Lancaster
Dambusters - The Opening Shots by Postlethwaite
Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his crew make the first attack against the Mohne Dam on the night of 16th May 1943, beginning the legend of the 'Dambusters'.
The Signatories:
Flying Officer Ray Grayston - One of only a handful of survivors who took part in the actual raid. He was the Flight Engineer in Les Knight's crew which attacked and breached the Eder Dam. After the raid, Ray continued to fly with 617 Squadron until he was shot down and captured on the infamous Dortmund-Ems raid a few months later.
Flight Lieutenant 'Steve' Stevens DFC AE - A Lancaster pilot with 57 Squadron based at Scampton from May - October 1943, 'Steve' flew a full tour of operations through Bomber Command's darkest period. He was a unique witness to the beginning of Operation Chastise as he lined up his Lancaster for an air test on the evening of 16th May 1943. Having been instructed to hold his aircraft at the edge of the airfield, he watched as Guy Gibson and his 617 Sqn comrades taxied their Lancasters past him with their odd looking mines slung underneath. He then watched them take off with absolutely no idea what they were up to, security on the base really had been watertight!
Corporal Maureen Stevens - An R/T Operator in the control tower at Scampton in May 1943, Maureen was on duty on the night of the Dams raid and as such she talked the survivors of Operation Chastise back into the circuit for landing. Again she had no idea of the significance of the raid until the following day. Having been married to 'Steve' Stevens since those days, their signatures are unique, not only as rare witnesses to the raid, but also as probably the first husband and wife to sign such an edition!
This painting was originally produced for the new book Dambusters in Focus with a view of using the image as a wraparound cover and also having it shown inside to illustrate various points of the raid.
To this end, every aspect of the picture has been researched thoroughly to try to represent an accurate picture of the night's events.
Editions available:
Limited edition of 250, all artist signed, image size 27" x 13", (1-200 artist signed only)
201-250 (individually signed by Flying Officer Ray Grayston)
30 Artist’s Proofs (individually signed by F/O Ray Grayston, Flt Lt 'Steve' Stevens DFC AE and Corporal Maureen Stevens) - very limited in supply!!
Edition size: 250 signed and numbered
Image size: 27"w x 13"h
