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Signatures on this item | |
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
Name | Info |
Colonel Darrell G Welch (deceased) *Signature Value : £55 | Commissioned in 1941, Darrell Welch was assigned to the 27th Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group, which became the first squadron to be equipped with the new P38 Lightning. Arriving in England in August 1942, the 1st Fighter Group was part of a large American force despatched to Algiers in November for the North African campaign, where he made his first kill in January 1943 while escorting B17s over Tripoli. A few months later, whilst leading the 27th on a big intercept mission, Welch became an Ace when he notched up a further three victories in the space of just twenty five minutes, bringing his tally up to five confirmed victories. He later saw service in the Pacific, and retired the service in 1970. He died on 13th January 2015. |
Colonel Jack M Ilfrey (deceased) *Signature Value : £60 | Posted to North Africa with the 94th Fighter Group, Jack Ilfrey lost a belly tank transiting from England and force-landed at Lisbon. He avoided internment by conning some fuel and making an unauthorised take-off. He became one of the early P-38 Aces, and historians now say the very first P-38 Ace. Back in England in 1944 he commanded the 79th P-38 Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, at Kingscliffe, and ended his tow-tour war with 8 victories. Sadly, Jack Ilfrey died on 15th October 2004. |
Lt Colonel Frank D Hurlbut (deceased) *Signature Value : £35 | Frank Hurlbut joined the National Guard in early 1940 before being activated following the Japanese Attack at Pearl Harbor. He was posted to the 82nd Fighter Group, 96th FS flying P38s in Europe. He became a P38 Ace on 10th July 1943 during a notable fighter sweep in which his Group was credited with 10 kills. Frank Hurlbut flew over 50 combat missions and scored nine confirmed victories, all in Europe, making him the second highest Ace in the 12th Air Force. In Italy, in the summer of 1944, where he flew P38s with the 96th FS. Attacking targets of opportunity and strafing trains, the squadron escorted the heavy bombers that attacked aircraft. We have learned (2017) that Frank Hurlbut has died. |
Major Newell O Roberts (deceased) *Signature Value : £40 | Capt. Newell O. Roberts, 94th Fighter Squadron with 5 victories. His first victory was one of two Me110 over Gabes in Southern Tunisia. Passed away 6th June 2010. |
Major Thomas E Maloney (deceased) *Signature Value : £45 | Maj. Thomas E. Maloney, the highest scoring ace in 27th Fighter Squadron history with 8 victories. By scoring five kills during the war, he became an ace May 31, 1944, and by August 15th he had racked-up eight air victories. On August 19th he was already on his second combat mission of the day, his 64th, and last. After the dive-bombing, Maloney's flight looked for targets of opportunity. Repeatedly strafing a German train, Maloney's bullets caused secondary explosions sending debris and rolling stock higher into the air than his attacking aircraft. One of his engines was hit. It started losing oil pressure and he shut it off. With an escort of three other 27th fighters he headed for the Mediterranean Sea. His other engine began failing, and he was down to 800 feet above the water, too low to bail out. He bellylanded the aircraft in the water. Maloney said his P-38 floated like a crowbar. It started to sink immediately, even before it had stopped moving forward, almost taking him to the bottom. The tall pilot squeezed into his inner tube-size dinghy and waved to his circling flight to let them know he was OK. He expected a quick rescue, but he actually spent 10 days evading enemy forces until rescued by French soldiers and returned to the U.S. As Major Maloney recovered from his wounds in the hospital, Col. R.S. Richard, 1st Pursuit Group commander, decreed that any 27th Fighter Squadron aircraft bearing the number 23 would permanently be known as Maloney's Pony, the colorful moniker Major Maloney chose for his P-38. After rehabilitation Maloney was medically retired as a major in October 1947. He went back to school, then went on to become president of his own oil and gas drilling company. On December 5th 2008 Maloney was inducted into the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame. Tom Maloney passed away on November 16th, 2008. |
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