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Tom Gleave
| Group Captain Tom Gleave (deceased) Gleave joined the RAF in 1930 after returning to Britain, qualifying as an exceptional pilot before serving with No. 1 Squadron and later as a flying instructor. At the outbreak of the Second World War he held staff appointments before taking command of No. 253 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. In August 1940 he was shot down and severely burned, undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery under Sir Archibald McIndoe at Queen Victoria Hospital, where he became a founding member and later Vice-President of the Guinea Pig Club. Returning to flying within a year, he commanded RAF Manston during the Channel Dash and the Dieppe operation, championing improvements that led to the construction of a long concrete runway to aid damaged returning aircraft. Promoted to Group Captain, Gleave played a pivotal role in Allied air planning, co-authoring the air strategy for Operation Overlord and later serving as Head of Air Plans at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. His wartime service earned him numerous British and international honours, including the CBE, the French Légion d'Honneur and the US Bronze Star. After retiring from the RAF in 1953, he became an official historian with the Cabinet Office and remained a leading figure in the Guinea Pig Club and the Battle of Britain Fighter Association until his death in 1993. |
Items Signed by Group Captain Tom Gleave (deceased) |
  | Moment of Time by Geoff Nutkins Price : £120.00 | Squadron Leader Tom Gleave of No.253 Squadron attacking a Junkers Ju88 high above Shoreham, Kent on 31st August 1940. Signed by Group Captain T P Gleave, CBE Wing Commander A G Page, DSO, DFC & Bar Air Vice-Marshal E D Crew, CB...... | |
 | Hurricanes from Kenley by Michael Turner SOLD OUT | A flight of 253 Squadron Hurricanes taking off from Kenley in August 1940, led by Sqn.Ldr. Tom Gleave....... | NOT AVAILABLE |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Group Captain Tom Gleave (deceased) |
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