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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth V  Valentine, Leslie |
[UP] - Valentine, Leslie - Vanneck, Sir Peter - Varney, Eric - Vaughan, Ron - Verity, Hugh - Vibert, Bruce - Vigors, Tim |
Flying Officer Leslie Valentine CdeG
Entrusted with one of the RAFs most critical roles on D-Day, Valentine took his 88 Squadron Boston down to between 30 and 50 feet above the D-Day beaches laying smoke to protect the invasion fleet from enemy fire. Above and over his aircraft arched the trajectories of shells from the capital ships of the Royal Navy and the German heavy guns firing back. Before and after D-Day Valentine flew many sorties against tactical targets by both night and day. He flew two tours back to back, 60 operations in all. Valentine had originally joined the army and saw action in France in 1940 with the Highland Light Infantry. Gaining selection for pilot training in the RAF he was sent to Canada for training, returning to 13 Operational Training Unit at Bicester in January 1943. He joined 88 Squadron in May 1944. Leslie Valentine died in April 2014.
| Flying Officer Leslie Valentine CdeG - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Friendly Smoke by Michael Turner. As dawn breaks over Normandy on the 6th June 1944, a low flying RAF Douglas Boston of 88 Squadron defies hostile fire to lay a protective smoke screen over the first wave of British troops approaching the invasion beaches. The Boston E for Easy is Piloted by Flight Officer Leslie Valentine C de G. ad his Navigator Pat McVeigh. |
Normandy Veterans Association 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Print by Michael Turner. Official limited edition print of the 60th Anniversary of the Normandy Veterans Association. The Eastern Flank of the D-Day battlefield, 1300 hours, June 6th 1944. No single picture could possibly encompass the actions of all British forces on D-Day, let alone the Allies overall, whise front stretched 60 miles along the Normandy coastline. The eastern flank of the D-Day battlefield has been chosen to symbolise the achievements of British forces on June 6th 1944 because no other part of the invasion front illustrates better the combined efforts of all three services. |
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