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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth W  Wellum, Geoffrey |
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC
Joined the RAF with a Short Service Commission in August 1939. He joined 92 Squadron flying Spitfires in June 1940 at the time of Dunkirk. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, later completing over 50 fighter sweeps and escorts over northern France and Belgium until August 1941. He then joined 65 Squadron as Flight Commander in March 1942 operating over northern France and flew off aircraft carrier HMS Furious on Operation Pedestal, to Malta. Geoff was a Flight Lieutenant during Operation Pedestal. He returned to the UK as a test pilot for Gloster Aircraft and finished the war as a Pilot Attack Instructor. Geoffrey was credited with three destroyed, four probables and several damaged and was awarded the DFC in July 1941. Geoffrey Wellum died on 18th July 2018.
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| Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Churchills Few by David Pritchard It is September 1940 and the Battle of Britain is at its height. At RAF Biggin Hill, 92 Squadron have just relieved the battle weary pilots of 79 squadron who at this very moment are departing in their Hurricanes. As the 92 squadron pilots mill around dispersal and their Spitfires are being re armed they are about to have a famous visitor, none other than Winston Churchill. |
High Spirits by David Pritchard It is high summer in 1940 and the Battle of Britain rages on. St North Weald the fighter pilots of 249 Gold Coast Squadron enjoy a well earned breather whilst their battle scarred Hurricanes are refueled and re armed ready for the next scramble which is surely to come. Meanwhile overhead, the sound of Merlin engines heralds the welcome return of two pilots in high spirits after successful interception sortie of a lone enemy raider. |
Fleeting Moments by Philip West. Few people become a legend in their own lifetime. Douglas Bader was one such person. An exceptional pilot and leader, t the age of 21, as a young RAF officer, he had both legs amputated after he crashed his aircraft. Through sheer guts and determination he learnt not only to walk again, but also fly, subsequently becoming the RAFs most famous WW2 fighter pilot. Flying his Spitfire with the unmistakable DB markings, Wing Commander Bader with his wingman close by, heads home to Tangmere after another successful, action-packed day, taking on swarms of enemy aircraft intent on wreaking havoc over the south of England. |
Quiet Reflection by Richard Taylor. June 1940 and the freedom of Britain lay in the hands of a small band of young RAF fighter pilots. Facing them across the Channel, the all-conquering Luftwaffe stood in eager anticipation of an easy victory, one that would allow were Hitler's mighty armies to invade. So heavily were the odds stacked against the RAF, few gave Fighter Command a chance. The American ambassador to Britain reported that democracy is finished in England. He was wrong. Although outnumbered more than five to one at the outset, as the savage aerial battles raged continuously over southern England, the courage and dedication of Fighter Command's young airmen gradually turned the tide. By the end of September the battle was won and, for the first time, the Luftwaffe had tasted defeat. Richard Taylor's outstanding composition portrays a more reflective image of those heroic RAF fighter pilots in contrast perhaps to the deadly trials they faced on a daily basis. Just occasionally during that long hot summer of 1940 were rare moments of peaceful respite. Every minute off-duty was time to be savoured, especially for this particular young fighter pilot and his girl as they briefly pause along a quiet country lane to watch the Spitfires from 92 Squadron pass low overhead. For a few moments the distinctive roar of Merlin engines shatters the peace and they both know that this time tomorrow it will be him who will be flying into combat. |
First Light - Battle of Britain, July 1940 by Philip West. Another busy start to the day at Biggin Hill in the summer of 1940. The Battle of Britain is at its height and 92 Squadron Spitfires with Geoffrey Wellum in G for George, depart under early morning sunlight to engage a mass of incoming enemy aircraft over the southeast coast. By the end of 1940 the Squadron was credited with having destroyed 127 German aircraft. |
Shot in the Dark by David Pritchard. On 29th August 1940, Allan Wright of 92 Squadron was vectered late at night to intercept a German Bomber. The young pilot began the difficult task of strenuously searching the black sky in Spitfire QJ-S for the raider. Eventually, he heard the chatter of the German crew over his radio, and soon after, the raider was caught in Searchlights. Wright shot down the Heinkel 111 over Salisbury, and it eventually crashed near Fordingbridge in the New Forrest at 2300 hours. This Print was split into dfferent editions signed by different groups of crew, this edition is not signed by the artist. |
Their Finest Hour by Nicolas Trudgian. Situated on the south eastern tip of Kent, RAF Hawkinge was the most forward airfield in Fighter Command. It was not surprising therefore that when Reichmarshal Goering began his fierce attacks on airfields - part of his softening up campaign in preparation for Hitlers Adler Tag (Eagle Day) - Hawkinge would be among the first in his sights. The Luftwaffe were putting up massive raids - over 1700 aircraft crossed the coast on August 16th - and RAF bases in the south-east were taking a pounding. Hawkinge, a satellite of Biggin Hill sector station, and vital to front line defences, lay right in the path of the raiding Luftwaffe hordes. When on August 12th it was bombed for the first time, its effect was only to harden the resolve of its pilots and groundstaff. MkI Spitfires of No.610 County of Chester Squadron are seen scrambling out of RAF Hawkinge in late August 1940. refuelled and re-armed, with scarlet patches covering the gunports, all serviceable aircraft roar off the grass strip and head back to the fray. With aerial battles raging all the way from 2000 to 20,000 feet, within minutes they will be back in the action. Ground crews in the foreground work frantically to get more Spitfires airworthy. In the background Hurricanes from No.32 Squadron are at readiness, and will be called into action as the primitive radar picks up the next incoming raid. |
Clipped Signature - Geoffrey Wellum. Flew Spitfires with No.92 Sqn over Dunkirk and during the Battle of Britain before joining No.65 Sqn operating from France and then Malta. With three victories, he was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He died in 2018. |
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. |
Response to Call by Robert Taylor. You can almost hear the roar of their mighty Merlin engines and feel the prop-wash in this salute to the Hawker Hurricane. This classic portrayal of this much-loved fighter depicts a pair of Mk.I Hurricanes from No.32 Sqn leading the scramble away from their forward airfield. Often making three, four or five such scrambles a day at the height of the battle, this time they are racing to intercept Luftwaffe intruders who have been spotted crossing the Kent coast. |
Tally Ho! by Philip West. Flt. Lt. Geoffrey Wellum of 92 Squadron once again takes his trusted Spitfire into attack high over southern England. Any moment now both he and one other Spitfire pilot will be flying into hell amongst at least a dozen Luftwaffe He111s on their way to drop their bombs on London. Geoffrey Wellum together with other pilots of Fighter Command became One of the Few and fought with courage and determination. |
Spitfire Scramble by Philip West. Flt. Lt. Geoff Wellum leads this flight of Spitfires from 92 Squadron in a scramble to take on the might of the German Luftwaffe during the height of the Battle of Britain. No 92 Squadron was first formed on the 1st September 1917 at London Colney and was disbanded on 7th August 1919. Following the outbreak of the Second World War 92 Squadron reformed on 10th October 1939 at RAF Tangmere and first saw action over the Dunkirk evacuation beaches. The Squadron was the first into action on September 15, 1940, now known as Battle of Britain Day. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain 92 Squadron flew from Biggin Hill. By the end of 1940 the Squadron tally stood at 127 German aircraft destroyed. |
First Light by Gerald Coulson. In Gerald Coulsons fine study First Light, Mk Vb Spitfires of 92 Squadron climb out of Biggin Hill at the outset of an early morning patrol on a cold winters morning in February 1941. Leaving the mist behind as the first beams of light streak across the heavens, they will turn to the east and steel themselves to meet the enemy, high in the dawn sky. |
Winter of 41 by Philip West. Heavy snow during the winter of 1941 often kept pilots and their aircraft grounded, despite the best efforts of the ground crew. Spitfire G George - based at RAF Manston and assigned to Flt. Lt. Geoffrey Wellum, could only resume combat sweeps over northern Europe once the storm had passed and they were all satisfied the aircraft was safe to fly. |
Spitfires Safely Home by Stephen Brown. It is the winter of 1941 and heavy snow has disrupted operations for several days. A break in the weather today has brought blue skies and the opportunity for the ground crew to clear the runway of snow and get the pilots of 92 Squadron airborne. Flt. Lt. Geoffrey Wellum and his fellow fighter pilots are bringing their Spitfires safely home after the third and final sortie of the day. |
Against All Odds by Philip West. Geoffrey Wellum joins combat head-on with a Dornier during the Battle of Britain. He was part of a small group of 10 spitfires from Biggin Hill facing 150 plus enemy bombers and fighters. Other friendly fighters joined battle but the defenders were still vastly out numbered, a scene repeated on many occasions in the summer of 1940. On this particular day Geoff scored a Heinkel destroyed, together with a Dornier as a probable. |
September Victory by Nicolas Trudgian. (B) Spitfires pass above a downed Me110 as they return to base at Biggin Hill in September 1940, the most intense and crucial phase of the Battle of Britain. |
Channel Sweep by Richard Taylor. On 14th June 1940, the first German jackboots were heard on the streets of Paris. Within days France signed an armistice and Hitler could now turn his avaricious eyes north and across the grey waters of the Channel. The island of Britain stood alone and, faced with the threat of imminent invasion, few gave her much chance of survival. Before the all-conquering Panzers could invade, Germany needed to gain air superiority and Goering boasted that his Luftwaffe 'would quickly sweep the RAF from the skies' - how wrong he would be. The Battle of Britain began on 10th July 1940 and for the next eight weeks most front-line squadrons were often flying four missions a day. Totally outnumbered by the Luftwaffe the RAF was close to breaking point by early September, with some units reduced to a handful of pilots and aircraft. Then on 7th September, an over-confident Goering made a fatal error. Believing the RAF destroyed, he changed tactics and the Luftwaffe began bombing civilian targets in London. It was the respite that Fighter Command needed and the tide of battle was turned. Against overwhelming and seemingly impossible odds, a replenished RAF repelled the Luftwaffe and by the end of October it was over. Richard Taylor's stunning painting depicts Mk1 Spitfires from 92 Squadron undertaking a defensive sweep along the Kent coastline against a dramatic backdrop of the white cliffs of Dover, at the height of the battle in September 1940. |
We All Stand Together by Robert Taylor. Spitfires of 616 Squadron scramble from RAF Kenley during the heavy fighting of the Battle of Britain, late August 1940. Below them a Hurricane of 253 Squadron, sharing the same base, is being prepared for its next vital mission at a distant dispersal. All through the long summer of 1940, as Britain stood alone, a small band of fighter pilots took part in the greatest aerial battle in history. Day after day the men of Fighter Command valiantly took to the air to defend their country from the Luftwaffe and the threat of German invasion and Nazi tyranny. Outnumbered, but never out-fought, they fought to the point of exhaustion and, in doing so, paid a heavy price. But they won. |
Spitfires - Malta Bound by Philip West. On the 11th August 1942, Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Wellum DFC, having just taken off from the deck of HMS Furious, leads his section of gathering Spitfires on the long journey to Malta. They are much-needed reinforcements for the beleaguered island, now in the twenty-sixth month of its siege. To enable each of the 38 Spitfires dispatched from Furious to reach Malta, over three hours flying time away, they carry maximum fuel together with a centre-line over-load tank. Even their ammunition is removed to save weight. Escorting Furious to her aft is the Cruiser HMS Manchester together with Destroyers Brave and Lithe. To their port side is the Ohio tanker laden with fuel during what became an epic voyage. In the distance HMS Eagle succumbs to an Axis torpedo attack. The success of Operation Pedestal was absolutely critical for the survival of Malta, bringing desperately needed fuel, food and ammunition to the Island. Losses were heavy but the courage and determination by all involved prevailed: five of the fourteen merchant ships, including the Ohio, made it through and the island was saved. |
Defending the Realm by Philip West. The White Cliffs at Dover patrolled and protected by two magnificent Spitfires. A sight to bring back memories of days, thankfully long gone, when the future of Great Britain was at stake. |
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