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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth B  Bent, Benjamin |
Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Bent
Having joined the RAF in 1937, he flew with No.25 Sqn as a Radar and Wireless Operator on Blenheims on night fighter duties throughout the Battle of Britain, assisting in five successful interceptions on his first tour, all with S/Ldr. HP Pleasance. On the night of 4th-5th May 1941 they intercepted and damaged an unidentified enemy aircraft, on the 7-8th and 8-9th two Do17s were destroyed, on the 11th-12th an He111 was damaged and during the night of 13th-14th June a Ju88 was destroyed. Bent remustered as a Radio Observer on 10th July 1941. Tour expired, he was posted to 54 OTU Charter Hall on 29th April 1942 as an instructor. On 23rd July Bent was reclassified as a Navigator Radio and rejoined No.25 Squadron, then at Church Fenton, on 8th September 1942 for his second tour. He was commissioned from Warrant Officer in April 1943. On 21st March 21 1944 he assisted in destroying two Ju88s and at 00.43 hrs on 6th June a Me110 over the North Sea, possibly the first enemy aircraft shot down on D-Day. Awarded the DFC (gazetted 26th May 1944), Bent finished his tour in July and then served as Night Fighter Liaison Officer in France with a P-61 Black Widow squadron of the USAAF. Bent was released from the RAF on 2nd February 1947 as a Flight Lieutenant. In total he assisted in a total of eight victories. He died on 4th March 2013.
| Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Bent - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Valiant Response by Robert Taylor. The Spitfires of 54 Squadron, quickly scrambled from nearby Hornchurch, clash with the Me109s from 1./JG51 over Kent. Below, Me110s from KPRG210 are about to receive unwelcome attention as the rest of the Spitfires hurtle down upon them and in the distance, a group of Hurricanes rip through a dense formation of Do17s from KG76 as they struggle back to France. What clouds there are will be unlikely to give much sanctuary and, for the onlookers on the ground far below, the skies will soon be filled with weaving trails of smoke and debris. For nearly a week the Luftwaffe had thrown everything they had into the attack on southern England in order to annihilate RAF Fighter Command, in preparation for Operation Sealion, the invasion of Britain. And, heavily outnumbered, the young RAF Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of Fighter Command had so far repelled them, at a cost. But on Sunday 18 August 1940, the Germans launched the heaviest formations of aircraft seen in the battle so far. This was to be a grinding day of relentless assaults on the airfields of southern England, the hardest day of the Battle of Britain. |
Those Valiant Few by Robert Taylor. The Battle of Britain commenced at the beginning of June 1940, and for the next two and a half gruelling months the young men of Royal Air Force Fighter Command, duelled with the cream of Goerings Luftwaffe over the skies of southern England. It was to become the greatest aerial conflict in aviation history. Always outnumberd, the valiant young pilots fought with a determined fierceness and intensity, and never once did their spirit waiver. By the end of September the battle was won, but many had made the ultimate sacrifice. |
Height and Sun by Robert Taylor. If you had the height, you controlled the battle. If you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you. If you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed. These three basic rules contributed to the prowess in aerial combat of some of the most successful fighter pilots in history and seldom were they more valuable than when outnumbered. Between July and October 1940 the brave young pilots of RAF Fighter Command were under intense pressure from the constant attacks of the Luftwaffe and the Hawker Hurricane was the machine of the Battle of Britain, accounting for 80 percent of Allied victories. In this painting, Hurricanes of 32 Sqn climb high into the morning sky, gaining Height and Sun in an attempt to take the advantage over the onslaught of enemy fighters - August, 1940. This image captures the surreal calmness above the clouds, belying the fury of action and ultimate sacrifices made in those crisp blue skies. |
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