For over five years the young men of RAF Bomber Command fought a long, unceasing and always bitter struggle against the mighty war machine of Nazi Germany. Magnificently brave, they endured fearful odds, frightening losses and some of the most terrifying flying conditions imaginable, but they persevered unflinchingly. The extraordinary heroism of those men is reflected by the twenty-three Victoria Crosses awarded during that time. And one aircraft above all others came to symbolize that gallantry, the Lancaster.
Robert Taylor’s moving tribute to that famous bomber, Winter Homecoming, is surely one of the most beautiful aviation landscapes in existence. With great skill the artist has managed to portray the contrasting moods of wartime England within a single canvas. As dawn breaks over a tranquil English landscape, the crisp winter air echoes to the sound of hard-working Merlin engines. The glinting rays of the rising sun reveal the damaged Lancaster, its inner port engine smoking as the weary, battle-scarred pilot struggles to keep his aircraft flying. Probably there are injured men on board. Long overdue, the straggler has fallen far behind the main returning force; only the dogged tenacity of her pilot and crew have kept them going. They could easily have fallen prey to prowling Luftwaffe night-fighters, but this time they’ve been lucky, they will make it home – just. Others, however, have not been so lucky.
It is therefore a fitting tribute to the memories of the men of Bomber Command that this magnificent painting, never before published in full size, is the very latest Robert Taylor Masterwork to be enhanced by the new GICLÉE STUDIO PROOF ON CANVAS.
For over five years the young men of RAF Bomber Command fought a long, unceasing and always bitter struggle against the mighty war machine of Nazi Germany. Magnificently brave, they endured fearful odds, frightening losses and some of the most terrifying flying conditions imaginable, but they persevered unflinchingly. The extraordinary heroism of those men is reflected by the twenty-three Victoria Crosses awarded during that time. And one aircraft above all others came to symbolize that gallantry, the Lancaster.
