JJ Adams 'Enemy Coast Ahead' Framed Limited Edition Print

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• Edition Of 95 + 10 AP's
• Famed Size: 41.5" x 31.5"Optional Frame: White or Black Step Frame
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• Signed by the artist
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Enemy Coast Ahead" celebrates the original 1955 Dam Busters film and the men in the original 617 squadron who did the infamous dam raid, however, it also commemorates members of JJ’s family who served in bomber command. Both JJ’s Great Uncles sadly died aged 21 while flying in Lancaster and Wellington bombers. Both men ‘Sgt Wilfred Adams’ and ‘Sgt JJ Cooper’ are featured in the credits at the bottom of the art. Sgt JJ Cooper (Pictured above) was a flight engineer and the loss of his bomber and his crew are the main focus of the piece and the aim was to give them their film poster along with their rank and crew title. They served alongside Wing Commander Guy Gibson (who led the Dambuster raid) in Squadron 106 shortly before the Dambusters were formed. Gibson ran Squadron 106 before forming Squadron 617 known as 'The Dambusters', he took many of his men from Squadron 106 and those he most trusted. JJ firmly believes that his great uncle's crew would have made Squadron 617 if they had survived.

The Pilot of the Lancaster R5748 ZN-R (F.H Robertson), who JJ’s great uncle sat alongside and helped fly the bomber, was the Squadron leader in charge of A-Team and a close friend of Guy Gibsons. Having trained and flown together and both joined Squadron 106, Gibson mentions him several times in his book ‘Enemy Coast Ahead’ as well as his sadness at the loss of his Bomber. (See attached photo. Lancaster R5748-ZN-R was lost on the night of the infamous Hamburg raid on the 27th of July 1942. The Bomber had 8 hours of flying time and was brand new, having been delivered to RAF Coningsby a few days earlier.

They took off in formation at 8:30 pm and after reaching the enemy coast discovered their rear guns had stopped working, pushing on to the target upon reaching Hamburg they discovered the hydraulics for the bomb bay doors had malfunctioned and so had to turn back fully loaded. Intending to ditch their bomb load over the North Sea somehow, however, without a rear gun working a German Hotshot pilot shot them down called 'Lothar Linke' in a JU-88 Night Fighter over Holland and they crashed near the village of Opeinde. The crash destroyed several houses nearby due to the huge bomb blast from the fully loaded Lancaster.

The pilot died on impact as did the Mid Gunner and Radio Operator, Sgt JJ Cooper bailed out last minute but his body was found the following morning in a field on top of his parachute, it is believed his parachute did not open in time. The body of the Bomb Aimer (Sgt Fuller)was never found. Three of the crew survived after bailing out and became prisoners of war, one ending up in Stalag Loft III famous for the Great Escape. The personal story of the Navigator Jim Henry while a POW at the mercy of the Nazis is an incredible story to read JJ Adams was in touch with him in 2010 when he was 93 years old, he was the last to see Sgt JJ Cooper alive and handed him his parachute. The crash site was excavated in the 1990s in an attempt to find the remains of the bomb aimer (Fuller) but to no avail, parts from the wreckage were brought back to the UK and are on display at Metheringham Airbase near Raf Coningsby.

The Pilot, Wireless Operator and Sgt JJ Cooper are buried in a small cemetery in Opeinde Holland. There is a memorial to them in the town centre and also at Metheringham airfield in the UK, they are also commemorated at the Bomber Command Memorial and Museum in Lincolnshire. Another Great Uncle, ’Sgt Wilfred Adams’ from Yorkshire also 21, died during a training exercise in 23 OTU while he was training Canadian aircrew, while flying in Low Cloud in the midlands another Wellington bomber flew too close and they collided in mid-air killing both crews. "Enemy Coast Ahead" is a fitting tribute to these brave men captured in a timeless film poster.