Spitfire (No. 19 Squadron RAF)

This high quality greeting card is an illustration of Supermarine Spitfire MkI N3200 QV, as flown by Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson during the Second World War; in particular during Operation Dynamo, the Dunkirk evacuation. Stephenson was commanding officer of No. 19 Squadron Royal Air Force, who were at the time based at RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire. The squadron were one of sixteen RAF Fighter Command squadrons who operated over Dunkirk and the English Channel, protecting the evacuation from the Luftwaffe across more than 3,500 sorties. In most cases, the RAF sought to intercept the Luftwaffe away from the beaches; this sadly led to a perception among the evacuating British Army that the RAF were largely absent, which was definitely not true.

During the action over Dunkirk, Stephenson was shot down - possibly by Luftwaffe fighter ace Erich Rudorffer, though records are not entirely clear. Stephenson brought his Spitfire down on the beach at Sangatte, a few miles from Dunkirk, and - after an attempt at evasion - surrendered to the Germans and was interned in several POW camps throughout the war, most notably Colditz Castle (Oflag IV-C). While there, he was involved in fabricating the 'Colditz Cock', a handmade glider which the PoWs intended to use to glide across the River Mulde to freedom. However, by the time it was ready, the United States Army had drawn near, and the PoWs opted instead to wait for liberation.

After the war, Stephenson rose to the rank of Air Commodore, and was for a time the personal pilot to the monarch: first King George VI, and later Queen Elizabeth II. In 1954, Stephenson was sadly involved in a fatal crash while testing the US Air Force's new North American F-100 Super Sabre. A memorial service was held at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and Stephenson was buried at the Royal Air Force plot at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. 

This Suffolk illustration by artist Rob Wisdom is a high-quality A5 greeting card. 

Printed by high definition Jet Press on 400gsm silk stock. Designed and printed in England by a certified carbon balanced printer on paper from responsible sources.