The Railway Paintings

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Trams in a classic British city street scene - we have been informed it is Leeds - but is reminiscent of any big British city of this era. The 'Star and Garter' pub is to the left of the picture as the No.156 tram passes on the number 14 route. A 1930s steam locomotive on the Great Western Railway passes through a level crossing, while a family sit on the embankment with their blue Austin 7 parked nearby. The first train run by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society arriving at Rhydyronen Station on Whit Monday, 14th May 1951, hauled by locomotive No.2 Dolgoch, built for the railway in 1866. The Luftwaffe, recognising the switch in focus from Germany to more tactical targets in France, lost no time in moving its night fighters in response. This resulted in continuing losses to the squadron's aircraft and crews, though greater support was available on the ground to aircrew who managed to escape from their crippled Lancasters, including the irrepressible F/O Greenburgh, shot down over France in June 1944.

As the war approached its conclusion, operations continued against oil facilities, as well as communications lines and troop concentrations as the Allied ground forces moved towards, and eventually into, Germany itself. The squadron took part in the controversial raid on Dresden, this being seen at the time as a routine operation to a communications target. In the prevailing circumstance of total war, morals and ethics could not be a key concern for the squadron as an organisation. It must never be forgotten that this was a fight for national, as well as personal, survival. The atrocities of the Nazi regime, now so clear, mean that the endeavours of the squadron and its crews were never anything less than absolutely necessary. With a foreword by Flight Lieutenant Alex Campbell RCAF, DFC, the book brings to life the efforts and travails of 514 Sqn and its members.

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The painting shows a quiet country railway crossing as a train passes through while a local postman chats to the occupant of the house near the crossing. The steam engine is the 1521 which was built in 1909 and 1521 appeared in Southern livery from 1923 to 1947. Bomber Command had, by now, demonstrated its capabilities as a tactical force, capable of the precision bombing of entrenched German forces even whilst in close proximity to Allied troops. There were occasional, nonetheless tragic, errors; a number of Canadian ground troops were killed by bombs when they had, for an unknown reason, used yellow flares which were confused with target indicators of the same colour, in use that day. Civilian casualties were also, regrettably, inevitable though these were much lower than might have been anticipated. With air supremacy established over the Normandy bridgehead, and most targets within range of supporting fighter cover, Bomber Command was now able to operate over France by day as well as night. The war's end meant a few short months of more rewarding activity for 514 Sqn. Operation Manna, the dropping of desperately needed food parcels for the Dutch, was followed by a long series of flights to collect prisoners of war from France and Italy. Tragedy was still not finished with the squadron when a Lancaster carrying 24 POWs and six crew crashed on leaving Juvincourt in France with the loss of all on board.

Great Western Railway 2-6-2 T Prairie Tank locomotive no.4571 heads a two coach local train through hilly countryside on a cross-country route. The driver of an Austin saloon car has pulled in off the road just in time for his sons to scramble up the bank to have a closer look at the passing train. No.4571 was withdrawn in 1961 after nearly 37 years in service.

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Choose any two prints in this special offer and the lower priced item is half price. (Any free bonus prints already supplied with an item are separate and will also be included !) Sqn was born on 1st September 1943, though the Adjutant was the first member of its staff to arrive at RAF Foulsham in Norfolk on 6th September. Five days later the squadron’s first Lancaster Mk.II, DS735, arrived. Nearly two months’ hard work led to the squadron making its operational debut, to the Mannesheim Works at Düsseldorf, on a raid to trial GH bombing on November 3rd 1943. 514 Squadron was thus fully operational by the start of the winter-long Battle of Berlin, which started in earnest on 18th November 1943. The sixteen operations in which 514 Sqn took part cost seven aircraft through enemy action along with another which over-ran the runway on its return, fortunately without casualties on that occasion.