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At the Setting of the Sun by Simon Atack.
DHM2607. At the Setting of the Sun by Simon Atack. A scene played out daily by Fighter Command squadrons throughout the defining air battles fought in the summer of 1940. Mk I Hurricanes of 249 Squadron are seen returning to North Weald after heavy action over London during the culmination of the Battle of Britain in September of that year. It is evening, and the squadron has been operational since first light. Most of the pilots have flown four missions on this day, and they will be in the air again tomorrow at dawn. And so it will go till the battle is won. In this quite beautiful painting, Simon Atack shows Tom Neils Hurricane in the foreground. He has suffered battle damage but, as so often with the trusty Hurricane, his steed will carry him safely home to fight again. Signatories: Sqn Ldr Douglas G Clift, and Wng Com Tom F Neil DFC AFC. Signed limited edition of 500 prints, with 2 signatures . Print paper size 20.5 inches x 19 inches (52cm x 48cm)
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| Signatures on this item | | Name | Info | 
Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift | Clift arrived at 11 Group Pool, St Athan on 24 October 1939 and after converting to Hurricanes, he joined 79 Squadron at Biggin Hill on November 17. On 15 August 1940 Clift claimed a Bf 110 destroyed and on 30 August he shared in the destruction of a He 111. In July 1941 he was posted to the Central Flying School at Upavon for an instructor's course. Clift later volunteered for the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU) and served with it until October 1942. He remained on flying duties for the rest of the war, finishing up in South-East Asia with the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). After the war Clift served with 34 Squadron flying photo-reconnaissance Spitfires until its disbandment in August 1947. | 
Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC* AFC | Tom Neil joined 249 Squadron flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain flying from North Weald on 7th September; his first victory was an Me109, followed in quick succession by 10 others and 1 probable. On 7th November he collided in mid-air with Wing Commander Francis Beamish and his aircraft lost its tail. He baled out of his Hurricane unhurt, Beamish force-landing unscathed. Tom was awarded a Bar to his DFC in November Later he served in Malta where he gained another victory, over an Mc200. In September 1942 he was given command of 41 Squadron flying Spitfires before moving to the 9th USAF, 100th Fighter Wing flying P51 Mustangs before and after D-Day in January 1944. He is believed to be the first English pilot to land on French soil after D-Day. Tom Neil finished the war with 12 and 4-shared victories. |
| The Aircraft : | | Name | Info | | Hurricane | Royal Air Force Fighter, the Hawker Hurricane had a top speed of 320mph, at 18,200 feet and 340mph at 17,500, ceiling of 34,200 and a range of 935 miles. The Hurricane was armed with eight fixed wing mounted .303 browning machine guns in the Mark I and twelve .303 browning's in the MKIIB in the Hurricane MKIIC it had four 20mm cannon.
All time classic fighter the Hurricane was designed in 1933-1934, the first prototype flew in June 1936 and a contract for 600 for the Royal Air Force was placed. The first production model flew ion the 12th October 1937 and 111 squadron of the Royal Air Force received the first Hurricanes in January 1938. By the outbreak of World war two the Royal Air Force had 18 operational squadrons of Hurricanes. During the Battle of Britain a total of 1715 Hurricanes took part, (which was more than the rest of the aircraft of the Royal air force put together) and almost 75% of the Victories during the Battle of Britain went to hurricane pilots. The Hawker Hurricane was used in all theatres during World war two, and in many roles. in total 14,533 Hurricanes were built.
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| Artist Details : Simon Atack |
Simon Atack
Although Simon became a full-time artist after leaving the RAF in 1985, he first began painting when his mother bought him a box of oil paints and an easel when he was just six years of age! He cannot recall a time when he was not painting in the intervening years, all the time honing his drawing and painting skills whilst accepting commissions from various Commanding Officers! Simon learned to fly, soloing in a Piper Tomahawk, experience which, he believes, gives him an empathy and feel for aircraft and aircrew you could not get in any other way. Unlike just about any other professional military artist, Simon is almost as much at home on the sea as in the air. His maritime-based paintings reflect his personal knowledge of the sea, ships and the often-unpredictable marine environment. Researching new aircraft and concepts for his next painting, and then getting stuck into the actual painting of a new picture he has first to see in his head, is what really excites and motivates Simon and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Now firmly established as one of the top aviation artists in the world, collectors are always eagerly awaiting Simon’s original paintings and Limited Edition Prints. Simon works from his studio in the beautiful county of Buckinghamshire, England.
More about Simon Atack
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| Battle of Britain | |
| Battle of Britain After winning the Battle of France, the Luftwaffe sought to gain air superiority in the skies over Britain during the summer of 1940. The ensuing defence by the RAF against the onslaught of the Luftwaffe became known as the Battle of Britain. It was the first major campaign fought entirely by means of aerial combat. Initially, the Luftwaffe attacked shipping in the English Channel, and shipping ports such as Portsmouth and Plymouth. By August, they were concentrating their attacks on RAF airfields and ground installations. However, in a move that probably invited defeat for Germany in the battle, the Luftwaffe switched from bombing RAF targets to bombing major cities. This move allowed the airfields the time to recover and regroup, making the defence capabilities of Britain stronger. By the summer of 1940, the RAF had approximately 9,000 pilots and 5,000 aircraft, most of which were bombers. By the 1st of July, the Commander of Fighter Command, Marshal Hugh Dowding could provide just 1103 fighter pilots - which came from the regular RAF squadrons, the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons and the Volunteer Reserve. Replacement pilots with little flight training and often no gunnery training suffered high casualty rates. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe comprised 1450 fighter pilots, many with experience from the Spanish Civil Wars just a few years earlier. During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe used four primary bombers. These were the Heinkel He111, Dornier Do17 and Junkers Ju88 for level bombing, and the Junkers Ju87 Stuka dive bomber. These were escorted by Messerschmitt Me109 and Me110 fighters. Defending Britain against the Luftwaffe were the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire squadrons of the RAF. While Britain successfully defended the air during the battle and repelled any invasion attempt by denying the Luftwaffe air superiority, losses were high on both sides of the battle. Between the official dates of the battle - 10th July to 31st October 1940 - 2936 fighter pilots took part n the battle on the British side, including 595 non-British pilots. These included 145 pilots from Poland, 127 from New Zealand, 112 from Canada, 88 from Czechoslovakia, 28 from Belgium, 32 from Australia, 25 from South Africa, 13 from France, 10 from Ireland, 7 from America, and 1 from each of Jamaica, Palestine and Rhodesia. The Allied losses were 544 aircrew killed, 422 wounded and 1547 aircraft destroyed, while the Luftwaffe lost 2698 aircrew killed, and lost 1887 aircraft. This key battle was considered the first crucial defeat for Germany. Had the Luftwaffe been successful in its aims, Germany could have invaded Britain, and had the invasion been successful, the outcome of the war could have been very different, with nowhere for the American Air Force to launch attacks on Germany from.
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