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Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian. - Direct Art
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Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.


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Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.

They came across the English Channel at wave top height, their propeller slipstreams leaving wakes on the surface of the water. Nine Dornier Do17Z bombers of 9th Staffel, KG76, detailed to attack the RAF airfield at Kenley as part of Reichsmarshal Goring's prelude to Operation Sealion - the invasion of Britain. Hitler knew that RAF Fighter Command had to be destroyed in the air and on the ground if his plans were to succeed, but the German High Command failed to take into account the resilience of the young Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and their determination to hold this last vital line of defence. The Dorniers were spotted as they approached the English coast, and Hurricanes were scrambled to intercept. The German bombers cleared the North Downs with feet to spare and spread out into attack formation as they lined up on the hangars at Kenley. As they came in over the airfield Hurricanes of 111 Squadron came diving upon them. Suddenly all hell broke loose. Bombs rained down on to the airfield and buildings went up in flames. One Dornier was brought down and two more, badly damaged by ground fire, were finished off by the Hurricane pilots. Now the chase was on to catch the others before they could escape back to their base in Northern France. Only one of the nine Dorniers that set out would return to base on that 18th day of August, 1940.
AMAZING VALUE! - The value of the signatures on this item is in excess of the price of the print itself!
Item Code : DHM2054Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian. - This EditionAdd any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout! Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price!
TYPEEDITION DETAILSSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSYOUR PRICEPURCHASING
PRINT Signed limited edition of 600 prints.

Last 30 available of this sold out edition.

Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item!
Image size 26 inches x 16 inches (66cm x 41cm) Ingle, Alec
Ellacombe, John
Peel, John
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian


Signature(s) value alone : £160
£35 Off!Now : £155.00

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Fighter Legend - Johnnie Johnson by Nicolas Trudgian.
for £190 -
Save £160

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Revenge of the Raider by Ivan Berryman.
for £190 -
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Against All Odds by Philip West.
for £260 -
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Hurricane Patrol by Graeme Lothian. (C)
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RAF Tribute Print Pack!

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16 other prints in this pack :
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Titles in this pack :
First Flap of the Day by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)  (View This Item)
The Hunting Party by Ivan Berryman (B)  (View This Item)
Back from Normandy by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Normandy Breakout by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Bomber Force by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Home at Dawn by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Mynarskis Lanc by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Chadwick's Masterpiece by Ivan Berryman. (B)  (View This Item)
Trainbusters by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Night Raiders by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Mosquitos at Dusk by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Breakout. Amiens Raid by Mosquitos by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Ground Force by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Squadron Scramble by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Hurricane Country by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Sunday Afternoon by Geoffrey R Herickx.  (View This Item)

Aviation Prints - Mosquito and Hurricane.

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9 other prints in this pack :
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Pack price : £770 - Save £525

Titles in this pack :
Trainbusters by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Night Raiders by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Mosquitos at Dusk by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Breakout. Amiens Raid by Mosquitos by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Ground Force by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Squadron Scramble by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Hurricane Country by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Sunday Afternoon by Geoffrey R Herickx.  (View This Item)
Hurricane Mk.IIC by Ivan Berryman. (F)  (View This Item)

Prints of the Hawker Hurricane.

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4 other prints in this pack :
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Pack price : £460 - Save £220

Titles in this pack :
Ground Force by Ivan Berryman.  (View This Item)
Squadron Scramble by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Hurricane Country by Nicolas Trudgian.  (View This Item)
Hurricane Mk.IIC by Ivan Berryman. (F)  (View This Item)

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RAF Battle of Britain Hurricane Print Pack. - Save £290 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
RAF Hurricane Prints by Nicolas Trudgian. - Save £150 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
Battle of Britain Hurricane Signature Pack. - Save £340 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
Nicolas Trudgian Battle of Britain Aviation Art Pack. - Save £270 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
Hawker Hurricane Aviation Print Pack. - Save £250 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
Hawker Hurricane Pilot Signature Pack. - Save £285 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
Hurricane Pilot Signed Print Pack. - Save £300 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PURCHASE
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Other editions of this item : Holding the Line - The Battle of Britain by Nicolas Trudgian DHM2054
TYPEEDITION DETAILSSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSYOUR PRICEPURCHASING
ARTIST
PROOF
Limited edition of 60 artist proofs. Image size 26 inches x 16 inches (66cm x 41cm) Ingle, Alec
Ellacombe, John
Peel, John
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian


Signature(s) value alone : £160
£80 Off!Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!Now : £180.00VIEW EDITION...
PRINT Limited edition of 100 special artist reserve prints. Image size 26 inches x 16 inches (66cm x 41cm)Artist : Nicolas Trudgian£35 Off!Add any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!Now : £115.00VIEW EDITION...
FLYERPromotional Flyer A5 Size Double Sheet 6 inches x 8 inches (15m x 21cm)noneAdd any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!£2.00VIEW EDITION...
SLIGHT
BORDER
DAMAGE
Signed limited edition of 600 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 26 inches x 16 inches (66cm x 41cm) Ingle, Alec
Ellacombe, John
Peel, John
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian


Signature(s) value alone : £160
£65 Off!Now : £125.00VIEW EDITION...
EX-DISPLAY
PRINT
** (Ex Display) Signed limited edition of 600 prints. (Two copies reduced to clear)

SOLD OUT.
Image size 26 inches x 16 inches (66cm x 41cm) Ingle, Alec
Ellacombe, John
Peel, John
+ Artist : Nicolas Trudgian


Signature(s) value alone : £160
SOLD
OUT
VIEW EDITION...
General descriptions of types of editions :




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.
NameInfo


The signature of Air Commodore John Ellacombe CB DFC* (deceased)

Air Commodore John Ellacombe CB DFC* (deceased)
*Signature Value : £45

John Ellacombe joined the RAF in 1939 and was posted to 151 Squadron in July 1940, immediately converting to Hurricanes. On 24th August he shot down a He111, but a week later his Hurricane was blown up in combat and he baled out, with burns. Rejoining his squadron a few months later, in February 1941 was posted to 253 Squadron where he took part in the Dieppe operations. On 28th July, flying a Turbinlite Havoc, he probably destroyed a Do217. Converting to Mosquitos, John was posted to 487 Squadron RNZAF, and during the build up to the Normandy Invasion and after, was involved in many ground attacks on enemy held airfields, railways, and other targets of opportunity. He completed a total of 37 sorties on Mosquitos. Flying a de Havilland Mosquito XIII with a devastating set of four 20mm cannon in the nose, John Ellacombe flew deep into occupied France on the night before D-Day searching out and destroying German convoys and railway targets. As the Normandy campaign raged on, 151 Squadron intensified its interdiction sorties - including night attacks on Falaise and the Seine bridges. On August 1st Ellacombe took part in the famous attack by 23 Mosquitoes on the German bar-racks in Poitiers, led by Group Captain Wykeham Barnes. Ellacombe had first joined 151 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, direct from Flying Training School. Within weeks he had scored his first victory but also force landed in a field, having shot down a He 111, and baled out of a blazing Hurricane. He baled out a second time during the Dieppe Raid in 1942 but was picked up safely. Postwar he had a long and successful career in the RAE. Air Commodore John Ellacombe, who has died aged 94, survived being shot down three times during the Second World War - twice during the Battle of Britain. On August 15th 1940 the Luftwaffe launched Adler Tag (Eagle Day), with the object of destroying Fighter Command by attacking the ground organisation and drawing the RAF's fighters into the air. Nine Hurricanes of No 151 Squadron were scrambled during the afternoon and met enemy fighters near Dover at 18,000ft. Ellacombe attacked a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and fired three bursts. The enemy fighter rolled on to its back and dived into the sea. There was heavy fighting over the next few days, and on August 24 Ellacombe engaged a Heinkel III bomber. His fire hit its engines and the bomber crash-landed in Essex . During intense fighting on August 30 he attacked a formation of Heinkels head on. He hit one, which crashed, but return fire damaged the engine of his Hurricane and he was forced to land in a field, where a farmer accosted him with a pitchfork. On the following day Ellacombe damaged two Bf 109s before attacking a Junkers 88 bomber. When the Junkers returned fire, setting his Hurricane's fuel tank ablaze, he bailed out. As he drifted to the ground, a member of the Home Guard fired on him. He was then marched to a police station where he was assaulted by a constable who thought he was German. Later in life Ellacombe remarked: In two days, a farmer had attempted to kill me, the Home Guard had shot at me and a policeman had tried to kill me - quite apart from the Germans. I wondered whose side I was on. He received hospital treatment for his burns, and his fighting days during the Battle of Britain were over. After several months convalescing Ellacombe returned to No 151, which had been reassigned to night fighting. Equipped with the Hurricane and the Defiant, the squadron had little contact with the enemy; but Ellacombe developed a reputation for flying at night in the worst weather, and in April 1942 he was awarded a DFC for his service in the Battle of Britain and for showing the greatest keenness to engage the enemy. Posted to No 253 Squadron as a flight commander, he found night fighting dull, and volunteered for daylight operations. He flew in support of the ill-fated raid on Dieppe, and as he attacked a gun battery his aircraft was hit by flak. Ellacombe managed to get over the sea before bailing out and being picked up by a Canadian landing craft. After a rest tour, Ellacombe converted to the Mosquito before joining No 487 (NZ) Squadron, flying low-level intruder missions over France and the Low Countries. He attacked V-1 sites in the Pas de Calais and bombed roads and railways in support of the Normandy landings. He saw constant action attacking targets in support of the Allied armies and during the breakout from the Falaise pocket. After 37 intruder bombing patrols Ellacombe was rested and awarded a Bar to his DFC. He spent the remainder of the war on training duties, but still managed occasionally to take a Mosquito on an operational sortie. The son of an English doctor who had served during the Boer War, John Lawrence Wemyss Ellacombe was born at Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia, on February 28 1920 and educated at Diocesan College (Bishops) in Cape Town. In May 1939 he went to Britain to join the RAF, trained as a pilot and in July 1940 was posted to No 151 Squadron; he had never flown a Hurricane. Post-war he remained in the RAF, most of his flying appointments being in Fighter Command. After service in Aden he led No 1 Squadron, flying Meteor jets, and he commanded the Fighter Development Unit at the Central Fighter Establishment, developing tactics for the Hunter and Lightning . He served in Washington as a liaison officer with the USAF on fighter operations before commanding the RAF flying training base at Linton-on-Ouse, near York. Ellacombe was the senior serving representative at the Defence Operational Analysis Establishment, and on promotion to air commodore in 1968 was appointed Air Commander of Air Forces, Gulf, with headquarters at Muharraq, Bahrain. The withdrawal of British forces from Aden was scheduled for the end of that year, and Muharraq became a key staging post and support airfield . Ellacombe's calm handling of affairs in Bahrain was recognised by his appointment as CB. His final appointment was in the MoD, and he retired in 1973. Ellacombe then became Director of Scientific Services at St Thomas's Hospital in London, and later administrator to the hospital's trustees. A good cricketer and rugby player in his younger days, he played golf three times a week until he was 88, and he was a keen follower of Middlesex CCC. He particularly enjoyed watching his grandchildren play cricket (some of them at county junior level, including a granddaughter who turned out for Essex Ladies). John Ellacombe's wife, Mary, whom he married in 1951 when she was serving in the WRAF, had served on Winston Churchill's staff and been appointed OBE. She died in 2007, and he is survived by their son and two daughters. Air Commodore John Ellacombe, born February 28 1920, died May 11 2014.


Group Captain Alec Ingle (deceased)
*Signature Value : £50

Alec Ingle was commissioned in June 1940 and joined 615 Squadron at Drem flying Hurricanes before moving to Croydon during the Battle of Britain. He probably destroyed a Do17 in September; in October he shot down an Me109 and probably two more, and yet another victory in November, at which time he was appointed B Flight Commander. He later commanded 609 Squadron at Manston before leading 124 Wing in 1943 flying Typhoons. He was shot down in September 1943 after his Typhoon blew up in combat with an Fw190. Badly burned, he spent the remainder of the war as a POW in Stalag Luft III. Alec Ingle was awarded the AFC and DFC. Sadly Alec Ingle died on 31st July 1999.


The signature of Group Captain John Peel DFC DSO (deceased)

Group Captain John Peel DFC DSO (deceased)
*Signature Value : £65

Born 17th October 1911. John Peel is credited with having fired the first shots of the Battle of Britain. In July 1940, he commanded No.145 Sqn destroying one and sharing in the destruction of three German bombers. During the battle of Britain, he damaged or destroyed three enemy aircraft, and was himself shot down, crash landing on the Isle of Wight. After the Battle of Britain he served as a Wing Leader, once more being shot down - this time over the Channel, until in January 1943 he took a job in the Air Ministry, where he served until the end of the war. He died 7th January 2004.
The Aircraft :
NameInfo
HurricaneRoyal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon. All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.
Do17The Dornier 17 first saw action during the Spanish Civil war (1936-39) where it was faster than the enemies fighters and was nicknamed by the Spanish as Bacalaos which means Cod Fish. Full production started in March 1937 with a variety of variants including DO 17E and DO 17F for use as fast reconnaissance aircraft. During the opening months of world war two the Dornier 17 along with the older He 111 was the main bomber for the Luftwaffe, with three of the bomber groups operating Dornior 17's - KG2, KG3 and KG76. At the outbreak of the war a total of 533 Dornier were in frontline service. The aircraft did well during the Polish campaign - with a speed of 265 mph which was faster than the Polish defenders fighters. But during the Battle of Britian, when faced with the fast Royal Air Force fighters, the Dornier with its light armament was no match. In1940 with the new JU 88 being produced the Dornier was gradually replaced and production of the Do 17 ended in 1940

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