Brooks Aviation Art 

Strike and Return
Aircrew Edition
by Robert Taylor


A tribute to the bomber crews who flew with RAF Bomber Command throughout it's arduous six year campaign. True to their squadron motto “Strike and Return”, Lancasters of 460 Squadron RAAF, return to RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire following a daylight raid over Germany in the late winter of 1944.
Signed by four highly decorated pilots who flew with RAF Bomber Command during World War II. Pat Cardon - Bob Knights - Tony Iveson - Bill North.

24" x 30¾" Edition size: 400 $320

  See also: Collector's edition


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The signatories
Pat Cardon  Pat Cardon joined the RAF in 1932, and qualifying as a pilot served as an instructor at the
Central Flying School at Upavon. In 1942 he was released for operations, joining
15 Squadron at Mildenhall for his first tour, flying Lancasters. For his second tour
he volunteered for the Pathfinders, and joined firstly 35 Squadron at Gravely on
Halifaxes, and then 582 Squadron at Little Staunton, on Lancasters. He finished the war
with 66 operations.
* 
Bob Knights  Joining the RAF in April 1941, after training as a pilot Bob Knights flew Wellingtons,
Manchesters, and then Lancasters, joining 619 Squadron at Woodall Spa in 1943. Here he
completed 26 operations on his first tour. In January 1944 he was posted to join
Cheshire’s 617 Squadron, again at Woodall Spa, where he completed 44 operations,
including precision attacks on factories, U-boat and E-boat pens, rocket sites, and three
attacks on the Tirpitz. After the war he joined BOAC, and retired in 1975. 
*
Tony Iveson  Tony Iveson fought in the Battle of Britain with RAF Fighter Command, as a Sergeant
pilot, joining 616 Squadron at Kenley flying Spitfires, on 2 September 1940.
Commissioned in 1942, Tony then undertook his second tour transferring to RAF Bomber
Command, where he eventually was selected to join the famous 617 Squadron, flying
Lancasters. He took part in most of 617 Squadron’s high precision and pin-point bombing
operations, including all three sorties against the German battleship Tirpitz, and went on
to become one of the most respected and prominent pilots in that famous squadron. 
*
Bill North  Flying Lancasters with 61 Squadron, in 1944 he was shot down over northern France.
With his aircraft badly hit, he gave the order to bale out, but as some of the crew had
damaged parachutes, he elected to stay with the aircraft and crash-land. Despite being
badly wounded, he managed to land his Lancaster at night, and every crewmember
walked away – two of them evading capture and returned to England. Bill spent the rest
of the war a POW 
*