Hornchurch, Essex Giclée Travel Poster

Original illustration of Spitfire P7666 (EB-Z), a Mark IIA Supermarine Spitfire flown from RAF Hornchurch by Don Finlay DFC, AFC, during the Battle of Britain. P7666 was a 'presentation Spitfire', paid for by the Royal Observer Corps as a gift to the Air Ministry - one of many such aircraft funded by groups, individuals, and towns throughout the British Empire and the rest of the free world.

Don Finlay was born in 1909. He grew up a keen athlete, and would represent Great Britain in the hurdles at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics, taking bronze and silver medals, respectively; at the 1934 Empire Games, winning gold; and at the 1938 European Championships, winning gold. Amidst these achievements, he found the time to train as a pilot. During the Second World War, Finlay fought in the Battle of Britain as C/O of No. 54 and No. 41 Squadrons, tallying four enemy aircraft shot down. Throughout the rest of the war he continued to serve. In 1941 he was engineering officer for No. 11 Group, in 1943-44 he commanded No. 608 Squadron in the Middle East, and in 1945 he commanded No. 906 Wing in Burma. Following the war Finlay resumed his athletics career, captaining the British team at the 1948 Olympics. He passed away in 1970 at the age of 60.

RAF Hornchurch's history stretches back to 1915, when it was built for the Royal Flying Corps as Sutton's Farm aerodrome. During the First World War, pilots from Sutton's Farm were credited with the first aerial interception (Lt. Slessor, 13 October 1915), and later the first aerial victory (Lt. William Leefe Robinson VC, 2 September 1916), over Britain. The airfield closed in 1919 following the end of the war, but reopened in April 1928; two months later it was renamed RAF Hornchurch. During the Second World War, RAF Hornchurch played host to 11 Group, one of the four organisational groups of RAF Fighter Command. The airfield was eventually closed in 1962, and has been marked since 2021 by the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre.

This Essex illustration by artist Rob Wisdom is a high-quality Giclée travel poster on cotton-rich fine art paper. It was released at 11am on 11th November 2024 to mark Armistice Day.

12x16" print shown. Cropping and title position (if applicable) may differ slightly on 'A' size prints.