On 14th March, the Museum’s Secretary, Joyce Warren, accepted on behalf of the Society of Friends of the Museum a new painting commissioned from local artist Paul Couper, an Associate Member of the Guild of Aviation Artists.
Entitled ‘In Defence of Tangmere’, the picture commemorates the momentous day seventy years ago during the Battle of Britain when, at lunchtime on 16th August 1940, the airfield was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe. It is painted in acrylics and displays the Hurricanes of No 43 Squadron (the ‘Fighting Cocks’) attacking the Junkers 87 Stuka dive-bombers of StG2.
The photograph shows artist Paul Couper with Joyce Warren standing by the new painting.