Spitfire
From Dawn To Dusk by West
Salisbury Cathedral is famous for its elegance and having the highest spire in England: 404ft high. During 1940, 609 Squadron Spitfires were based near-by at Middle Wallop, from where they fought the Battle of Britain and joined the first cross channel operations against occupied Europe. The airfield was attacked several times during the Battle of Britain, causing casualties and a number of aircraft were destroyed.
This Limited Edition Print is signed by the artist and the following distinguished pilot:
Flight Lieutenant R G (Bob) Large, DFC, Legion d'Honneur, learned to fly in Scotland in 1940 and in 1941 joined 616 Squadron as part of the Tangmere Wing, commanded by the famous legless pilot Wing Commander Douglas Bader. The Squadron flew Fighter and Bomber sweeps over Northern France. The remains of Bob's Spitfire lie at the bottom of the sea ten miles off Hythe (where he now lives) after being bounced by eighty plus ME 109Gs over the English Channel.
Having learned of the activities of 161 SD Squadron he was interviewed by the CO, Wing Commander Lewis Hodges, and joined the Lysander Flight. He then flew many important missions into occupied France in single, double and a memorable treble pickup when his excuse for being late at the rendezvous was that he had had a haircut "in the firm's time" because "it grew in the firm's time"! After D-Day he returned to Fighter Command and later flew Meteors. (Bob's dog, Patrick, became the first dog in the Allied Forces to fly in a jet which took place in a Meteor 3 on 11th May 1946 and is now recorded in the Guinness Book of Records!)
Edition size: 250 signed and numbered
Print size: 27 1/2" w x 18 1/2"h
