A batsman (centre) uses two large hand-held paddles to help guide a Fairey Firefly fighter during the final stages of its landing.

The Firefly has lowered a hook designed to catch one of a series of arrestor cables stretched across the aircraft carrier's flight deck and which will bring the aircraft to a rapid stop. When it entered service in mid-1944, the Firefly was a significant improvement over earlier British carrier aircraft designs. HMS Puncher operated a variety of aircraft including the Firefly, Grumman Hellcat fighters, and Fairey Barracuda and Avenger torpedo-bombers.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19820422-020