Roberts Dunstan DSO - Tail-end Charlie on Lancaster Bomber

Original Silver Gelatin photograph, c. 1943 20 x 15 cm The sitting-down war played out in the skies suited amputees who wanted to continue killing the enemy. Douglas Bader famously bailed out of his Spitfire over Germany, leaving behind his artificial legs. There were others who flew with artificial legs, including Dunstan. Dunstan was born in 1922, lying about his age (by three years) in order to join up in June 1940. In January 1941, serving with the Royal Australian Engineers, he was injured in one leg near Tobruk (in Libya) on a night reconnaisance raid. After five operations his leg was amputated; after ten more he was returned to Australia and invalided out of the services in February 1942. A few months later, he caught sight of a poster recruiting for the RAAF, and volunteered his services, enlisting on 23 June 1942 - having spent some time convincing the RAAF that there were roles that he could undertake successfully. Following training at the RAAF Bombing and Gunnery School he was soon on his way to the UK, sailing on 24 August from Sydney. He was soon serving at RAF Breighton in Yorkshire with 460 Sqn RAAF as rear gunner in an Avro Lancaster bomber. As he walked to the aircraft he used his crutches; onboard he would crawl to his post in the tail. On the night of 22/23 October 1943, aboard W4927, his Lancaster left Binbrook for a bombing raid over Germany. Above Kassel, the target, a Lancaster bomber above them dropped its bombs. Two incendiary bombs dropped through W4927; one hitting the flight engineer's jump seat - beside the pilot - the other falling through the middle of the aeroplane and severing the oxygen supply to the rear and mid-upper turrets - the former being Dunstan's. A German night fighter chose this moment to attack W4927.  Befuddled by lack of oxygen the gunners were unable to shoot, W4927 losing its port elevator and receiving holes in its port wing and fuselage - and one cannon shell went into Dunstan's rear turret. However the pilot nursed the plane back to England, where it crash landed at either RAF Elsham Wold, or Bisham - sources vary. On 3/4 November 1943 Dunstan completed his thirtieth mission, to Dusseldorf, the day before his twenty-first birthday. He was gazetted for his DSO on 7 November. In 1944 he returned to Australia and in 1956 was elected to the Victoria State Parliament where he held ministerial posts for water supply, and subsequently for public works.

Charles E Brown (1896-1982)

BSAA Lancastrian G-AGWL 'Star Guide'

Original Silver Gelatin photograph, 1940s 19 x 24 cm Stamped to reverse 'Charles E Brown' with address and 6337-13 reference number. The Lancastrian was developed from the Lancaster bomber with armaments and armour removed, and a new - streamlined - nose. The first batch were made by converting Lancaster bombers, latter batches made from scratch. The Lancaster had been designed to carry bombs rather than passengers, and so the space available meant that whilst the Lancastrian was not suitable for large numbers of passengers it was admirably suited to carrying mail and other perishable goods. G-AGWL ‘Star Guide’ was registered 28/11/45. Its first flight was on 1/2/46 for the Ministry of Supply & Aircraft Production (MoSAP), being delivered in February to British South American Airlines (BSAA) as ‘Star Guide’. In January 1949 it was bought by Flight Refuelling Ltd subsequently being used on the Berlin Airlift and was scrapped 26/9/51 at Tarrant Rushton. Charles E Brown was a famous photographer of aircraft whose father was a butcher in Wimbledon, London. Young Charles was given a camera for his 14th birthday and in 1911 photographed an Edwardian gentleman in trouble landing his balloon in neighbouring Southfields. This photograph was published in the Daily Mirror – the fee being half a crown – and Brown was encouraged to join the Daily Mirror’s photography department upon leaving school at 16. Towards the end of the First World War he served with the Royal Air Force at their official London Photographic Centre. Following the war, he took to photographing trains, and captured a famous photograph of a Southern Railway locomotive that was used for the following ten years in railway posters. The income from this allowed him to pursue his passion of aviation photography in the 1920s and 1930s, from which commissions from the Air Ministry and Fleet Air Arm followed. During the war his work included commissions for Aeronautics magazine.   Condition: Generally very good.

Charles E Brown (1896-1982)

Three AVRO Lancaster Bombers in Flight 

Original Silver Gelatin photograph, c. 1944 16 x 21 cm Photograph 20 June 1942 above Cranwell EM-A EM-C and EM-F of 207 Squadron The RAF info website details the various Lancaster bombers of 207 Squadron. EM-C was a Lancaster I with serial number R5695 . It took off on 25 November 1942 from Langar, on a mission to Haselunne. The pilot was an Alfred Parkyn of the RCAF - whose parents lived in New Jersey. The aircraft was lost without trace and the crew are commemorated on the Runneymede Memorial. EM-A was another Lancaster I with serial number ED604. It took off from Langar on 12 March 1943 on a night mission (with 42% moon) to Essen, piloted by the 22-year-old F/O Michael Doble DFC. It crashed near Bottrop on the outskirts of Essen, with the loss of all its crew who are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.  Doble's DFC was gazetted on 31 July 1942, following an action in which 12 DFCs and one DSO were awarded. The citation reads: "The KING has- been graciously pleased to approve the following awards in recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy: —On 11th July, 1942, a force of bombers was detailed to make an attack on the submarine works at Danzig. The operation, which necessitated a high degree of skill and fortitude, was undertaken in extremely adverse weather. Despite this, the objective was reached by dusk, carefullyidentified and, in the face of strong oppositionfrom the ground defences, subjected to a most determined attack. Bombs were released at varying heights, some as low as 1,000 feet. Many hits were obtained. Searchlight posts were also machine-gunned and many searchlights extinguished. The success achieved reflects the greatest credit on the following personnel who participated in various capacities as leaders and members of aircraft crews." EM-F was a Lancaster I serial number R5694, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Raymund Joseph Hannan DFC which hit high ground in bad visibility at Easton, Lincs, home-bound from Bad Zwischenahn (Vechta) killing all the crew on 25 November 1942. Hannan was a New Zealander who had served for a year with the RNZAF prior to volunteering in September 1939 for the RAF. Following training he undertook a tour of 29 operations with 49 Squadron in the Handley Page Hampden, and after this served as an instructor in 25 Operational Training Unit. His DFC was gazetted on 24 October 1941. In September 1942 he was posted to 207 Squadron, flying four missions prior to that of 25 November 1942. This latter mission lasted only three hours - probably long enough to reach the Dutch coast and return to the UK, and certainly not long enough for the Luftwaffe aerodrome at Bad Zwischenahn. Upon return to base the aeroplane was unable to land owing to bad weather. It crashed near Goadby Marwood, the local history society of which have published an extensive history of the crew members at https://www.goadby-marwood-history.co.uk/the-crew-of-r5694-em-f . Five of the crew, including Hannan, are buried in St Mary's Churchyard in Bottesford. The crash site was discovered in 2021, a full report here: https://www.goadby-marwood-history.co.uk/_files/ugd/bc525f_aedab371f8794f2eab2c0c9ea9721720.pdf The grave sites of the crew members are detailed here https://aviationtrails.wordpress.com/tag/r5694/ Charles E Brown was a famous photographer of aircraft whose father was a butcher in Wimbledon, London. Young Charles was given a camera for his 14th birthday and in 1911 photographed an Edwardian gentleman in trouble landing his balloon in neighbouring Southfields. This photograph was published in the Daily Mirror – the fee being half a crown – and Brown was encouraged to join the Daily Mirror’s photography department upon leaving school at 16. Towards the end of the First World War he served with the Royal Air Force at their official London Photographic Centre. Following the war, he took to photographing trains, and captured a famous photograph of a Southern Railway locomotive that was used for the following ten years in railway posters. The income from this allowed him to pursue his passion of aviation photography in the 1920s and 1930s, from which commissions from the Air Ministry and Fleet Air Arm followed. During the war his work included commissions for Aeronautics magazine. Provenance: from the collection of Philip J R Moyes, author of many books on the RAF, most notably The Pictorial History which ran to several volumes. Condition: Generally very good.

Lancastrian airliner G-AGLF

Original Silver Gelatin photograph, c. 1945 20 x 29 cm Stamped to reverse 'Daily Herald, 2 Chester Street, Oxford Road, Manchester; Copyright photo' In 1945, deliveries commenced of 30 British-built Lancastrians for BOAC. On a demonstration flight on 23 April 1945, G-AGLF flew 13,500 mi (21,700 km) from England to Auckland, New Zealand in three days, 14 hours at an average speed of 220 mph (354 km/h). G-AGLF's last flight was on Sunday 11 May 1947 when it crashed while landing at a pipeline station in the desert between Cairo and Busreh. The Lancastrian was fast, had a long range, and was capable of carrying a heavy load, but space inside was very limited as the Lancaster had been designed with space for its seven crew dispersed throughout the fuselage, and with the majority of the load being carried in the 33 ft (10.05 m) long bomb bay. Consequently, as passengers are bulky but low in weight, it was not suited to carry large numbers of passengers, but was suitable for mail and a small number of VIP passengers. BOAC used it for flights between England and Australia from 31 May 1945. It also served with the RAF; RAF Lancaster I serial number PD328, was converted to a Lancastrian and renamed Aries, as well as serving with Qantas and Flota Aérea Mercante Argentina. Lancastrians were used during the Berlin Airlift to transport petrol; 15 aircraft made over 5,000 trips. In 1946 a Lancastrian operated by BSAA was the first aircraft to make a scheduled flight from the then-newly opened London Heathrow Airport. Provenance: from the collection of Philip J R Moyes, author of many books on the RAF, most notably The Pictorial History which ran to several volumes. Condition: Marginal creases, a little foxing to reverse