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| Dambusters - The Morning After by Gerald Coulson.
Just after midnight, on the night of 16/17 May 1943, Lancaster crews of 617 Squadron undertook what was to become the most remarkable and probably best remembered air raid of the Second World War. Flying all the way from their base in England in darkness at tree-top height, with just the light of the moon to guide them, the specially selected crews made a surprise attack on the mighty hydro-electric dams in the Ruhr. Flying specially modified aircraft, each Lancaster was equipped with the unique cylindrical hydro-statically detonated bomb as conceived by Barnes Wallis. This huge device when released from the aircraft flying at exactly 230mph and at the precise height of 60 ft spun onto the surface of the water. To achieve the critical height above the water at moment of release, two beams of light, from front and aft, were projected from the aircraft on to the surface of the water, creating a neat figure-of-eight on the surface below. As each bomb bounced across the water towards its target, it struck the dam wall, sank to the pre-set depth, and exploded. The results were devastating. Led by the mercurial Squadron Leader Guy Gibson, ignoring furious defensive gunfire while flying perilously close to the water, each crew made their precision run at the target, released their deadly bomb, and those lucky enough to survive the barrage of tracer shells and anti-aircraft fire, escaped into the darkness. Not all of them did. In the space of those few, highly charged minutes, the Lancaster crews of 617 Squadron wrote their names into history. Sixty-four years on, the memory of their exploits and the courage displayed by the crews on that historic raid, together with the genius of Bames Wallis, remain undimmed. Gerald Coulsons painting shows a single Lancaster of 617 Squadron, one of the lucky ones having made it safely back to base, proudly standing alone as if in tribute to those that didn't return. |
| AMAZING VALUE! - The value of the signatures on this item is in excess of the price of the print itself! | Item Code : DHM2641 | Dambusters - The Morning After by Gerald Coulson. - This Edition | Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price! |
| TYPE | EDITION DETAILS | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | YOUR PRICE | PURCHASING | PRINT | Signed limited edition of 450 prints.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Image size 20.5 inches x 12.5 inches (52cm x 32cm) | Grayston, Raymond E Johnson, George L Lucas, Kenneth + Artist : Gerald Coulson
Signature(s) value alone : £140 | £45 Off! | Now : £135.00 |
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Other editions of this item : | Dambusters - The Morning After by Gerald Coulson. | DHM2641 |
| TYPE | EDITION DETAILS | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | YOUR PRICE | PURCHASING | ARTIST PROOF | Limited edition of 50 artist proofs.
SOLD OUT. | Image size 20.5 inches x 12.5 inches (52cm x 32cm) | Todd, Richard Grayston, Raymond E Johnson, George L Lucas, Kenneth + Artist : Gerald Coulson
Signature(s) value alone : £170 | | SOLD OUT | VIEW EDITION... | SLIGHT BORDER DAMAGE | Signed limited edition of 450 prints.
The print has slight damage to the border area, mostly on a corner. Not noticeable once framed. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Image size 20.5 inches x 12.5 inches (52cm x 32cm) | Grayston, Raymond E Johnson, George L Lucas, Kenneth + Artist : Gerald Coulson
Signature(s) value alone : £140 | | £130.00 | VIEW EDITION... | EX-DISPLAY PRINT | **Signed limited edition of 450 prints. (One print reduced to clear)
Ex display prints in near perfect condition. Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Image size 20.5 inches x 12.5 inches (52cm x 32cm) | Grayston, Raymond E Johnson, George L Lucas, Kenneth + Artist : Gerald Coulson
Signature(s) value alone : £140 | £80 Off! | Now : £120.00 | VIEW EDITION... |
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Extra Details : | About this edition : |
A photograph of this print, showing the pilot signatures in the border.
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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 |
Corporal Kenneth Lucas (deceased) *Signature Value : £30
| Ken Lucas joined the RAF in June 1940, and trained as ground crew for bomber Command. He was sent first to 49 Squadron at RAF Scampton, before transferring to 617 Squadron upon its formation, Involved in all the major servicing of the aircraft before the raid including fitting the motors that drove the belt that spun the bomb, and attaching the critical lamps to the underside of the aircraft. Sadly, Ken Lucas passed away in January 2011. |
Sergeant Raymond E. Grayston (deceased) *Signature Value : £65
| Ray Grayston had been serving in 50 Squadron when he was posted to 617 Squadron in March 1943. The flight engineer of Les Knights Lancaster AJ-N, they attacked and successfully breached the Eder Dam, Ray was shot down on 16th September 1943, and was taken to Stalag Luft III as a POW. Sadly, we have learned that Ray Grayston passed away on 15th April 2010. |
Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased) *Signature Value : £45
| Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022. |
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