Tally Ho!
by
Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC AE

He was born in Clapham, South London May 14th 1920. He worked for shell and BP after leaving school and on May 1st 1939 he joined the RAFVR as an Airman u/t Pilot.
Called up on September 2nd he went to No 1 ITW, Cambridge on November 10th and moved to 12 FTS, Grantham on December 30th.  After completing his flying training, he arrived at 6 OTU, Sutton Bridge on June 3rd 1940 to convert to Hurricanes. Commissioned on the 9th he was posted to 605 Squadron at Drem on July 6th.  In a combat on September 27th he damaged BF 110 but with his own aircraft damaged, he made a forced-landing at Gatwick. Next day he damaged a Ju88. On October 7th he claimed a BF 109 destroyed, on the 8th a Ju 88 shared, on the 15th a Bf109 probably destroyed and on October 26th and November 8th Bf109’s damaged. On March 24th 1941 he damaged a He111 east of Felixstowe.
In September 1941 he was posted away to 55 OTU, Usworth as an instructor.  On April 14th 1942 he went to 54 Squadron, Castletown as a Flight Commander. The Squadron was posted overseas in June, embarking in HMT F6 on the 19th for Australia, to take part in the defence against the Japanese, 54 disembarked on September 7th 1942 and was based at Richmond, New South Wales. On January 17th 1943 it moved to Night Cliff, Darwin.
He got the squadron’s first victory on February 6th, a Mitsubishi ‘Dinah’. Between March 15th and July 6th 1943 he destroyed four Mitsubishi ‘Bettys’ probably destroyed two others and damaged a ‘Betty’ and a ‘Zeke’. He was awarded the DFC. On February 2nd 1944 he left Australia for the UK. He joined the Air Information Unit on April 29th and went with it to the Continent on July1st. He was posted to HQ Fighter Command on October 7th 1944, staying there until June 11th 1945, when he went to RAF Bentwaters, initially as Adjutant and later becoming Senior Admin Officer.
He was released from the RAF on February 27th 1947, as a Squadron Leader. He served with 3613 Fighter Control Unit, RAuxAF from 1948 until March 10th 1957, when the RAuxAF was disbanded.

Signed in the book by the following Battle of Britain aircrew.
Tony Pickering, Nigel Rose, Terence Kane, Terry Clark, Bob Foster, John Ellacombe, Ken Wilkinson,
Luiz Flower, Tom Neil.

£35 + postage and packing

Signed by Bob Foster

£20.00 + postage and packing