Coast In Sight
By Robert Taylor

On 25 April, 1945, RAF Bomber Command dispatched a force of over 300 Lancasters to attack The Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s personal retreat high in the Bavarian Alps. It was a symbolic operation because the war was all but over, nevertheless it was highly appropriate that after six years of savage aerial combat it was the Lancaster bombers and aircrew of Bomber Command that were chosen for the task.

The first operational Lancasters arrived with 44 Squadron at Waddington on Christmas Eve 1941 and it was quick to establish itself as the backbone of Bomber Command. By the summer of 1944 this legendary bomber, powered by four mighty Merlin engines, equipped over 40 squadrons and was as tough as the crews that flew it – men from Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as other Commonwealth countries along with many nations under the threat of Nazi rule.

Despite facing appalling conditions and some of the worst casualty rates of WWII, every man was a volunteer, each part of a special breed of heroic young men whose dogged resilience in the face of danger is expertly captured by Robert Taylor in his previously unseen painting, Coast in Sight.

With one engine out and serious damage to the starboard wing, a Mk.III Lancaster struggles to maintain height as the crew coax their battered aircraft slowly home after a grueling night bombing mission to Germany in the autumn of 1944. With the English coast now in sight, safety is within their grasp and the crew’s perilous journey will soon be over.

Overall size: 23½" x 32"

AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING EDITIONS:

• Limited edition: Signed by two 617 Squadron aircrew (Pilot and Bomb Aimer) - 400 prints ($325)
• Collectors edition: Signed by Signed by nine (9) 617 Squadron aircrew - 275 prints ($435)
• Artist's proof: As above - 25 prints ($635)
• Remarque: As above - 15 prints ($1,195)
• Double Remarque: As above - 10 prints ($2,095)
• Bomber Command Tribute Edition: As above plus a matted original drawing with an additional 16 Bomber crew signatures -10 prints ($4,395)

LIMITED EDITION SIGNATURES

• Wg Cdr John Bell MBE DFC (Bomb-Aimer 619 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Arthur Poore DFC (Pilot 106 & 617 Sqdn)

COLLECTORS & REMARQUE EDITION SIGNATURES

• Wg Cdr John Bell MBE DFC (Bomb-Aimer 619 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Arthur Poore DFC (Pilot 106 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Sgt Charles Avey (Mid-Upper Gunner 617 Sqdn)
• Sqn Ldr Benny Goodman (Pilot 617 Sqdn)
• Sqn Ldr George Johnson DFM (Bomb-Aimer 97 & 617 Sqdn)
• W.O. Frank Tilley (Flight Engineer 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Murray Valentine (Wireless Operator 61 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Ken Trent DFC* (Pilot 576, 625 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Sydney Grimes (Wireless Operator 106 & 617 Sqdn)

THE BOMBER COMMAND TRIBUTE EDITION SIGNATURES

With all the signatures of the Collector’s Edition, each print is issued with a specially commissioned original pencil drawing by Robert Taylor which has been signed by twelve highly distinguished Bomber Command veterans.

Each unique drawing is conservation matted to include the original pencil signatures of a further four of the most famous Bomber Command veterans of World War II.

• Wg Cdr John Bell MBE DFC (Bomb-Aimer 619 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Arthur Poore DFC (Pilot 106 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Sgt Charles Avey(Mid-Upper Gunner 617 Sqdn)
• Sqn Ldr Benny Goodman(Pilot 617 Sqdn)
• Sqn Ldr George Johnson DFM (Bomb-Aimer 97 & 617 Sqdn)
• W.O. Frank Tilley (Flight Engineer 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Murray Valentine(Wireless Operator 61 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Ken Trent DFC* (Pilot 576, 625 & 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Sydney Grimes(Wireless Operator 106 & 617 Sqdn)
• Sgt Ray Grayston (Flight Engineer 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt George Chalmers DFC DFM (Wireless Operator 617 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Bob Knights DSO DFC (Pilot 619 & 617 Sqdn)
• Sqn Ldr Les Munro DSO DFC RNZAF (Pilot 617 Sqdn)
• Fg Off Bill North (Pilot 61 Sqdn)
• Flt Lt Bill Reid VC (Pilot 61 & 617 Sqdn)
• Sqn Ldr Norman Scrivner DSO DFC (Navigator 83 Sqdn)
• Gp Cpt James ‘Willie’ Tait DSO DFC (Pilot 617 Sqdn Ldr)
• Cpl Ken Lucas (617 Sqn Ground Crew)
• Flt Sgt Tom Sayer DFM (Halifax Pilot 102 Sqdn)
• W.O. Derek Gurney (Mid Upper Gunner 10 Sqdn)
• W.O. Charlie Darby (Rear Gunner 462 & 466 Sqdn)

THE BOMBER COMMAND EDITION COMPANION ART

Gp Cpt Leonard Cheshire VC OM DSO** DFC* (Pilot)
Gp Cpt Hamish Mahaddie DSO DFC AFC (Pilot)
AM Sir Ivor Broom KCB CBE DSO DFC AFC (Pilot)
Flt Lt John Petrie-Andrews DFC DFM (Pilot)