Mural on front of house a memorial to RAF pilot who was shot down over Dunkirk in WWII
A POIGNANT mural that has appeared on a terraced house in Cardiff was put there as a memorial to a RAF pilot who was killed in World War II, writes John Cooper.
The mural, showing RAF Hurricanes swooping over a field of poppies, was commissioned by Jack Hussey, 31, at the home he moved into in Elm Street, Roath, in January.
“It’s a tribute to my great-uncle who was shot down over Dunkirk in World War II.
“He managed to swim to a paddle steamer and was rescued that time but not long after he went up again,” said Jack.
“Him and two other pilots met a mass of German aircraft, radioed back to base to warn them and then went into battle.”
Jack’s great-uncle Samuel Leslie Butterfield, known as s Leslie, pictured, failed to return rn that day after engaging the e LuftLuftwaffe on August 11, 1940. 40.
He was 27 years old.
Leslie Butterfield was as born in Leeds in 1913 and joined the RAF as an apprentice ntice in 1929 after being educated cated at Watford Boys Grammar mmar School. It wasn’t until Jack’s grandfather started to dig deeper into their family history that Leslie’s incredible story came to light in full.
“Leslie was a childhood hero of my grandad and his olde older sister remembered bered him vividly. Apparently, A Leslie’s lie’s wife used to follow fo him round to the different bases ba in a camper van and he used to t tip his wings to her when he ret returned to let her know which plane was his.” Jack wanted this touching detail inc included in the mural and a the leading plane can be seen tipp tipping its wings slig slightly. The serial numbers on the aircraft in the painting match those of the plane flown by Leslie and his fellow pilots the day he didn’t return home.
It seems that an interest in aviation is in the blood, as Jack trained as an engineer and works in the civil aviation industry.
“I did all my education in Africa and we moved to the UK when I was 18 and I started an apprenticeship in engineering,” he said.
“I didn’t know then, but it was at the same airport that my great-uncle used to fly out from.”
Jack also wanted the mural to be a testament to the bombing of Elm
Street in World War II after talking to the landlady at the nearby Croft Pub. He said: “I got talking to the landlady and she told me the current pub is a replica of the original one that got blown up in the war.
“Elm Street and Croft Street were heavily bombed during the war and the area took a lot of damage.
“A mine was parachuted into the street and that flattened all the houses where the new builds went up on Croft Street.”
The painting took four or five weekends to complete and is the work of Newport-based artist Billy
Windsor, from Fugly Art Society.
Billy said: “It was a bit of a juggling act going up the ladder and using two cans of spray paint at one time, but I’m thrilled with the result and it’s much better than I anticipated.
“It took between 40 and 50 hours to do in total and it’s the biggest canvas I’ve ever worked on.”
The mural was painted using spray paint and will stand as a permanent memorial to Leslie Butterfield and the people affected by the bombing of Elm Street and the surrounding area during World War II.