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Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC Signed Naval Art
Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC
Joining the RAFVR in April 1939, Percival Beake was mobilised at the outbreak of war. Posted to 64 Squadron on Spitfires in the summer of 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain, he flew with them until June 1941 when he was posted first to 92 Squadron at Biggin Hill, and then 601 Squadron at Duxford. After a spell instructing he returned for his second tour in December 1942, joining 193 Squadron as a Flight Commander. In May 1944 he took command of 164 Squadron at Thorney Island flying Typhoons, moving to France shortly after the Normandy Invasion. With two victories to his credit he was awarded the DFC in September 1944.
Starting with 6th August 1944 my log book records that a successful attack was carried out on an enemy strong point in a quarry and that on the following morning I flew home on a very rare 48 hour leave. For a few days after my return we had only one specific target - an enemy dump which we effectively bombarded with rockets on 11th August - so we were deployed on armed reconnaissances. After landing from one of these on 13th August my Wing Commander, Walter Dring, called me to his caravan and said - Beaky, you have just done your last op. You are not to fly again and that is an order, until returning to the UK. I am arranging for your relief as soon as possible. - I was absolutely stunned and my lasting memory of that period is not of carnage but of acute embarrassment at having been grounded. I just hated sending the squadron up without myself leading and remember making frequent calls to the met office hoping to get forecasts of filthy weather that would make operational flying impossible. In the event, my relief, Squadron Leader Ian Waddy, was shot down by flak within two or three days of taking over command, so maybe Wally Dring had some sort of premonition that prompted my grounding.
Percival Beake died on 25th June 2016.
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| Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Squadron Leader Percival H. Beake DFC - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
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Spitfires Over the Needles by Philip West. Battle of Britain, July 1940. Spitfires of 609 Squadron returning to their satellite station airfield at Warmwell to re-arm and re-fuel, following an intercept mission against enemy aircraft trying to disrupt shipping along the South Coast of England. Like many other RAF Squadrons, No 609 the (West Riding) Auxiliary Squadron distinguished itself in many great air battles with honour and courage. |
Closing the Gap by Robert Taylor. As Typhoon Mk1b fighter-bombers of 247 Squadron exit the target area near Falaise at full throttle, the havoc wreaked in their wake bears witness to the devastation of their powerful rockets. Fuel and ammunition from the retreating German column explode with shattering detonations, the savagery of the attack demoralising the enemy into stunned oblivion. The Typhoons will hurtle back to base to re-arm and hastily re-fuel, ready for yet another withering strike on the encircled Wehrmacht columns. This stunning rendition from the the worlds premier aviation artist pays tribute to the brave young RAF fighter pilots of the twenty squadrons of rocket-firing Hawker Typhoons who flew those perilous ground attacks during the Battle of Normandy. |
Rocket Firing Typhoons at the Falaise Gap - Normandy 1944 by Frank Wootton. Perhaps the most historically significant painting by Frank Wootton, painted onthe site of the battle just a few days after it took place. |
Portrait of Pilot Officer Percival Beake, 64 Sqn (2nd Ver.) by David Pritchard No text for this item |
Portrait of Pilot Officer Percival Beake, 64 Sqn by David Pritchard No text for this item |
Fleeting Moments by Philip West. Few people become a legend in their own lifetime. Douglas Bader was one such person. An exceptional pilot and leader, t the age of 21, as a young RAF officer, he had both legs amputated after he crashed his aircraft. Through sheer guts and determination he learnt not only to walk again, but also fly, subsequently becoming the RAFs most famous WW2 fighter pilot. Flying his Spitfire with the unmistakable DB markings, Wing Commander Bader with his wingman close by, heads home to Tangmere after another successful, action-packed day, taking on swarms of enemy aircraft intent on wreaking havoc over the south of England. |
Coastal Patrol by Richard Taylor. Mk I Spitfires of 610 Squadron flying a defensive patrol low over the White Cliffs during the height of the Battle of Britain in August 1940. A superb painting that symbolises a crucial period in history. |
Those Valiant Few by Robert Taylor. The Battle of Britain commenced at the beginning of June 1940, and for the next two and a half gruelling months the young men of Royal Air Force Fighter Command, duelled with the cream of Goerings Luftwaffe over the skies of southern England. It was to become the greatest aerial conflict in aviation history. Always outnumberd, the valiant young pilots fought with a determined fierceness and intensity, and never once did their spirit waiver. By the end of September the battle was won, but many had made the ultimate sacrifice. |
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