The painting in position
A new painting of the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent is now in display in London’s RAF Club.
The painting, by well-known aviation artist Timothy O’Brien, was commissioned by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and generously sponsored by arts benefactor Gerry O’Brien.
It was commissioned after a number of Trustees admired O’Brien’s RAF-themed work on display in the dining room at the RAF Club in Piccadilly but noticed that there was no recent painting of the iconic clifftop Memorial to Churchill’s ‘Few’.
“While Robert Tomlin’s painting, Lest We Forget, showing the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight over the Memorial, has been on display in the club for many years, there have been a lot of changes at the site since then, including the building of The Wing, which opened in 2015,” said Trust Secretary Patrick Tootal.
“The Trust felt that it was important that such an important location, which includes the National Memorial to the Few, should feature in the RAF Club and talked through a number of ideas before agreeing on the final work.
“As a charity, the Trust was also very grateful when, thanks to the good offices of Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards, Gerry O’Brien agreed to sponsor the painting.”
Both the artist and the sponsor were made Honorary Friends of the Few, the Trust’s membership scheme. The painting is now installed in the main corridor of the club and after six months will be permanently displayed in the Battle of Britain suite.