Description
The print is actually composed of seven different images. The central image is a contemporary scene: a church yard not far from Peterborough, England. The memorial statue is dedicated to the 8th Air Force. Overhead streaks an 8th Air Force F-111 on a low-level training mission.
Surrounding the main image are six smaller pictures that are historical in nature; they take the viewer back to the height of the Eighth’s action in World War II. Formed in August, 1942, this air armada struck time and again at the enemy’s heartland, providing air power for the eventual liberation of Europe.
About the Art……by Bill Phillips
“While visiting friends in England during 1984, I had the opportunity to travel to a number of now-abandoned 8th Air Force Bases. One afternoon, we took a bicycle ride to an old church nearby. I was so moved by what I saw that I felt I would have to try and make some type of statement.” An open letter about this painting to a friend I never knew:
The scene: It probably hasn’t changed much. The afternoon skies are full of billowing cumulus clouds and the trees and fields are alive with the bounty of summer. The sounds of engines and men’s voices gone, replaced by a gentle whisper of the wind through grain fields or the song of an occasional bird. In the distance, one can hear the laughter of children.
The aircraft: They are the big six of the 8th Air Force: B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-26 Martin Marauder, P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt. You worked on them during freezing nights of winter and nursed them home, so badly damaged it seemed there was no way they could fly. You gave them names and they took on their own personalities.
The boy: He is part of a generation you probably didn’t give much thought to at the time, for you see, he is your grandson. He lives in a world that would amaze you. Oh, it is still far from perfect but because of your sacrifice and the sacrifice of thousands like you, he still have the right to choose freedom over oppression. The old churchyard. It is still there much the same as when you were here. But there is a monument there now that you wouldn’t have seen. It stands as a reminder to all who view it that you paid the ultimate price for their rights and freedoms.
The painting: It expresses that childlike innocence and idealism that we all possess; at times hidden away, but there if we but attempt to find it. The painting is a personal memorial to your sacrifice from my generation and those generations yet unborn . . . “Lest We Forget.”
THE SIGNATURES
The print is individually numbered and personally signed by the artist, Bill Phillips along with seven of the most legendary veterans of the Eighth Air Force:
General CURTIS E. LEMAY – Flew B-24s and later became one of the most important leaders of WWII
Colonel WILLIAM “BILL” LAWLEY Medal of Honor – 305th BG / B-17 Pilot
Major General ANDREW LOW Jr– 389th BG / B-24 Pilot
Brigadier General ROBIN OLDS – P-38, P-51 WWII & Phantoms in Vietnam / 17 victories
Colonel “HUB” ZEMKE – P-47, 56th FG ‘Wolf Pack’ leader / 17¾ victories
Captain JAMES FARRELL – 322nd BG, B-26 Pilot / 72 combat missions
Colonel GERALD BROWN – P-38, 35th FG / 5 victories
Published in 1985, this sold out print is very difficult to find these days and is personally signed by some of the most renowned Aviation veterans of WWII, making it the perfect collector’s item for aviation enthusiasts and autograph hunters alike.
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