They Landed by Moonlight Lysander By Philip West

Description

They Landed by Moonlight Lysander
By Philip West

Approx. overall prints size: 16½” x 23½”/ 42cms x 58cms

With little more than a map, compass and watch, Lysander pilots of the Special Operation Executive (SOE) roamed far and wide over Occupied Europe.
Mainly during full moon periods, they would deliver equipment to the Resistance, drop off secret agents then return to Britain with escaping aircrew or agents.
The skill and bravery of these pilots was remarkable.

The Artist Proof  Edition has been signed by two pilots
They Landed by Moonlight Lysander By Philip West

60 Prints in the  Artist Proof Edition £95.00
They Landed by Moonlight Lysander
By Philip West

Flight Lieutenant R G (Bob) Large, DFC, Legion d’Honneur, learned to fly in Scotland in 1940 and in 1941 joined 616 Squadron as part of the Tangmere Wing,
commanded by the famous legless pilot Wing Commander Douglas Bader. The Squadron flew Fighter and Bomber sweeps over Northern France.
The remains of Bob’s Spitfire lie at the bottom of the sea ten miles off Hythe (where he now lives) after being bounced by eighty plus ME 109Gs over the English Channel.

Having learned of the activities of 161 SD Squadron he was interviewed by the CO, Wing Commander Lewis Hodges, and joined the Lysander Flight.
He then flew many important missions into occupied France in single,
double and a memorable treble pickup when his excuse for being late at the rendezvous was that he had had a haircut “in the firm’s time” because “it grew in the firm’s time”!
After D-Day he returned to Fighter Command and later flew Meteors.
(Bob’s dog, Patrick, became the first dog in the Allied Forces to fly in a jet which took place in a Meteor 3 on 11th May 1946 and is now recorded in the Guinness Book of Records!)

Flight Lieutenant Murray Anderson, DFC*, US Air Medal, flew Spitfires with No 1 PRU then moved to No 4 PRU in Algiers before returning to England and joining 542 PR Squadron at Benson.
While here he brought back pictures of the “Prince Eugene” in Kiel Harbour.

Having trained on Lysanders in late 1940 he was happy to move to 161 SD Squadron at Tempsford in 1943, to be re-united with his favourite aircraft.
Among other difficult operations, he flew six double Lysander missions, all except one with his friend,
Leslie Whittaker, who had moved from PR work with him and who was killed during an operation in May 1944.
Andy’s navigational skill was obvious and on one triple operation he was able to recognise where an accompanying ‘lost’ pilot was from his description of the ground below and return him to the correct course to the pick up. He is also remembered for his records of sentimental French songs and his performances on the bagpipes.
In June 1944 he transferred to 2nd TAF to fly Mustangs after D-Day.
They Landed by Moonlight Lysander