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| Signatures on this item | |
| *The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
| Name | Info |
| Flight Lieutenant Arthur D Tucker *Signature Value : £30 | Joined the RAAF in March 1941. Arthur Friar Tucker was trained and commissioned in Australia and flew Wirraways until October 1941. In March 1942 he was posted to 75 Sqn being formed at Townsville. In late March, Tucker went north with the squadrom and flew and fought with Jacksons Few during the legendary forty four day Battle for Port Moresby. During this period he was credited with downing Japanese Ace Miyazaki - later confirmed by Saburo Sakai. After withdrawing to Australia on 4th May to rest and re-equip, he flew S A29-133 during preparations for 75 Sqns return to New Guinea in July. Tucker participated in many scraps and strafing ops during the Battle for Milne Bay in August. In January 1943 he was posted to the new 86 Sqn equipped with Kittyhawks. During September he was credited with a Zero confirmed near Merauke. Arthur ended the war with 2 confirmed victories, a number of probables and several damaged. |
| Flight Lieutnenant H A Harry Kerr MID *Signature Value : £25 | Joined the RAAF in May 1941 and trained in Australia and was at 1 OTU Sale on Wirraways until 13th March 1942. Harry was posted to 76 Sqn Archerfield late that month and flew his first Kittyhawk A29-31 on 24th March at Townsville. Kerr departed Townsville with the newly formed squadron on July 18th, arriving at Milne Bay on 24th July. He flew his first operation on 26th July on an anti submarine patrol and on 11th August engaged his first Zero followed by an engine failure and subsequent dead stick landing on No.1 strip. Kerr participated in many successful strafing ops and Hudson bomber escorts during August and September and remained with 76 until they withdrew to the mainland on 24th September and left the squadron at Strauss in December 1942. Harry was posted to 2 OTU as an instructor from March 1943 until February 1944. He joined 78 Sqn equipped with Kittyhawks on Anzac Day 1944 and operated from Hollandia, then Morotai until January 1945 and finished the war at 2 OTU. |
| Squadron Leader Peter Booth-Jones DFC *Signature Value : £25 | Joined the RAAF in January 1941. After initial training in Australia, gained his wings and graduated as a Pilot Officer in Canada. Peter was posted to 58 OTU in the UK and converted to Spitfires, then posted to 118 Sqn at Ibsley until March 1942. He then returned to Australia and joined 75 Sqn in Juner 1942. Flying Kittyhawks Peter took part in the Battle of Milne Bay and on 27th August, he and Flt Lt Bruce Watson attacked 3 Val Dive Bombers over the Bay. They were credited with sharing 1 destroyed, 1 probable and 1 damaged. On 27th November he flew S A29-133 on a scramble from Cairns and again on 1st December. He was posted as an instructor to 2 OTU Mildura until September 1944. Sqn Ldr Jones was posted as CO to 76 Sqn based at Noemfoor, then Morotai, Sanga Sanga and Labuan until the end of the war. |
| The Aircraft : | |
| Name | Info |
| Kittyhawk | Curtiss Kittyhawk, single engine fighter with a top speed of 362mph, ceiling of 30,000 feet and a range of 1190 miles with extra fuel tanks but 900 miles under normal operation. Kitty Hawk armaments was four or six .50in machine guns in the wings and a bomb load of up to 1,000 lb's. A development of the earlier Tomahawk, the Kitty Hawk saw service in may air force's around the world, American, Australian, New Zealand, and the Royal Air Force. which used them in the Mediterranean, north Africa, and Malta. from January 1942/ apart from the large numbers used by the Us Air Force, over 3,000 were used by Commonwealth air force's including the Royal air Force. |
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