The men who served so bravely in Bomber Command came not only from Britain but from all over the free world. Their unswerving courage, devotion to duty and the extraordinary contribution they made between 1939 and 1945 was beyond measure. In fact, without RAF Bomber Command there would have been no final victory in Europe. It was a heroic yet often deadly role – of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command, 55,573 made the ultimate sacrifice – a casualty figure only surpassed by those who served in the Kriegsmarine’s U-boats. And the aircraft that many of these airmen flew from 1942 onwards was the legendary Avro Lancaster, known as the backbone of Bomber Command. It was probably the greatest heavy bomber of World War II and Sir Arthur Harris, Commander in Chief of RAF Bomber Command, believed that the Lancaster, powered by its four mighty Merlin engines, was ‘the greatest single factor in winning the war’. “Without your genius and efforts” he wrote of the Lancaster crews, “we could not have prevailed”. It is therefore fitting that Richard Taylor has chosen the Lancaster in his moving limited edition, to represent all those who served with Bomber Command during World War II. Depicted are the aircraft of 106 Squadron whose motto Pro Libertate – ‘For Freedom’ – not only gives title to the painting, but perhaps symbolises the driving force behind so many of these brave young men who faced such daunting odds. S/N by artist and signed by the artist along with three highly-regarded RAF Bomber Command veterans: Sqn Ldr LAWRENCE ‘BENNY’ GOODMAN Pilot on Lancasters with 617 Sqn Sqn Ldr DOUGLAS JOSS MBE Rear Gunner on Lancasters with 626 Sqn W.O. ROY BRIGGS Wireless Operator on Lancasters with 576 Sqn
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