Royal Air Force Museum Cosford UK
On display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford from Monday 3rd December is a new temporary exhibition showcasing original examples of artwork that wartime aircrew created to personalise their aircraft. The exhibition brings together eleven original pieces of aircraft art, taken from aircraft including a Mosquito and a Wellington, plus copies of photographs showing how the artwork appeared on the aircraft.
Aircraft artwork was often located at the nose area and referred to as “nose art”, but it could also to be found on an aircraft’s tail or fuselage. Some of the pieces exhibited date back to early fabric covered aircraft such as the Sopwith Camel and the Hawker Demon as well as more modern aluminium aircraft like the Handley Page Halifax. Nose art featured on aircraft all over the world and ranged from cartoon characters to stylised portraits of the aircrew’s sweethearts. The RAF Museum is delighted to be able to showcase these historic illustrations to our visitors.
The most historic artwork is the love heart motif taken from the Sopwith Camel of Lieutenant Colonel William Barker, a Canadian World War One Ace who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918. Barker was awarded the medal for single-handedly fighting over 15 German aircraft in one combat, a fight which left him critically wounded. Although not from his Victoria Cross combat aircraft, this motif featured on Barker’s previous aircraft and was given as a gift to his engine mechanic, who later donated it to the RAF Museum.
On display until 31st March 2013
FREE admission