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Gauntlet by Anthony Saunders.
Portsmouth August 26th 1940, the lone spitfire of Squadron Leader Sandy Johnstone breaks the ranks and picks off one of the menacing Heinkels only to encounter an equally determined attack from a BF109.
We were brought to readiness in the middle of lunch and scrambled to intercept mixed bag of 100+ Heinkel IIIs and DO 17s approaching Portsmouth from the South. The controller did a first class job and positioned us one thousand feet above the target. with the sun behind us, allowing us to spot the raiders from a long way off. No escorting Messchersmitts were in sight at the time, although a sizable force was to turn up soon after. then something strange happened. I was about to give a ticking off to our chaps for misusing the R/T when I realised I was listening to German voices. It appeared we were both using the same frequency and, although having no knowledge of the language it sounded from the monotonous flow of the conversation that they were unaware of our presence. as soon as we dived towards the leading formation, however we were assailed immediately to loud shouts of Achtung Spitfuern Spitfuern! as our bullets began to take their toll. In spite of having taken jerry by surprise our bag was only six, with others claimed as damaged, before the remainder dived for cloud cover and turned for home. In the meantime the escorting fighters were amongst us when two of our fellows were badly shot up. Hector Maclean stopped a cannon shell on his cockpit, blowing his foot off above the ankle although, in spite of his grave injuries, he managed to fly his spitfire back to Tangmere to land with wheels retracted. Cyril Babbages aircraft was also badly damaged in the action. forcing him to abandon it and take to his parachute. He was ultimately picked up by a rescue launch and put ashore at Bognor, having suffered only minor injuries. I personally accounted for one Heinkel III in the action (Sandy Johnson) .
No. 602 City of Glasgow auxiliary squadron was a household name long before WWII began. It had been the first auxiliary squadron to get into the air in 1925, two of its members, Lord Clydeside and David McIntyre were the first to fly over Mount Everest in 1933: the squadron sweeped the board in gunnery and bombing in 1935, beating the regular squadrons at their own game. It was the first auxiliary Squadron to be equipped with Spitfire Fighters as far back as March 1939 and it was the first squadron to shoot down the first enemy aircraft on British soil. The squadron moved south from Drem airfield in East Lothian on August 14th 1940 to relieve the already battered no. 145 squadron at Westhampnett, Tangmeres satelitte station in Sussex. The squadron suffered 5 casualties during the battle. The squadron remained at Westhampnett until December 1940 to be replaced by no. 610 auxiliary airforce squadron. No 602 squadron itself remained active up until 1957 when it was put into mothballs. |
| | AMAZING VALUE! - The value of the signatures on this item is in excess of the price of the print itself! | | Item Code : DHM0436 | Gauntlet by Anthony Saunders. - This Edition |  Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price! |
| | TYPE | EDITION DETAILS | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | YOUR PRICE | PURCHASING | | PRINT | Signed limited edition of 950 prints.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Image size 20 inches x 13 inches (51cm x 33cm) |  Johnstone, Sandy 
Mount, Micky
MacLean, Hector
+ Artist : Anthony Saunders
Signature(s) value alone : £190 | £40 Off! | Now : £160.00 |
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| Other editions of this item : | Gauntlet by Anthony Saunders. | DHM0436 |
| | TYPE | EDITION DETAILS | SIZE | SIGNATURES | OFFERS | YOUR PRICE | PURCHASING | | PRINT | Bonus signature edition of 10 prints from the signed limited edition of 950 prints.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Image size 20 inches x 13 inches (51cm x 33cm) | Johnstone, Sandy
Mount, Micky
MacLean, Hector
Thom, Alex
+ Artist : Anthony Saunders
Signature(s) value alone : £240 | £50 Off! | Now : £180.00 | VIEW EDITION... | GICLEE
CANVAS | Limited edition of 50 giclee canvas prints. | Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm) | Artist : Anthony Saunders
on separate certificate | £100 Off! | Now : £400.00 | VIEW EDITION... | ORIGINAL
PAINTING | Original painting by Anthony Saunders. | Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm) | Artist : Anthony Saunders | £2000 Off! | Now : £4800.00 | VIEW EDITION... | PRINT
(BORDER
DAMAGE) | Signed limited edition of 950 prints.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item! | Image size 20 inches x 13 inches (51cm x 33cm) |  Johnstone, Sandy 
Mount, Micky
MacLean, Hector
+ Artist : Anthony Saunders
Signature(s) value alone : £190 | £70 Off! | Now : £130.00 | VIEW EDITION... |
| | General descriptions of types of editions : |
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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 | 
Air Commodore Micky Mount CBE DSO DFC (deceased)
*Signature Value : £65
| Flying Officer Christopher John (Micky) Mount joined NO.602 squadron on August 8th 1940 after a brief conversion course on Spitfires. On August 18th his Spitfire L1005 was severely damaged in combat with JU 87s and BF109s over Ford. Micky was unhurt. he again escaped injury when his Spitfire X4270 was damaged landing at Tangmere. he served in many of the theatres of WW2 and he flew Hurricanes in Malta and North Africa and Wellingtons in the Middle east. Micky retired and lived in Ascot in Berkshire. He died 23rd July 2002. | 
Air Vice Marshal Sandy Johnstone CB DFC AE DL (deceased)
*Signature Value : £60
| Early in 1938, Alexander Vallance Riddell Johnstone, known as Sandy, was a civilian navigation instructor at Scottish Aviation, moving later to the Civil Air Navigation School at Prestwick. In August 1939 he was called to full-time service with 602 Squadron. After some Spitfire engagements off the Scottish coast, he received command of 602 - he was still only 24 - and led it south to the tiny airfield at West Hampnett, in West Sussex, where it was stationed throughout the Battle of Britain. Sandy was in command of no. 602 squadron during the critical days of the Battle of Britain, flying with the squadron before the war though to 1941, when he was posted to the Middle east, he also served with 229 and 249 squadrons in Malta during the Islands most fateful days of the war. Sandy became a successful author and resided near Ipswich in Suffolk. Sandy Johnstone died 13th December 2000, aged 84. | 
Wing Commander Hector MacLean (deceased)
*Signature Value : £65
| Hector was flying with No 602 squadron before war broke out. A gallant young man, his fighter pilot days were drawn to an abrupt halt on August 26th 1940 when his leg was severely injured during battle, but the war was by no means over. After his recovery he was posted to Rosemount for duty as a fighter controller, in the rank of Squadron Leader. Hector retired and lived in Kilmacolm near Glasgow. He died on 19th July 2007. |
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