Description:
This plane was the first picture which I began to paint when with the Americans. After presenting my credentials to the Adjutant and C.O. at any new station it was my usual practice to start work near the watch tower, well in the open and in full view of everybody. In this case the control officer, at the time an R.A.F. Pilot, had not heard of my coming and it was not long before I had a polite message to go and see him. Though less than a hundred yards away a G.I. drove over in a Jeep to fetch me. My various permits soon satisfied him, and set his mind at rest, but until I got known on the Station I had many suspicious glances and anxious enquiries from the Americans whom I found were, in some respects, more security conscious than we were. I was glad when my credentials as fully accredited U.S. War Correspondent came through, and changing from civvies to a uniform gave me greater facilities when working on the camp. Having recently painted a posthumous portrait of the late R. J. Mitchell, designer of the Spitfire, I took this early opportunity of painting one of his planes. While doing it I reflected it seemed strange that the man whose genius and foresight had done so much to help save the world had never been painted in his lifetime. Those Pilots who had been with the RAF and the RCAF, some who had fought in the Battle of Britain, and all who had ever flown "Spits", still held them in the greatest affection, and they all wanted pictures of them. Even the ground crew's man, whose job it was to look after this particular plane, had his own special pride in it. His extra care and attention kept it beautifully tuned up and always looking "like a picture". Afterwards I learnt that this panel had a special interest attached to it for it was flown by G/C. "Johnny" Peel, one-time C.O. of this station, who fired the first shot in the Battle of Britain. He was leading a group of Hurricanes patrolling the Channel when the preliminary bout of the would-be invasion of these islands was launched. History was already recorded how the tide, which would have engulfed our civilization had it succeeded, was turned by "The Few" to whom in fitting tribute the glowing and immortal words of Churchill summed up the debt of mankind. Then while the fate of the whole world trembled in the balance, Britain, with the Empire again at her side, stood alone and in "their finest hour" gave time and breathing space which, providentially, enabled the rest of the free world to build up and gather strength to fight for the freedom of all mankind.
|