WOW061 – FE2

Description

WOW061 The FE2 type aircraft was a pusher type aircraft that helped put an
end to the Fokker scourge of 1915/16. With a forward firing machine gun and
in some cases another machine gun that was fitted between the pilot and
gunner for rear defence, the FE2 proved itself highly adaptable as a bomber,
fighter and training aircraft. Various modifications to the engine and
landing gear took place during its career and the night bomber variant
soldiered on until the end of the war. Our aircraft is one flown by
Australian Frank McNamara a recipient of the Victoria Cross, which was
awarded in 1917 for rescuing a fellow aviator from behind enemy lines whilst
serving in the Middle East. On the day in question McNamara was on a
bombing mission against the Turks when he spotted Captain David Rutherford
had crashed his BE2 with Turkish cavalry fast approaching the downed pilot.
The Turks had been known to hack downed airmen to death and McNamara despite
being already wounded, landed near Rutherford and tried to take off with
Rutherford attached to his wing! McNamara’s plane crashed and the two airmen
dashed back to Rutherford’s BE2, managed to repair it and get it started
before the Turks could reach them. In severe pain and on the verge of
blacking out from loss of blood, McNamara flew the 70 miles back to his base
where he nearly died on the operating table due to an allergic reaction to a
Tetanus jab! He was awarded the VC for his actions and in fact was the only
Australian airman to be awarded this decoration during WW1. McNamara was one
of the original 21 officers taken on strength of the newly formed RAAF after
WW1 and continued serving with the RAAF until the end of WW2 where along
with many others was unceremoniously discharged. He was then offered a
position with the British government in occupied Germany and later went to
work on the board of the national Coal Board from which he retired from in
1959. Frank McNamara died in 1961 and asked that his Victoria Cross be
donated to the RAF museum at Hendon in protest at the Australian
government’s early forced retirement of him from its service and the meagre
severance pay offered to him! We have only 5 of these historic aircraft
available (due to the complicated manufacturing process) for sale priced at
$550 and each model comes with a complimentary Australian figure sentry as
per the attached photos.