First Light

Battle of Britain July 1940

by Philip E. West

Small Print Edition Artist Proof

Another busy start to the day at Biggin Hill in the summer of 1940. The Battle of Britain is at its height and 92 Squadron Spitfires with Geoffrey Wellum in ‘G’ for George, depart under early morning sunlight to engage a mass of incoming enemy aircraft over the southeast coast. By the end of 1940 the Squadron was credited with having destroyed 127 German aircraft.

The Primary Edition is signed by Battle of Britain pilot Squadron Leader Flt. Lt Geoffrey Wellum DFC (whose aircraft is featured in the painting) and the Artist Proofs are also signed by a further two Battle of Britain pilots. 

                                                                       50 Prints in the Primary edition  £105.00 A/P

 The Primary Edition is signed by the artist and:-

Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC joined the RAF with a Short Service Commission in August 1939. He joined no 92 Squadron flying Spitfires in June 1940 at the time of Dunkirk. He flew throughout the Battle of Britain, later completing over 50 fighter sweeps and escorts over northern France and Belgium until August 1941. He then joined 65 Squadron as Flight Commander in March 1942 operating over northern France and flew off Aircraft Carrier Furious on operation Pedestal, to Malta. (Geoff was a Flt. Lt. during “Operation Pedestal”) He returned to the UK as a test pilot Gloster Aircraft and finished the war as a Pilot Attack Instructor.

Philip West is recognised as one of the world’s finest aviation artists. Collectors of his original oil paintings span the globe, many waiting patiently for his next breath taking canvas to appear. Self taught, Philip has won many accolades for his paintings, not the least of which was the prestigious Duane Whitney Award for Excellence at the 1997 American Society of Aviation Artists Exhibition.

Every limited edition print bears the unique signature of the artist. This signature is the artist’s seal of approval that the print is a faithful and accurate reproduction of his original painting. Over the years collectors have demonstrated their enthusiasm for prints countersigned by pilots and/or crew members. Wherever possible we try to accommodate this preference, but sometimes it is either impractical or prohibitively expensive. e.g. when the relevant people live overseas.

Al prints are carefully wrapped in acid free tissue paper and rolled into a tube for dispatch along with the Certificate of Authenticity. Prints are dispatched with Royal Mail

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