Overall: 42cm (16.5in) x 52cm (20.5in)
Watercolour on paper. Titled ‘Squash Court / Fighter Station’, Signed ‘F.B.’ lower left and inscribed verso ‘West Malling, Officer’s Mess’. Sheet: 22 x 35cm. Framed and glazed.
RAF West Malling served as the advanced aerodrome for RAF Kenley and RAF Biggin Hill during the Battle of Britain. In 1941 it became an important night-fighter base against German intruders, with resident squadrons operating Defiant, Beaufighter and Havoc aircraft fitted with airborne radar. The officer’s mess was located at Douces Manor just outside the village. That same year, Guy Gibson of future Dambusters fame, then commanding officer of 29 Squadron (Beaufighters), said of the station “Of all the airfields in Great Britain … we have the most pleasant”. In 1943 three Focke-Wulf 190s mistakenly landed at West Malling, resulting in the capture of one and the destruction of the other two. In the summer 1944, No. 322 Squadron, equipped with Spitfire Mk XIVs was stationed at West Malling, tasked with intercepting VI ‘doodlebug’ flying bombs launched from the Dutch and French coasts towards London, with marked success.