#1100 Tornado F3
Purchased products will not feature the Squadron Prints watermark
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1100 - Tornado F3 ZH554 ;JU-C\' and ZE791 \'JU-L\', 111(Fighter) Squadron, RAF Leuchars.
Flying Officer Stanley Dudley Pierce Connors was born on 8 April 1912 and was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Reserves in March 1936. He was eventually posted to 111(F) Squadron on 27 June 1938 at RAF Northolt. On 18 May 1940, Connors downed a Ju88 and a Bf109. A day later, he shot down three He111s and a Ju88. Six days after being appointed ‘B’ Flight Commander, on 31 May, he possibly shot down another Bf109 and was awarded the DFC. On 2 June he had an unconfirmed He111 hit but on 7 June he would claim a Bf109. He claimed another Bf109 on 19 July, with another damaged on 25 July. He shared a probable downing of a Ju88 on 31 July, shot down a Bf109 on 11 August, destroyed a Ju88 and a Bf110 on 15 August, damaged a Do17 a day later and probably shot down a Do17 on 18 August. This was proven to be his last, as his Hurricane, R4187, was shot down by anti-aircraft fire the same day, killing F.O. Connors. To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Tornado F3, ZH554, bears the name of S. D. P. Connors on the front canopy and wartime code ‘JU-C’ is applied to the tail.
Sgt William Lawrence Dymond was born on 11 November 1917 and joined the Royal Air Force in September 1935. Almost a year later, in August 1936, he graduated as a pilot and was posted to 111(F) Squadron. Whilst flying the Hurricane I, Dymond destroyed two He111s on 10 April 1940, two Do17s on 18 May over France, on 31 May two further He111s and on 11 June 1940 a Bf109. On 13 August 1940 he again destroyed a Do17 and damaged another. He destroyed a Bf110 and a Do17 on 15 August, with possibly another Do17 shot down and damaged two Bf110s. A day later Dymond damaged another Do17, whilst on the 18 August he shot down another and damaged a second Do17. He shared the kill of a He111 on 24 August and on 30 August, he damaged a Bf110. On 2 September 1940, whilst engaged in combat over the Thames Estuary, Dymond was shot down and killed flying Hurricane P3875. Four days later he was awarded the DFM. The second Tornado F3 with the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain markings is ZE791. Code ‘JU-L’ is applied to the tail and W.L. Dymond’s name proudly displayed underneath the front cockpit.
111(F) Squadron received the first Hawker Hurricanes in 1937, making it the first squadron in the Royal Air Force to be equipped with this high-performance fighter. The Squadron was fully operational by the outbreak of World War II and shot down its first enemy aircraft on 29 November 1939. “Treble One” moved to Drem on 7 December 1939 but was sent to Wick on 27 February 1940 for Scapa defence. On 13 May, however, it moved to Northolt for patrols over France and in six days the Squadron claimed sixteen enemy aircraft destroyed. During the Battle of Britain, it first flew patrols over the Channel and later over the South East of England. During this time, 111(F) Squadron claimed ninety-four enemy aircraft destroyed with the loss of fifteen pilots in battle. It was engaged in action until 8 September when Treble One flew north to be based at Drem, only to be moved to Dyce a month later on 12 October. In the first half of 1941 the Hurricanes were exchanged for Supermarine Spitfires, starting a new chapter for the Squadron.