Whom You Know: RAF BOOK OF HEROES LISTING 107 SIGNATURES OF BATTLE OF BRITAIN PILOTS MAKES £33,600 AT BONHAMS

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

RAF BOOK OF HEROES LISTING 107 SIGNATURES OF BATTLE OF BRITAIN PILOTS MAKES £33,600 AT BONHAMS

CHURCHILL COMMENDED DOUGLAS BADER NOT TO LOSE IT
A small leather-bound book that powerfully evokes ‘The Few’ of WWII Battle of Britain, listing 107 signatures of RAF flying officers, sold at Bonhams Militaria Sale in Oxford today, August 2^nd, for £33,600. The pre-sale estimate was just £6,000 to £8,000. It went to a private British buyer.
Collected by Norman Phillips, a mess steward at RAF Marklesham Heath in 1941, the little book’s leather cover was apparently cut from a mess chair by Group Captain Douglas Bader CBE, DSO & Bar,DFC, whose remarkable story – flying again after losing both his legs – was the basis of the film ‘Reach for the Sky’.
Winston Churchill, in a conversation with Douglas Bader, referred to the book as "not a book of names, but a book of heroes. God forbid it should ever be lost." The book contains the signatures of the following, as well as many others. Squadron Leader D. R. S. Bader D.S.O., D.F.C. and bar, C.O. 242 Squadron. Squadron Leader R.R. Stanford-Tuck D.S.O., D.S.C. and bar, C. O. 257 Squadron. Wing Commander A.D. Farquhar D.F.C., 257 Squadron. Squadron Leader A.W.A. Bayne D.F.C. 17 Squadron.
There are also signatures from American Volunteers, 71 American Eagle Squadron, and other Canadian, Australian, Polish, and Czech pilots, many of whom did not survive the War.
Robin Lucas, Head of Antique Arms and Militaria at Bonhams Oxford said after the sale: “There was so much pre-sale interest in this item from media in this country, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Poland it’s hardly surprising that it did so well. It is part of our historical DNA.”
The 316 lot sale made a total of £230,712 with 100% by value and 99.36% by lot sold.

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest
auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further three throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 27 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com

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