Melton artist's pride as his drawing features in RAF centenary display

Brian Fare was commissioned six years ago by staff at RAF High Wycombe to produce a drawing of an RAF Bomber Command crew.

They were restoring the former office of ‘Bomber’ Harris when he was based there as Commander in Chief of Bomber Command.

And at the RAF100 event on Sunday, at The Royal Courts of Justice in London, a series of photographs were displayed depicting scenes from the RAF during the 100 years since its formation.

One of the images on show was a colour photograph of Bomber Harris’s office as it is today with a black and white image of Harris sitting at his desk superimposed over the colour shot.

Brian, a welfare officer for the Melton branch of the RAF Association (RAFA), said: “When I was originally commissioned back in 2012 to reproduce the drawing it was an absolute honour and privilege to be involved with the project of recreating the wartime office of one of the RAF’s great leaders from World War Two.

“It was even more of a privilege to go to his office and sit at his desk, in his original chair, and look at the secret wartime maps on the walls that he used for planning the bombing raids on Nazi Germany.

“When I saw the photograph at the RAF100 event on Sunday, I was honoured that they had taken the photo at the angle to include my drawing and that it was included in the display for the RAF centenary launch event.”

Members of the town branch of RAFA will be celebrating the centenary of the air force at a formal dinner at Scalford Hall on June 29.

Preparations are also in place to make September’s annual Battle of Britain parade through the town a bigger event than normal followed by a service at St Mary’s Church.

The RAF, formed on April 1, 1918, is the oldest independent air force in the world.