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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art World War Two Veteran Signatures UK and Commonwealth C  Cole, Colin |
Warrant Officer Colin Cole
As a Wireless Operator, he flew on Wellingtons, Stirlings and Ansons and flew 18 Ops on Lancasters with 617 Sqn including raids to sink the Tirpitz and the final raid of the war in Europe on Berchtesgaden. Colin enlisted at 18 in 1942 and joined the Royal Air Force. He underwent intensive training at Warrington and a number of training facilities at Blackpool and Yatesbury. As well as studying to be a wireless operator he also learned to be an air gunner. This was because it was an 'insurance policy' of sorts that if the aircrew onboard the Lancaster Bomber lost their first gunner the 'wireless op' would take over. Colin and his fellow aircrew were first involved in several practice bombing raids. At this time he was also carrying out a role as an inspector of the aircraft, specifically ensuring the batteries and electronics were up to scratch. He was sent on his first operation aboard a modified Lancaster bomber. The Lancasters had been specially modified with the removal of their mid-upper gun turrets and other equipment to lighten them, and they flew with a crew of six rather than the usual seven men. Carrying extra fuel and the 12,000lb 'Tallboy' bomb it was to carry. At 3am on November 12th, as part of a force of 18 Avro Lancasters of 617 Squadron and 13 from 9 Squadron, Colin and the rest of the Lancaster crew left the Scottish base and headed into the night across the North Sea to Tromso on a 2,200 mile round trip, taking 13 hours in total. Initially they flew low at only 1,000ft to avoid enemy radar but 100 miles from that target the entire aerial assault climbed up to their bombing altitude of 14,000ft. Colin and the crew of the modified Lancaster Bomber delivered their payload bang on target, and along with the rest of the bombers were successful in sinking the German Navy's flagship. He flew 18 missions as a wireless operator aboard Lancaster bombers, targeting shipping, U-boat pens, viaducts and cities on the German mainland. Ironically, one was the town of his grandparents - Koblenz. Colin was demobbed in 1946. After the war, he flew missions to India to dispose of surplus weapons and flew in the very Lancaster Bomber flown by Guy Gibson, the wing commander who led Operation Chastise, the Dambusters raid. Colin Cole passed away in May 2016 aged 93.
| Warrant Officer Colin Cole - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Under Cover of the Night by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Legends of the Air by Philip West. Probably the most famous RAF Squadron in history, mainly due to the audacious Dambuster raid in 1943. Other notably successful missions flying their Avro Lancaster bombers included precision raids on the mighty German battleship Tirpitz, U-boat pens, railways, V-weapons sites, canals and bridges. Through their skill and bravery 617 Sqn. crews received many high honours including V.Cs for Wing Commander Guy Gibson and Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire. |
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