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Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger (deceased) - Art prints and originals signed by Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger (deceased)

Cyril Bam Bamberger

Cyril Bam Bamberger
The signature of Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger (deceased)

3 / 2 / 2008Died : 3 / 2 / 2008

Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger (deceased)

Born in Port Sunlight on May 4th 1919, Cyril Bamberger won an electrical engineering apprenticeship at Lever Brothers in 1934. He joined 610 Squadron AuxAF, in 1936 on the ground staff. Accepted for pilot training with the RAF VR in late 1938, he soloed in mid 1939. Bamberger was called up at the outbreak of war and on the 23rd October 1939 was posted to No 8 EFTS, Woodley and later went to 9 FTS, Hullavington to complete his training. He rejoined 610 (F) Squadron at Biggin Hill on July 27th but with no experience on Spitfires, he was sent to Hawarden for three weeks. Back with 610 (F) Squadron, Bamberger claimed a probable Bf109 on August 28th 1940. He was posted to 41 (F) Squadron at Hornchurch, Essex, September 17th and on October 5th he claimed a Bf109 destroyed. After volunteering for Malta, Bamberger left 41 (F) Squadron in mid-October 1940. He sailed from Glasgow on the Aircraft Carrier HMS Argus. Luckily for him, he did not fly off for Malta with the twelve Hurricanes ad two navigating Skuas which did. Only five of the fourteen aircraft reached their destination. Bamberger eventually reached Malta on November 28th on the destroyer HMS Hotspur, and on arrival he joined 261 Squadron. On January 18th 1941 he destroyed a Junkers JU87 Stuka and another the following day. 261 Squadron was dispended on May 21st 1941. Bamberger moved on the 12th to the newly formed 185 (F) Squadron at Hal Far. He was posted back to England on June 12th and was sent to Central Gunnery School at Sutton Bridge. Commissioned in February 1942, he was posted to Northern Ireland as a Gunnery Officer with the Americans who were converting to Spitfires. In March 1943 Bamberger volunteered for North Africa where he joined 93 Squadron at Hal Far, Malta in May. On July 13th operating over Sicily, he shot down a Junkers JU87 Stuka. In August Bamberger joined 243 Squadron in Sicily as a Flight Commander. He was awarded the DFC (28.09.43). On October 16th Bamberger damaged a Bf109, his first success after 243 crossed into Italy. On May 25th 1944 he claimed a Bf109 destroyed and on June 15th a Macci 202 damaged. Bamberger came off operations in July for medical reasons returning to the UK. He was sent on an instructors course and in early 1945 was posted to the Gunnery School at Catfoss. Awarded a bar to his DFC (14.11.44). Bamberger received it from the King at Buckingham Palace on July 3rd 1945. Released in 1946, Bamberger returned to Lever Brothers and rejoined 610 Squadron at Hooten Park, becoming its CO in 1950. When the Korean crisis came, he was recalled to the RAF. In February 1951 he was granted a permanent commission and in May 1952 moved to an Intelligence Unit, assessing strike capabilities of the Chinese and Koreans. Bamberger retired on January 29th 1959 as a Squadron Leader, and became managing director of a small packaging materials company – he started in 1954. On retirement he had an antique shop in Hampshire. Sadly, Cyril Bamberger passed away on 3rd February 2008.

Time to Leave by Ivan Berryman.


Time to Leave by Ivan Berryman.
2 of 4 editions available.
All 4 editions feature up to 5 additional signatures.
£60.00 - £310.00

Their Finest Hour by Nicolas Trudgian.


Their Finest Hour by Nicolas Trudgian.
2 of 5 editions available.
1 of 3 editions featuring up to 14 additional signatures are available.
£2.00 - £500.00

The Struggle for Malta by Ivan Berryman.


The Struggle for Malta by Ivan Berryman.
12 of 13 editions available.
All 5 editions featuring up to 8 additional signatures are available.
£2.70 - £500.00


Beurling's Day by Ivan Berryman.


Beurling's Day by Ivan Berryman.
3 of 4 editions available.
All 4 editions feature up to 4 additional signatures.
£60.00 - £280.00

Merlins over Malta by Gerald Coulson.


Merlins over Malta by Gerald Coulson.
4 of 5 editions available.
All 5 editions feature up to 7 additional signatures.
£150.00 - £270.00

George Cross Island Association 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Print by John Young.


George Cross Island Association 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Print by John Young.
2 editions.
Both editions feature up to 24 additional signatures.
£240.00 - £280.00


Clipped Signature - Cyril Bamberger.


Clipped Signature - Cyril Bamberger.
One edition.
£40.00

Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian.


Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian.
5 of 7 editions available.
4 of 6 editions featuring up to 7 additional signatures are available.
£2.00 - £280.00

Angels of Malta - Faith, Hope and Charity by Ivan Berryman.


Angels of Malta - Faith, Hope and Charity by Ivan Berryman.
9 of 11 editions available.
3 of 4 editions featuring up to 6 additional signatures are available.
£2.70 - £500.00


Veterans of the Med by Ivan Berryman.


Veterans of the Med by Ivan Berryman.
10 of 12 editions available.
4 of 5 editions featuring up to 6 additional signatures are available.
£2.70 - £500.00

Fight for the Sky by Robert Taylor.


Fight for the Sky by Robert Taylor.
All 3 editions sold out.
All editions feature up to 27 additional signatures.




Text for the above items :

Time to Leave by Ivan Berryman.

Spitfire L1062 (DW-L) of 610 Sqn was hit by flak over Dunkirk on 29th May 1940 and this picture depicts Sergeant Peter Jenkins struggling to get out of the cramped cockpit as his stricken aircraft plunges toward the sea.


Their Finest Hour by Nicolas Trudgian.

Situated on the south eastern tip of Kent, RAF Hawkinge was the most forward airfield in Fighter Command. It was not surprising therefore that when Reichmarshal Goering began his fierce attacks on airfields - part of his softening up campaign in preparation for Hitlers Adler Tag (Eagle Day) - Hawkinge would be among the first in his sights. The Luftwaffe were putting up massive raids - over 1700 aircraft crossed the coast on August 16th - and RAF bases in the south-east were taking a pounding. Hawkinge, a satellite of Biggin Hill sector station, and vital to front line defences, lay right in the path of the raiding Luftwaffe hordes. When on August 12th it was bombed for the first time, its effect was only to harden the resolve of its pilots and groundstaff. MkI Spitfires of No.610 County of Chester Squadron are seen scrambling out of RAF Hawkinge in late August 1940. refuelled and re-armed, with scarlet patches covering the gunports, all serviceable aircraft roar off the grass strip and head back to the fray. With aerial battles raging all the way from 2000 to 20,000 feet, within minutes they will be back in the action. Ground crews in the foreground work frantically to get more Spitfires airworthy. In the background Hurricanes from No.32 Squadron are at readiness, and will be called into action as the primitive radar picks up the next incoming raid.


The Struggle for Malta by Ivan Berryman.

Having been initially intercepted by just three ageing Gloster Gladiators, who gallantly gave both the Germans and Italians the impression of a much bigger resistance in the skies above Malta, the Italian Air Force was suddenly confronted by the more capable Hawker Hurricanes of 261 (F) Sqn, commanded by Sqn Ldr D W Balden. The previously unescorted bombers of the Regia Aeronautica suddenly required the presence of fighters to protect the marauding bombers, as depicted here, where Macchi 200s of 6° Gruppo 1° Stormo, reel around the sky to chase off the Hurricanes from the attacking Savoia Marchetti SM.79s above Grand Harbour in the summer of 1940.


Beurling's Day by Ivan Berryman.

George Beurling's Spitfire Vc shooting down the Macchi 202 of Italian Faliero Gellis over Malta. The crippled aircraft had been hit in the engine and radiator, but he managed to crash-land it and survived as a prisoner of war. This was the same day that Beurling also shot down Italian ace Furio Niclot and a probable Messerschmitt Bf.109.


Merlins over Malta by Gerald Coulson.

If the German and Italian forces were to succeed in their campaign in North Africa something had to be done about Malta. British submarines and torpedo carrying aircraft based on the tiny Mediterranean island were wreaking havoc with Axis shipping, severely hampering their efforts to get supplies and reinforcements through. The German High Command had had enough and the order came to obliterate the island. Malta immediately came under continual day and night aerial bombardment from the combined strengths of the Luftwaffe and Italian Regia Aeronautica. So intense was the onslaught that by the end of 1942 Malta had become the most heavily bombed place on earth. Too far away for fighters to fly from Gibraltar, any reinforcements would have to be brought part way by aircraft carrier. Until Churchills order to send the latest Spitfires came in March 1942, the island had to defend itself as best as it could with what remained serviceable of the few obsolescent Hurricanes flown to the island off HMS Argus in 1940, and from Ark Royal and Victorious in 1941. Gerald Coulsons painting Merlins over Malta shows Hurricanes of 126 Squadron, based at the islands Ta Qali airfield, diving to intercept a force of Junkers JU88 bombers as they make an attack on the port at Valletta. In the foreground of this powerful reconstruction is Hurricane Z3055, which is currently undergoing restoration for the Malta Aviation Museum. A memorable collector print in support of a truly memorable passage of history. Gerald Coulsons painting Merlins over Malta was specially commissioned to help raise funds for the Merlins over Malta Appeal, which aims to bring a Spitfire and Hurricane back to the scene of their epic defence, each print has been signed by famous Malta fighter pilots, and importantly every copy sold will directly benefit the Appeal.


George Cross Island Association 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Print by John Young.

Official limited edition print of the 60th Anniversary of the George Cross Island Association. Spitfires from one of Maltas most famous squadrons, 249, climbing up over Valetta harbour in the summer of 1942. The panorama beneath the aircraft is the city with its thousands of Maltese citizens daily exposed to the enemy blitz, ships of the Royal Navy and Merchant Service, and the Armys anti-aircraft batteries.


Clipped Signature - Cyril Bamberger.

Originally ground crew, he trained as a Spitfire pilot and joined No.610 Sqn in August 1940 during the Battle of Britain. He moved to No.41 Sqn where he claimed an Me109 before joining No.261 Sqn in Malta, claiming two Ju87s in two days. He then flew with No.185 Sqn, then No.93 Sqn claiming another Ju87, before claiming an Me109 with No.243 Sqn. Awarded the DFC and Bar, he stopped flying in July 1944, taking up other roles in the RAF until 1959. He died in 2008.


Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian.

Of the many famous combat aircraft to serve their respective countries in the Second World War, two perhaps more than any others, created huge impact and consternation upon seasoned opposing pilots when they first appeared on the battlefront - the Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Me262. Both in their day represented enormous advances in aircraft design and power, and both have continued to capture the imagination of aviation enthusiasts ever since. As the war progressed the Spitfire continually upgraded its performance and by the time the Luftwaffes new Me262 turbo-jet arrived on the scene the sleek new Mk XIV, powered by the awesome Griffon engine, was among the fastest piston-engine fighters of the war. The stage was set for a clash between the most powerful piston-engine fighter and the worlds first turbojet, and it was not long before the pilots of these two most advanced combat aircraft met in the hostile skies over western Europe. Ill-advisedly employed by Hitler as the wonder-bomber, the Me262 was initially issued to Bomber Units, one of which being KG51. Tasked with undertaking lightning fast raids upon advancing Allied ground forces, the shark-like jets employed their spectacular speed advantage to surprise, strike and escape. Not to be outdone, the RAF responded with their supremely fast Spitfire XIVs which had already proven themselves highly effective against Germanys V1 flying bombs. In his painting, Nick Trudgian recreates a typical moment: Spitfire Mk XIVs of 41 Squadron have intercepted and damaged a Me262 of KG51 and, with smoke and debris pouring from its damaged Jumo 004 Turbojet, the stricken Luftwaffe jet will be lucky to make it home. A dramatic painting and a fine tribute to the RAFs contribution to the Victory in Europe.


Angels of Malta - Faith, Hope and Charity by Ivan Berryman.

Although key to the allied campaign in the Mediterranean, Malta was virtually undefended against air raids in the early part of the Second World War. Just four Gloster Sea Gladiators, packed in crates, were deposited on the island by HMS Glorious, these aircraft originally intended for operations in Norway. Three of them were hurriedly assembled, the fourth being held in reserve, and were instantly engaged in fierce fighting against Italian raiders. Nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity, their determined pilots fought for seventeen days without relief, their achievements playing a major part in fooling the Italian intelligence into thinking that this crucial Mediterranean outpost was much more heavily defended than it really was.


Veterans of the Med by Ivan Berryman.

Alone in the aerial defence of Malta in the early part of WW2, these three Gloster Gladiators, nicknamed Faith, Hope and Charity, saw such intense action against the invading Italian air force that the enemy's commanders were convinced that a much bigger force existed on Malta. They are depicted here making a low pass over the destroyer HMS Dainty as she heads out of Grand Harbour from Sliema Creek. Herself a veteran of much action in the early part of the war, HMS Dainty was lost to dive bombers off Tobruk on 24th February 1941.


Fight for the Sky by Robert Taylor.

All through the long hot summer of 1940 they crossed the Channel from stolen bases in northern France, coming in mighty swarms to deliver their deadly cargo. Bombers and dive-bombers, single-seat fighters and fast twin-engined attack aircraft, their menacing shapes glinting with swastikas and black crosses, blackening the summer sky. Over 3000 aircraft were at the disposal of the boastful Luftwaffe supremo, Hermann Goering. Within just a matter of weeks, he promised Hitler, the RAF would be annihilated, allowing the invasion of Britain to proceed unhindered, and Britain would become the final piece of the jigsaw giving Nazi domination throughout Europe. Against the might of German airpower stood less than 600 Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, and as many young pilots determined to the man to defend their homeland. And so commenced the battle that was to develop into the greatest aerial conflict in history. Always outnumbered, often flying six sorties a day, the RAF's young fighter boys flew themselves to the point of exhaustion. Pilot losses forced desperate squadron commanders to take youngsters into combat, some with just a few hours on fighters. They flew and fought like tigers and they paid a heavy price, but never did they lose their spirit. Robert Taylor's wonderfully realistic painting captures the very essence of that epic battle. A Heinkel 111 has been brought down, one of many never to make it home on this bright and sunny day. As the Luftwaffe bomber's crew emerge from their broken aircraft, relieved to have survived the crash-landing, a Mk I Spitfire from No.66 Squadron roars low overhead to verify another victory. In the distance, Hurricanes from No 56 Squadron hurry back to North Weald to refuel and rearm. High above the battle rages, the vapour trails telling their own story.

Squadron Leader Cyril Bam Bamberger (deceased)

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