Squadron Leader TONY BARTLEY

A letter dated 1997 signed by

Squadron Leader Tony Bartley DFC

The letter has Bartley’s Irish address at the top and the main paragraph reads:
‘My signature is ‘Tony Bartley’ as I signed it on the famous black-out board  
at the White Hart Inn in Brasted during the Battle of Britain.  It is now
in the Battle of Britain Museum at Hendon.
Sincerely yours,
Tony Bartley’

The letter is in Fine condition with two light folds.

Tony Bartley epitomised the young, dashing RAF fighter pilot of the Battle of Britain. He learned to fly in 1938 and joined the RAF the following year first being posted to 92 Squadron, flying Spitfires. He was credited with 8 victories during the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain before joining 74 Squadron as a flight commander in March 1941. 

He spent a rest period as a flying instructor and then as a production test pilot at Vickers Supermarine before returning to operations in February 1942 as a flight commander with 65 Squadron and then in May he became the Squadron’s CO. The following August he was appointed to command 111 Squadron in North Africa and he returned to the UK in January 1943 after the end of his tour and flew with the Americans over the D-Day landings.  After the war he married the famous actress Deborah Kerr.

 An interesting signed letter, perfect to go with a copy of Bartley’s autobiography ‘Smoke Trails in the Sky’.