Homeland Formation depicts Wing Commander Robert Stanford Tuck and the Supermarine Spitfire during the period when RAF Fighter Command was preparing to defend Britain from the Luftwaffe.
The Relic: Spitfire Mk Vb AD391
The artwork is paired with aluminum from Spitfire Mk Vb AD391 of No. 313 Squadron. The aircraft crashed into the sea near Shoeburyness, Essex, on 23 February 1942 and portions of the wreck were recovered decades later.
Recovered wing material from Spitfire Mk Vb AD391.
Detail of the recovered AD391 panel and surviving wartime finish.
The surviving port-wing panel retains original rivets and remnants of national-marking paint, providing a direct material connection to an operational wartime Spitfire.
Robert Stanford Tuck
Tuck gained combat experience during the fighting over France and Dunkirk before becoming a prominent RAF leader during the Battle of Britain. His combination of combat experience and leadership placed him among the better-known British fighter pilots of the period.
In January 1942, Tuck was shot down over occupied France and captured. He made repeated escape attempts before finally escaping captivity in 1945 and reaching advancing Soviet forces. Homeland Formation focuses on the earlier chapter of his career, when the Spitfire and its pilots stood at the center of Britain's air defense.
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