Commander's Oversight connects two sides of the air war over Europe: RAF fighter pilots Douglas Bader and Billy Drake, and the German aircraft they fought. The artwork is paired with material from a Hawker Hurricane Merlin engine and a Heinkel He 111, creating a physical connection to both fighter and bomber operations.
Billy Drake and the Hurricane Relic
The Hurricane material was recovered in the 1990s and originated from the aircraft flown by Flying Officer Billy Drake. On 13 May 1940, during the Battle of France, Drake was returning after an oxygen-system failure when he encountered German bombers. After attacking the formation, he was hit by a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and severely wounded by shell fragments. He bailed out and was evacuated to England.
Rolls-Royce Merlin engine fragments from a Hawker Hurricane.
Drake recovered and returned to combat, eventually becoming one of Britain's notable fighter pilots of the war and later retiring from the RAF as a Group Captain.
Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader lost both legs in a 1931 flying accident but returned to RAF service after the outbreak of the Second World War. He fought during the Battle of France and Battle of Britain, rose to command fighter formations, and became one of the RAF's best-known aces.
RAF fighter ace Douglas Bader.
Bader was shot down over France in 1941 and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner. The second relic associated with the artwork comes from a Heinkel He 111 recovered south of Vinnytsia, Ukraine, in 2017. Wing fragments survived, although the individual aircraft's identity has not been established.
Share: