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Squadron Leader L S Benny Goodman Signed Naval Art
Squadron Leader L S Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman (Pilot) volunteered for aircrew at 18 years of age and was called up in 1940. After basic training he went to RAF Abingdon - a Whitley OTU - for what he was told would be straight through training. This did not materialise and he found himself in the role of a Ground Gunner. In 1941, a posting eventually came through to the Initial Training Wing followed by Elementary Fyling School at Peterborough and an instructors course at Woodley, Reading; then to Clyffe Pyparde, a holding unit. A sea journey to Canada followed and Service Flying Training School on Ansons. On completion he was posted to Kingston, Ontario, to instruct Acting Leading Naval Airmen on the Royal Navy tactics of the time, e.g. jinking after take off, dive bombing, etc. Eventually he returned to the UK and OTU on Wellingtons at Silverstone and Heavy Conversion Bomber Unit at Swinderby on Stirlings, followed by a short course at the Lancaster Conversion Unit. After an interview Benny and his crew were surprised and delighted to find they had been selected for 617 squadron - this was in 1944 and they had stayed together as a crew on 617 squadron until the war in Europe ended. He completed 30 missions - all with Jock Burnett as his flight engineer. Notable raids Jock took part in were on the Tirpitz, 29th October 1944, dropping the Grand Slam 22,000 bomb on the Arnsberg Viaduct, 19th March 1945, and the attack on Berchtesgarten Eagles Nest, 25th May 1945. Benny Goodman died in July 2021.
| Squadron Leader L S Benny Goodman - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
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| Text for the above items : |
Legends of the Air by Philip West. Probably the most famous RAF Squadron in history, mainly due to the audacious Dambuster raid in 1943. Other notably successful missions flying their Avro Lancaster bombers included precision raids on the mighty German battleship Tirpitz, U-boat pens, railways, V-weapons sites, canals and bridges. Through their skill and bravery 617 Sqn. crews received many high honours including V.Cs for Wing Commander Guy Gibson and Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire. |
Under Cover of the Night by Simon Smith. No text for this item |
Moonlit Lancaster by Gerald Coulson. No text for this item |
Lancaster Attack by David Pritchard.(B) 12th Janaury 1945 and the Lancatsers of 9 and 617 squadrons are once again taking their deadly cargo of Tallboy bombs over enemy territory. This time it is the turn of the U boat pens at Bergen in Norway. En route home the bombers are bounced by FW 190s of JG5. One of the Luftwaffe Pilots in White1, Heinze Owlowski, believes he has made a fatal attack on Lancaster KC-M piloted by Squadron Leader Tony Iveson. He salutes the crew before doing a victory roll in front of the badly damaged bomber. However, thanks to the bravery and skill of its young pilot the Lancaster would actually make it home to a force land on 3 engines at Dumburgh in the Shetland Isles. A feat for which the Squadorn Leader Iveson recieved his D.F.C. This Print was split into dfferent editions signed by different groups of crew, this edition is not signed by the artist. |
The Night Shift by Philip West. The Short Stirling was the RAFs first four-engined bomber to enter service and it served throughout WWII in many roles including bomber, minelayer, troop carrier and glider-tug. The lack of power produced by its engines severely limited the loads carried by Stirlings. On long-range trips such as Italy, even with a greatly reduced bomb load the aircraft could barely clear the Alps. Despite very large losses due to its operational limitations, those that flew this big, agile aircraft, came to respect and look upon it with it with affection. |
Welcome Home by Stephen Brown. A flak-damaged Lancaster of 617 Squadron struggles across the airfield perimeter as it returns to base after a precision raid over enemy territory. After writing a new chapter in aviation history with the famous Dams Raid of May 1943, 617 Squadron went on to execute many more daring operations including the sinking of the Tirpitz. Often flying specially modified Lancasters with enlarged bomb bay doors to accommodate the huge 12,000lb Tallboy, they specialised in high value precision targets such as canals, tunnels and U-Boat pens. |
Target Bearing 270 by Robert Taylor. At sunrise on 12 November, 1944, led by Wing Commander James Tait, Lancasters of 617 Squadron RAF prepare to make their bombing run on the German battleship Tirpitz, lying in the Norwegian fjord at Tromso. |
The Bomber Boys by James Dietz. On the night of 16 / 17 May 1943, in one of the most daring low-level missions of the war, the men of newly-formed 617 Squadron, under the command of Guy Gibson, attacked the great dams of the Ruhr. The story of their audacious raid gained the squadron immediate fame and thereafter they would be known simply as the 'Dambusters'. But for the hundreds of airmen who followed in their footsteps, the destruction of the great dams was merely the beginning for this new squadron of low-flying, precision-bombing experts. Over the next two years their courageous exploits would earn the respect of the world. They did so under the command of some of Bomber Command's greatest leaders. Following in Gibson's footsteps were men such as the inspirational Leonard Cheshire VC, described by the London Gazette as having 'a reputation second to none in Bomber Command', and who helped pioneer precision target marking and the accurate delivery of Barnes Wallis's new deep-penetration 'earthquake' Tallboy bombs, especially in the operations against V-weapon sites in northern France. Cheshire's worthy successor was James Tait, who led the raids against the Tirpitz and whose Tallboy bomb eventually sank the mighty German battleship. In December 1944, having completed over 100 operations, Tait handed over the reins to Canadian Jimmy Farquier - described as probably the finest bomber pilot in the RCAF - and the man who would lead 617 Squadron until the last raid of the war. Under his stewardship the airmen of 617 Squadron were to reach new heights of fame, delivering Tallboy's massive big brother - the Grand Slam - Barnes Wallis's piéce-de-résistance, a 22,000lb bomb whose warhead contained over 9,000lbs of explosive, making it the most powerful conventional bomb of World War II. In the capable hands of 617 Squadron's specially modified Lancasters, they destroyed targets such as the great Arnsberg and Bielefeld viaducts, and the seemingly indestructible Valentin U-boat pens on the banks of the River Weser, whose huge 15ft walls supported a roof that in places was 23ft thick. The squadron flew their last mission of the war on 25 April 1945, their Tallboys helping to destroy much of Hitler's once-fabled mountain retreat at Obersalzberg. This highly detailed and carefully researched painting fittingly depicts this famous unit to represent all those who served with Bomber Command during World War II. The crews have just returned safely to RAF Scampton after a long, hazardous raid over enemy territory. Tired, weary and thankful to have made it back in one piece, they can at last stretch their legs and enjoy some welcome refreshments before heading off to de-brief and a much-needed rest. |
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