SMATZ014 This is a giant 12" x 8" original hand signed photo for WW2 veteran Jim Wright who has personally autographed the souvenir where his signature rests perfectly accompanying his plane from the war undedicated and in mint condition. You wont source better.
"Jim was a civil servant before joining the Royal Air Force in May 1941. He carried out two tours on 61, 630 and 97 Squadrons. Although he wanted to be a pilot, there was a shortage of navigators. He was called up to Regents Park and then posted to an initial training wing at Catterick. He went to Eastbourne College for elementary air navigation training. He observed a couple of Me-109s hitting the railway station. Jim was posted to Heaton Park and went to No. 13 Air Navigation School at Port Albert, Canada, and came top of his course. He was commissioned at RACF Moncton and returned to RAF Harrogate where he met his future wife.
In January 1943, Jim did a course on Tiger Moths at RAF Scone, followed by RAF Skegness where he learnt escape and evasion on the continent. Anson flying in RAF Barrow in Furness followed and Jim was posted to an operational training unit at RAF Upper Heyford. They crewed up and he learnt to fly as a Wellington bomber crew.
Jim recalls doing nickel flights, sending back their position by racing pigeon. He describes the importance of navigational features, honesty in reporting and winning the trust of the crew. He attributes the loss of aircraft in the Nuremberg operation to some navigators lacking the courage of their convictions in detecting wind speeds. He points out how the Germans made use of Bomber Commands navigation equipment.
Jim reports on the fight for the Bomber Command campaign medal. After the war, Jim joined British Overseas Airways Corporation."