGM |
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Size approx. 46 x 30 cm
At 12.30 hrs. on February 12 1942, six Swordfish from 825 Squadron took off from a snowbound Manston led by Lt. Cdr. Eugene Esmonde. Their target was the German raiders Scharnhorst , Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen which had slipped out of Brest Harbour and were heading out through the English Channel to cause havoc amongst the allied convoys in the Atlantic. Despite the overwhelming German fighter cover they managed to press home their attack but with no major damage caused to their target. All six aircraft were destroyed and, of the 18 air crew, only 5 survived the operation. Lt. Cdr. Esmonde was awarded a posthumous VC. Lt. Cdr. Edgar Lee DSO - Observer in aircraft 'G'. Lt. Cdr. Pat Kingsmill DSO - Pilot of aircraft 'L'. D. Bunce CGM - TAG in aircraft 'L' - managed to shoot down an enemy aircraft before his own aircraft was shot down. note: Lt.Cdr. R. McC. Samples DSO OBE kindly added his signature to a very small number of these swatches during his recent visit from Canada (contact us for price and availability)
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TARANTO (3 x Signatures) (20 only) Cost: £65.00 including postage UK |
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The attack on the Italian Battle fleet in their harbour in November 1940 that changed the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean overnight. |
Lt. Cdr. John Neale DSC DFC Lt. Cdr. John W.G.Wellham DSC Lt. Cdr. A.W.F. 'Alfie' Sutton DSC |
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Size approx. 46 x 30 cm
At 20.35 hrs. on the evening of 11 November 1940, the first of 21 Swordfish took off from HMS Illustrious to fly 200 miles across the Mediterranean in the moonlight. Their target was the Italian battle fleet tucked 'safely' in their well defended harbour at Taranto, Italy. The planners had estimated a casualty rate of at least 50% for the air crews. At 22.56 hrs. the first of the two waves of aircraft began the attack. In the ten minutes total time that the two waves were over the target, with 11 torpedoes and 48 250lb bombs they had sunk one battleship, left one sinking and a third so badly crippled that the repairs were not finished until after the war. Three cruisers were severely damaged and a seaplane base and oil refinery destroyed. Only two aircraft were lost with two crew being taken prisoner. Sadly the other two crew were lost. The astounding success of this operation led to the Japanese repeating the same tactics a year later at Pearl Harbour. Lt. Cdr. John Neale DSC DFC - the Observer in Swordfish 'L4C', one of the twelve aircraft in the first wave. John N. is the author of 'The Incredible Stringbag and Me' - we have a few signed copies available. Lt. Cdr. John W.G.Wellham DSC - the pilot of Swordfish 'E5H', one of nine aircraft in the second wave. John W. is the author of two books. Capt A.W.F. "Alfie" Sutton - the observer in Swordfish'E5H'/P3999, another of the nine aircraft in the second wave. |
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You can order copies through our e-mail address. |
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An added bonus to our story........
....Nearly 20 years after the Bismarck action,
Swordfish NF389, the 'donor' of our Irish Linen Fabric was to star in
the re-enactment of the operation, but this time for MGM's film
cameras during the making of the epic movie 'Sink the Bismarck'.
