Vector Fine Art Prints - Special Events

Vector Fine Art Prints - Aviation Art and Signed Books at their Very Best

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Special Events

4th & 5th September 2010

The Battle of Britain Airshow, Duxford

We are pleased to announce that this our 20th Anniversary of Vector Fine Art we will be holding a superb book launch and a spectacular signing event over the two days.

New Book Release

Heroes All by Steve Bond

For years Steve Bond has been interviewing and recording veterans from all sides of the conflict, including air and ground crew. His aim was to transmit their engaging stories faithfully to a wider public. He spoke to British and German, German and Russian, British and Italian, American and German, who all shared the same piece of sky at the same time, in a sense, re-uniting them, sometimes also literally.

This is not a book about the rights and wrongs of war, nor the strategies of the military commanders. It is about the experiences and feelings of those in the front line charged with delivery of said strategy. It deals with the sharp end of key campaigns, but also the less ‘glamorous’ sides of service life – selection, training, aircraft ferrying, etc.

This is all original material and the stories of the veterans selected (some of them household names) are not edited but put in context by Bond, with overviews and annotations. The result gives the reader an up close series of snapshots in time, which is always fascinating, often remarkably so, and will stand as a worthy and valuable testament to the airmen themselves.

Veterans quoted are from the following groupings: Air Transport Auxiliary, British Army, Civilians, Fleet Air Arm, Italian air force, Luftwaffe, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Navy, Soviet air force, US Army, US Army Air Force, US Navy et al.

If you would like the book signed by Steve it will be £25 + postage and packing

If you would like a copy signed by the veterans in attendance we will be taking orders, but please be aware that we will only get the first 25 orders signed due to such high demand, we will endeavour to get you copy signed by as many veterans as possible but are unable to guarantee all the veterans for both days, but as always we will do our very best.

The price will depend on the number of signatures we are able to get. but please phone your order through to avoid disappointment.

Exclusive to Vector Fine Art is A limited edition of 26 worldwide
the first 10 is a triple bookplate set

Heroes All by Steve Bond Bookplate 1 Bookplate 2 Bookplate 3

These bookplates carries the original signatures of the following Battle of Britain pilots:

Bookplate 1: Bob Foster, Geoffrey Wellum, Graham Legget, Tony Iveson, Allan Wright, John Ellacombe,
Jack Rose, Ken Wilkinson, Tony Pickering, Michael Wainwright, John Freeborn, Terry Clark,
R L Jones, Owen Burns, Tom Neil.

Bookplate 2: Carries the original signatures of the following American pilots: 'Bud' Anderson, Bob Firsh,
Donald Strait, Frank Speer, Pete Pederson, Ray Mitchell, Chet Harker, Don Blakeslee, Punchy Powell,
Jim Goodson, Steve Pisanos, Wilson Edwards, Barney Nolan, Joe Peterburs. Arthur Bourque, Carl Constein.

Bookplate 3: Carries the original signatures of the following Bomber Command aircrew: Jack Bromfield, Eric Burke, Peter Green, Andrew Barron, Jack Booth, J E King, John Elliott, John Langston, Basil Fish, Frank Tilley, John Bell, Alex McKe, Grey-ward, Tony Iveson, Jack Watson, Harold Hernaman, John Chapman, Ken Read, Cliff Caley,
Roy Frenson, Alan Thomsett, Peter Langdon, Oliver Wells.

SOLD £195 OUT

Heroes All by Steve Bond Bookplate 1 Bookplate 3 Bookplate 4

Numbers 11 - 15

Bookplate 1: Carries the original signatures of the following Battle of Britain pilots: Bob Foster, Geoffrey Wellum, Graham Leggett, Tony Iveson, Allan Wright, John Ellacombe, Jack Rose, Ken Wilkinson, Tony Pickering,
Michael Wainwright, John Freeborn, Terry Clark, R L Jones, Owen Burns, Tom Neil.

Bookplate 2: Carries the original signatures of the following Bomber Command aircrew: Jack Bromfield, Eric Burke, Peter Green, Andrew Barron, Jack Booth, J E King, John Elliott, John Langston, Basil Fish, Frank Tilley, John Bell, Alex McKe, Grey-ward, Tony Iveson, Jack Watson, Harold Hernaman, John Chapman, Ken Read, Cliff Caley,
Roy Frenson, Alan Thomsett, Peter Langdon, Oliver Wells.

Bookplate 3: Carries the original signatures of the following American pilots: Carl Constein, Arthur Bourque,
Barney Nolan, Donald Strait, Don Blakeslee, Jim Goodson, Steve Pisanos, Bill Edwards.

£135

Heroes All by Steve Bond Bookplate 1 Bookplate 3

Numbers 16-26

£95

We will be joined on the Saturday by the following Battle of Britain Pilots:

Flying Officer Ken Wilkinson 19 Squadron,
Flight Lieutenant Owen Burns 235 Squadron,
Squadron Leader Nigel Rose 602 Squadron,
Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark DFM 219 Squadron,
Flight Lieutenant Bill Green 501 Squadron,
Wing Commander Terrance Kane 234 Squadron,
Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC AE 605 Squadron,
Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC AE 616 Squadron,
Air Commodore John Ellacombe CB DFC* 151 Squadron.

plus we will be having a special guest, which his name will be released nearer the time.

We will also be joined by the following distinguished airmen from all over the world:

Flight Lieutenant Jack Biggs.
Trained in America on the first Arnold Scheme course. Flew Hurricanes and Spitfires with 17 squadron in the Far East, including the defence of Calcutta. Later instructed on Harvards in India.

Warrant Officer Jack Bromfield.
WOp/AG. 21 OTU Moreton-in-Marsh, Wellington. 1659 HCU Topcliffe, Halifax. 158 Squadron Halifax) Lissett, 1944-45. Shot down 5 January 1945 on his 12th operation and taken prisoner.

Warrant Officer Eric Burke.
Navigator with 13 Squadron in Italy on Baltimores and Bostons, 1945 before moving to Greece. Later AHQ Communications Flt, Boston and 1 Reserve Flying School Panshanger, Anson until November 1952.

Warrant Officer Peter Green.
Flight Engineer. 1658 HCU Riccall, Halifax, then 102 (Halifax) Squadron, Pocklington 1944 – 45.
Completed 33 operations.

General Giacomo Metellini.
Joined Italian AF 1929. Flew CR.42’s during Spanish Civil War. G.50 in North Africa. Flew the Reggiane RE.2001 with 6th Stormo 2nd Fighter Group during the Malta campaign, claiming 2 victories. Night fighting unit in Northern Italy with CR.32. Rejoined Italian AF in 1949 and flew Spitfire, P-47D, F-84G and F-84F.

Flight Sergeant Bob O’Dell.
Started off as a trainee pilot on Tiger Moths, but was then re-mustered to Flight Engineer. Completed 13 operations with 408 (Goose) Squadron, Linton-on-Ouse, on Halifaxes in 1945.

Commander Jack Routley.
Joined Royal Navy as a pilot in Sep ’39. Flew Martlets with 805 Sqn in Western Desert 1941-43. Naval Fighter School Henstridge flying Seafires 1943-44. CO of 885 Sqn Hellcats, HMS Ruler and HMS Indefatigable 1944-45. CO 804 Sqn Sea Fury 1953-54.

Flight Lieutenant Eric Clarke.
Enlisted as Sergeant WOp/AG. 49 Squadron, Scampton, Hampden, Manchester and Lancaster; completed a full tour. Commissioned 2nd July 1942. 23 OTU Atherstone. 24 OTU Honeybourne.

Flying Officer John Elliott.
WOp. 83 OTU Peplow, Wellington. 1667 HCU Sandtoft, Halifax. 550 Squadron, North Killingholme, Lancaster. Completed a full tour including two flights in “Phantom of the Ruhr”.

Warrant Officer Clifford Caley
Served 1942-46 460 (RAAF), Squadron Lancasters, Flight Engineer, 31 Ops includes raids on
The Lapallice Submarine Pens, Caen (in support of D-Day) & The Rhur Valley.
Also witnessed a V2 launch whilst on a raid. Flew out of Binbrook.

Signing fees:
Please be aware that there will be two signing tables, all of the Battle of Britain pilots will be on one table with the signing fees going to the Battle of Britain Fighter Association.
£20 per item cash only.

The other table with the veterans on from all over the world will be split between two charities.
The signing fee will be £20 per item cash only.

We will be joined on the Sunday by the following:

Warrant Officer Peter Green.
Flight Engineer. 1658 HCU Riccall, Halifax, then 102 (Halifax) Squadron, Pocklington 1944 – 45.
Completed 33 operations.

Flying Officer George Cook.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner. 16 OTU Upper Heyford, Hampdens and Herefords. Completed a full tour on 49 Squadron Hampdens at Scampton, including the first two thousand-bomber raids. 14 OUT Cottesmore, Hampden. Retrained as Wireless Operator Mechanic and completed a further tour on 205 Squadron Catalinas at Koggala, Ceylon.

Flying Officer Andrew Barron.
Navigator. 223 Squadron (100 Group) Liberator Oulton. Completed a full tour. Later 196 Squadron Stirling, Shepherd’s Grove.

Flight Sergeant Roy Fensome.
Wireless Operator, 4 Radio School Madley, Proctor. 13 Air Gunnery School El Ballah, Anson. 216 Squadron Dakota / Halifax / Lancaster, Helwan 1945-46.

Sergeant Harry Hogben.
On deferred service worked in a shadow factory in Reading, building Spitfires. Then trained as a Liberator Flight Engineer, and ended up in air traffic control.

Flying Officer David Johnson.
Navigator with 356 Squadron in the Far East on Liberators. Supply dropping to the army in the Singapore/Sumatra area, and later ferried liberated POW’s.

Flight Sergeant John King.
Flight Engineer with 296 Squadron, Halifax, Earls Colne, 644 Squadron, Halifax, Tarrant Rushton,. Flew into German occupied Norway in 1945. Later 47 Squadron, Halifax, Fairford.

The signing fee will be £20 per item cash only

We are proud to announce that Nicolas Trudgian will be joining us launching two new stunning Battle of Britain pencil prints, also we will have a superb collection of original drawings by Nick, celebrating the Battle of Britain with some incredibly rare signatures.

Details of the prints will be released after our daughter Nicola's wedding which is the 7th August.

Please note that the office will be shut from Tuesday 3rd August until Thursday 12th August.

10th October Imperial War Museum, Duxford
We will have a large display of superb aviation art and signed books

More dates of the shows that we will be attending will be posted when confirmed.