Artist salutes war heroes of the sky
A North East artist has paid an 80th anniversary tribute to the brave pilots who protected our skies against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain.
Denis Fox has spent 18 months on a series of paintings which depict ‘Black Thursday’ – the day the Luftwaffe targeted the North East and were sent packing by young RAF airmen.
Each one of his paintings tells a true story of what happened on the early afternoon of August 15, 1940, in the sky above the North East – the day the Nazis concentrated on docklands in Sunderland, Seaham and Hartlepool .
Seaham-born Denis, who now lives in Durham, said: “At times it has been very emotional even just to imagine what it would have been like waiting for the call to 'scramble', flying in close formation, ascendingtohighaltitudeand seeinganenemywhoseintentionwasnotonlytokillyoubut destroy your homeland.
"Being totally outnumbered, Spitfires and Hurricane squadrons gave their very best and with the support given by anti-aircraft fire from stations situated along thecoastofNorthumberland, DurhamandNorthYorkshire.
"The German Luftwaffe suffered humiliation and defeat in so much as they never attacked the North East again in large numbers during daylight hours.
"Everything worked accordingtoplanfromhighcommand down to RAF ground crew, women played a vital part in the RAF operations room in Gosforth, radar technicians gave pilots what they neededmostofalltoknowand thatwasthelocationofincoming enemy aircraft. Firefighting crew, munition workers and hospital staff were all heroes on that day.
“What was remarkable by the end of the air battle none ofourpilotswerekilled.Some were wounded and some of ourfighteraircraftweredamaged.
"However the Luftwaffe lost aircrew and aircraft and many bombers and fighter bombers were severely damagedreturningtobasesinNorway and Denmark.”
Hecarriedoutextensiveresearch for his paintings from RAF documents, newspaper archives, visits to aircraft museums and eye-witness accounts from relatives.
"I have even had the experience of being flown in my friend's aircraft and taken up along the North East coast. This was a bonus for my strategy of how the composition of some of my paintings would look,” he said.
Around 90 Heinkel 111 bombers and Me. Bf. 110 fighter bombers left their airfield in Stavanger, Norway, with the intention of bombing RAF fighter airfields in the NorthEast of England and the docklands of the Tyne and Wear, Seaham, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough.
Denis said: “German aircrewweretoldthattheywould face no opposition from RAF fightersastheywerestationed in southern England.
"Thisprovedtobeabigmistake, for the RAF squadrons stationed in the North-East had seasoned and experienced fighter pilots who had been 'rested' from combat by ACM Sir Hugh Dowding.”
Denis said: “We should all remember the air battle that took place on 15th August 1940 in the North East and how it shaped the events that followedthefollowingmonth. The Luftwaffe soon realised that it was up against a formidable enemy whose people would never surrender come what may.”