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Towards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor. (RMB) - Military Art

Towards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor. (RMB)


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Towards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor. (RMB)

Sometimes it was five, every so often it might be six, occasionally it was three, but usually it was seven men who flew together as a crew with RAF Bomber Command. They formed the closest of bonds, forged through an anvil of freezing temperatures, deadly flak and prowling night-fighters but, with an average age of only 22, their odds of survival were slim. By 1943 the life expectancy for bomber aircrew was just 5 missions - only one in six were expected to survive their first tour of 30 operations. The chances of surviving a second tour were even slimmer. Of the 125,000 men who flew with Bomber Command during World War II, more than 55,000 were killed. Whilst the 'Few' of Fighter Command had undoubtedly defeated the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, it was the 'Many' of Bomber Command who were to play the pivotal role in delivering to the Allies ultimate victory in Europe. But it came at a terrible cost: on one raid alone - the Nuremberg raid of 30th/31st March 1944 - 543 aircrew were killed, more than Fighter Command lost during the entire Battle of Britain. Robert Taylor's evocative new painting is a moving tribute to these men of Bomber Command. As the setting sun casts a golden glow, a group of Lancasters from 576 Squadron gather into formation after departing from their Lincolnshire base at the start of a raid into Germany in late 1944. The lead aircraft UL-I (LM227) was one of only a handful of Lancasters to complete 100 operational sorties. Between them the pilots of Bomber Command won 23 Victoria Crosses during WWII, and countless others were highly decorated for courage and commitment. Several of these veterans have now joined together to sign this commemorative limited edition to honour all those who served with Bomber Command. They include some of the RAF's most inspirational leaders - men such as James 'Tirpitz&;39; Tait, who was awarded no less than four DSOs to become one of the most highly decorated RAF airmen of WWII. Although sadly no longer with us, we are privileged that he was able to personally sign the prints during his lifetime, creating a truly historic collectors edition.
AMAZING VALUE! - The value of the signatures on this item is in excess of the price of the print itself!
Item Code : DHM6301RMBTowards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor. (RMB) - This Edition
TYPEEDITION DETAILSSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSYOUR PRICEPURCHASING
REMARQUECollectors edition of 5 double remarques.

SOLD OUT.
Image size 19.5 inches x 13 inches (50cm x 33cm) Overall size 24.5 inches x 19 inches (63cm x 48cm) Johnson, George L (signed in person)
Irons, Harry (signed in person)
McGillivray, Jim (signed in person)
Johnson, Ken (signed in person)
Copus, James (signed in person)
Tait, J B Willie (signed in person)
Langston, John (signed in person)
Iveson, Tony (signed in person)
Tilley, F L (signed in person)
Bradford, Stan (signed in person)
+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £365
SOLD
OUT
NOT
AVAILABLE
All prices on our website are displayed in British Pounds Sterling



Other editions of this item : Towards Night's Darkness by Robert Taylor.DHM6301
TYPEEDITION DETAILSSIZESIGNATURESOFFERSYOUR PRICEPURCHASING
PRINTSigned limited edition of 200 prints.
Great value : Value of signatures exceeds price of item!
Image size 19.5 inches x 13 inches (50cm x 33cm) Overall size 24.5 inches x 19 inches (63cm x 48cm) Johnson, George L (signed in person)
Irons, Harry (signed in person)
McGillivray, Jim (signed in person)
Johnson, Ken (signed in person)
Copus, James (signed in person)
+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £175
£90 Off!Now : £145.00VIEW EDITION...
ARTIST
PROOF
Collectors edition of 25 artist proofs.

SOLD OUT.
Image size 19.5 inches x 13 inches (50cm x 33cm) Overall size 24.5 inches x 19 inches (63cm x 48cm) Johnson, George L (signed in person)
Irons, Harry (signed in person)
McGillivray, Jim (signed in person)
Johnson, Ken (signed in person)
Copus, James (signed in person)
Tait, J B Willie (signed in person)
Langston, John (signed in person)
Iveson, Tony (signed in person)
Tilley, F L (signed in person)
Bradford, Stan (signed in person)
+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £365
SOLD
OUT
VIEW EDITION...
PRINTCollectors edition of 100 prints.

SOLD OUT.
Image size 19.5 inches x 13 inches (50cm x 33cm) Overall size 24.5 inches x 19 inches (63cm x 48cm) Johnson, George L (signed in person)
Irons, Harry (signed in person)
McGillivray, Jim (signed in person)
Johnson, Ken (signed in person)
Copus, James (signed in person)
Tait, J B Willie (signed in person)
Langston, John (signed in person)
Iveson, Tony (signed in person)
Tilley, F L (signed in person)
Bradford, Stan (signed in person)
+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £365
SOLD
OUT
VIEW EDITION...
PRESENTATIONVictoria Cross edition of 25 prints.

SOLD OUT.
Image size 19.5 inches x 13 inches (50cm x 33cm) Overall matted size 27 inches x 24 inches (69cm x 61cm) Johnson, George L (signed in person)
Irons, Harry (signed in person)
McGillivray, Jim (signed in person)
Johnson, Ken (signed in person)
Copus, James (signed in person)
Tait, J B Willie (signed in person)
Langston, John (signed in person)
Iveson, Tony (signed in person)
Tilley, F L (signed in person)
Bradford, Stan (signed in person)
Jackson, Norman (matted)
Reid, Bill (matted)
Learoyd, Roderick (matted)
Cheshire, Leonard (matted)
Trent, Leonard (matted)
+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £715
SOLD
OUT
VIEW EDITION...
FLYERPromotional Flyer A4 Size Double Sheet 11.5 inches x 8 inches (30m x 21cm)noneAdd any two items on this offer to your basket, and the lower priced item will be half price in the checkout!£2.00VIEW EDITION...
REMARQUECollectors edition of 15 remarques.

SOLD OUT.
Image size 19.5 inches x 13 inches (50cm x 33cm) Overall size 24.5 inches x 19 inches (63cm x 48cm) Johnson, George L (signed in person)
Irons, Harry (signed in person)
McGillivray, Jim (signed in person)
Johnson, Ken (signed in person)
Copus, James (signed in person)
Tait, J B Willie (signed in person)
Langston, John (signed in person)
Iveson, Tony (signed in person)
Tilley, F L (signed in person)
Bradford, Stan (signed in person)
+ Artist : Robert Taylor


Signature(s) value alone : £365
SOLD
OUT
VIEW EDITION...
General descriptions of types of editions :





Signatures on this item
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.
NameInfo


The signature of Air Commodore John Langston (deceased)

Air Commodore John Langston (deceased)
*Signature Value : £35

Originally serving as a Navigator with 630, 189 and 246 Sqns, he then volunteered for 617 Sqn becoming a Flight Engineer, taking part in many operations including the viaduct bombing raids on Armsberg and Bielefeld in 1945. He died on 11th August 2014.


Flight Sergeant Jim McGillivray
*Signature Value : £25

Having completed training as a Rear Gunner he as posted to 115 Sqn serving on 12 Ops on Lancasters from Autumn 1944 until the end of the war.


The signature of Flt Sergeant Stan Bradford DFM (deceased)

Flt Sergeant Stan Bradford DFM (deceased)
*Signature Value : £45

A mid-upper gunner on Lancaster ED308 D-Donald of 57 squadron RAF Bomber Command, then based at Scampton. By the end of his tour in March 1944 Stan had become an air Ace, credited by 5 Group with the shooting down of 6 enemy fighters, including a Bf109 over France on his very first operation on the night of August 27th 1943. He died on 22nd June 2017.


The signature of Group Captain J B Willie Tait DSO*** DFC* ADC (deceased)

Group Captain J B Willie Tait DSO*** DFC* ADC (deceased)
*Signature Value : £40

One of Bomber Commands most outstanding leaders, James Brian -Willie- Tait was one of only two RAF officers who had the distinction of being awarded three Bars to his DSO, as well as a DFC and Bar. On the night before D-Day Tait was the 5 Group Master Bomber directing from the air the massed attack by Lancasters on the German defences in the Cherbourg peninsula. By then Tait had already flown more than 100 bomber sorties with 51, 35, 10 and 78 Squadrons. A Cranwell-trained regular officer, he was very much in the Cheshire mould: quiet, bordering on the introspective. He was to go on to command the legendary 617 Dambusters Squadron and lead it on one of its most famous raids which finally destroyed the German battleship Tirpitz. In July 1944 when Leonard Cheshire was replaced by Wing Commander J B Willie Tait, 617 Squadron discovered that it had acquired a Commanding Officer very much in the Cheshire mould. Quiet, bordering on introspection, Tait, who was a Cranwell-trained regular officer, had already flown over 100 bombing operations with 51, 35, 10 and 78 Squadrons before joining 617. Tait had also received a DSO and bar and the DFC. He was 26. In the best traditions of 617 Squadron, Tait wasted no time in adapting to the Mustang and Mosquito for low level marking. He appointed two new Flight Commanders including Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC. Although involved in many of 617 Squadrons spectacular operations, Taits name is always associated with the destruction of the Tirpitz. An earlier attack on the ship by the squadron on 15th September 1944 had caused severe damage but Tirpitz was still afloat. On 29th October the Squadron was frustrated on the second attack by cloud over the target. The final attack was launched in daylight on 12th November 1944. Leading a mixed force of 617 and 9 Squadron Lancasters, Tait achieved complete surprise and had the satisfaction of seeing the Tirpitz destroyed at last. He had led all three attacks. On 28th December 1944 Tait received a third bar to his DSO, becoming one of only two RAF men to achieve this distinction. It coincided with his leaving 617 Squadron. Tait served in the post-war RAF, retiring as a Group Captain in 1966. He died 31st May 2007.


The signature of Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)

Squadron Leader George L. Johnson DFM (deceased)
*Signature Value : £45

Joining the RAF in 1940, George Johnson served with 97 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron. Bomb aimer on American Joe McCarthys Lancaster AJ-T, they attacked the Sorpe Dam, for which he was awarded the DFM. Commissioned a few months later, George retired from the RAF in 1962. The last surviving Dambuster, he died aged 101 on 7th December 2022.


The signature of Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC (deceased)

Squadron Leader Tony Iveson DFC (deceased)
*Signature Value : £45

Tony Iveson fought in the Battle of Britain with RAF Fighter Command, as a Sergeant pilot, joining 616 Squadron at Kenley flying Spitfires on 2 September 1940. On the 16th of September, he was forced to ditch into the sea after running out of fuel following a pursuit of a Ju88 bomber. His Spitfire L1036 ditched 20 miles off Cromer in Norfolk, and he was picked up by an MTB. He joined No.92 Sqn the following month. Commissioned in 1942, Tony undertook his second tour transferring to RAF Bomber Command, where he was selected to join the famous 617 Squadron, flying Lancasters. He took part in most of 617 Squadrons high precision operations, including all three sorties against the German battleship Tirpitz, and went on to become one of the most respected pilots in the squadron. He died on 5th November 2013.


The signature of Warrant Officer F L Tilley

Warrant Officer F L Tilley
*Signature Value : £25

After training as a Flight Engineer he volunteered for 617 Sqn taking part in all the raids against the Tirpitz, but at the end of 1944 was forced to crash land in East Germany after being badly shot up and injured on a mission.


Warrant Officer Harry Irons DFC (deceased)
*Signature Value : £40

Joining the RAF at the age of 16 in 1940, he did 2 full tours as a Rear Gunner with 9 Squadron and took part in nearly all the famous raids of Bomber Command. He finished in 1945 at 158 Squadron flying Halifaxes. 'I had just turned 18 when we went on a gunnery school course. After that six-week training, we usually went for a further three months training to an Operational Training Unit. It so happened that 9 Squadron had just converted from Wellingtons to Lancasters and they were 14 air gunners short on the squadron, so they posted us from gunnery school after six weeks' training straight to the squadron. 'When I got there, I was approached by a Flt Lt Stubbs, who said to me: 'You're my new gunner. We've got a gunner already but he's been flying Wellingtons and he doesn't want to be a rear gunner. He wants to go in the mid-upper turret. You'll be the rear gunner.' But, he said, on my first raid, the best thing for me to do would be to go on the mid-upper turret. 'That way you can see exactly what's going on,' he said. 'My first raid in Lancasters with 9 Squadron was to Dusseldorf on September 10th, 1942. Every time we went on a bombing raid, we had to do an air test first. We would test our guns, test the bomb sight, test the hydraulics, test the engines, and when you landed, if everything was OK, you told the engineers that everything was fine for the raid. As we landed, the armourers arrived with the bomb load. I still remember now, it was one 4,000 pounder - one huge, fat bomb - and 1,200 incendiaries. 'Our bomb aimer was an 'old sweat'. We used to call him 'The Old Boy'. He was 26. He said that with that bomb load we had, we were definitely going to the Happy Valley. When we returned to the mess, we got ready to go to the briefing. We were briefed and the curtain came down off the target and there it was - Dusseldorf. 'That's right,' said the bomb aimer to me, 'that's where we are going, Dusseldorf.' Most of our raids were on the Ruhr Valley and the reason why I am alive now is because - I don't know why - but I never went to Berlin. I wouldn't be talking to you now if I had been to Berlin. I can assure you. 'We put all our gear on. It took about half an hour for the air gunner to get dressed with all the clothing. I clambered into the mid-upper turret and off we went. As we crossed the Dutch coast, I could see we were about 1,400 or 1,500 feet over the coast. I could see a huge number of lights coming up. Far below us there was light flak, in beautiful colours, but it never touched us because we were a little too high. 'We crossed over Holland and the bomb aimer said: 'We are approaching the target, Skipper,' so I decided to swing my turret around and have a look. I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. I could not believe my eyes seeing what was in front of me. The flak, the guns, the lights, the search lights. It was incredible and I was really, really, really frightened. The plane was bouncing about. Then the bomb aimer said: 'Bomb doors open' and in we go straight and level. 'On my left I could see an aircraft on fire going down, and one below us I could see exploding. And I thought to myself: 'We're in for something here!'. I could not believe that we were going to fly through this huge explosion. But we went through it. Then the pilot was talking to the bomb aimer, and the bomb aimer said: 'We have missed the target, Skipper. We're going to have to go round again.' And I thought: 'Dear, oh dear, we've got to go all the way round, come back and go through all that again.' Which we did. And on the second run, we dropped our bombs. 'Bomb doors closed. On the way home. Flying back, there were problems with the oxygen, so the skipper – he was 21 and on his second tour, and old hand – took us down lower. We had to drop below 10,000 feet, and as we crossed the Dutch coast, the light flak opened up. It was absolutely hair-raising. There were hundreds and hundreds of these lights flashing past us but, strangely enough, not one of them hit us. 'When we got back, we landed and had a look at our aircraft. There were about 10 or 15 holes, two or three inches wide, across the fuselage, flak holes caused by shrapnel from the shells. We must have caught them on the Dutch coast. We were lucky but I've seen much worse. We went in for a briefing, had a coffee and went to bed. That was my first raid. Later, I found out, that our skipper, who had finished his tour, unfortunately got killed during training a couple of weeks later.'
Harry Irons died on 10th November 2020.


Warrant Officer James Copus
*Signature Value : £35

Joined the RAF in 1940 on Lancasters with 97 Sqn Pathfinders. He baled out on a bombing raid over Hanover and was captured and taken PoW and interned at Stalag Luft I.


Warrant Officer Ken Johnson
*Signature Value : £30

As a Mid-Upper Gunner he flew on Lancasters with 9 and 61 Squadrons taking part in many raids including the final attack to sink the Tirpitz in November 1944 along with attacks on Berchtesgaden, Hitlers alpine home.
The Aircraft :
NameInfo
LancasterThe Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992.
Artist Details : Robert Taylor
Click here for a full list of all artwork by Robert Taylor


Robert Taylor

The name Robert Taylor has been synonymous with aviation art over a quarter of a century. His paintings of aircraft, more than those of any other artist, have helped popularise a genre which at the start of this remarkable artist's career had little recognition in the world of fine art. When he burst upon the scene in the mid-1970s his vibrant, expansive approach to the subject was a revelation. His paintings immediately caught the imagination of enthusiasts and collectors alike . He became an instant success. As a boy, Robert seemed always to have a pencil in his hand. Aware of his natural gift from an early age, he never considered a career beyond art, and with unwavering focus, set out to achieve his goal. Leaving school at fifteen, he has never worked outside the world of art. After two years at the Bath School of Art he landed a job as an apprentice picture framer with an art gallery in Bath, the city where Robert has lived and worked all his life. Already competent with water-colours the young apprentice took every opportunity to study the works of other artists and, after trying his hand at oils, quickly determined he could paint to the same standard as much of the art it was his job to frame. Soon the gallery was selling his paintings, and the owner, recognising Roberts talent, promoted him to the busy picture-restoring department. Here, he repaired and restored all manner of paintings and drawings, the expertise he developed becoming the foundation of his career as a professional artist. Picture restoration is an exacting skill, requiring the ability to emulate the techniques of other painters so as to render the damaged area of the work undetectable. After a decade of diligent application, Robert became one of the most capable picture restorers outside London. Today he attributes his versatility to the years he spent painstakingly working on the paintings of others artists. After fifteen years at the gallery, by chance he was introduced to Pat Barnard, whose military publishing business happened also to be located in the city of Bath. When offered the chance to become a full-time painter, Robert leapt at the opportunity. Within a few months of becoming a professional artist, he saw his first works in print. Roberts early career was devoted to maritime paintings, and he achieved early success with his prints of naval subjects, one of his admirers being Lord Louis Mountbatten. He exhibited successfully at the Royal Society of Marine Artists in London and soon his popularity attracted the attention of the media. Following a major feature on his work in a leading national daily newspaper he was invited to appear in a BBC Television programme. This led to a string of commissions for the Fleet Air Arm Museum who, understandably, wanted aircraft in their maritime paintings. It was the start of Roberts career as an aviation artist. Fascinated since childhood by the big, powerful machines that man has invented, switching from one type of hardware to another has never troubled him. Being an artist of the old school, Robert tackled the subject of painting aircraft with the same gusto as with his large, action-packed maritime pictures - big compositions supported by powerful and dramatic skies, painted on large canvases. It was a formula new to the aviation art genre, at the time not used to such sweeping canvases, but one that came naturally to an artist whose approach appeared to have origins in an earlier classical period. Roberts aviation paintings are instantly recognisable. He somehow manages to convey all the technical detail of aviation in a traditional and painterly style, reminiscent of the Old Masters. With uncanny ability, he is able to recreate scenes from the past with a carefully rehearsed realism that few other artists ever manage to achieve. This is partly due to his prodigious research but also his attention to detail: Not for him shiny new factory-fresh aircraft looking like museum specimens. His trade mark, flying machines that are battle-scarred, worse for wear, with dings down the fuselage, chips and dents along the leading edges of wings, oil stains trailing from engine cowlings, paintwork faded with dust and grime; his planes are real! Roberts aviation works have drawn crowds in the international arena since the early 1980s. He has exhibited throughout the US and Canada, Australia, Japan and in Europe. His one-man exhibition at the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC was hailed as the most popular art exhibition ever held there. His paintings hang in many of the worlds great aviation museums, adorn boardrooms, offices and homes, and his limited edition prints are avidly collected all around the world. A family man with strong Christian values, Robert devotes most of what little spare time he has to his home life. Married to Mary for thirty five years, they have five children, all now grown up. Neither fame nor fortune has turned his head. He is the same easy-going, gentle character he was when setting out on his painting career all those years ago, but now with a confidence that comes with the knowledge that he has mastered his profession.

More about Robert Taylor

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