BACK FROM NORMANDY - Original Oil on Canvas

An important original oil painting by Nicolas Trudgian, depicting the Spitfires of No. 126 Squadron RAF returning to England following a low-level strike against enemy transport in Normandy during the summer of 1944.

Leading the formation is Wing Commander Peter ‘Pete’ Brothers, one of the RAF’s most experienced fighter leaders, flying his distinctive Spitfire Mk.VII, while the Mk.IX Spitfires of 126 Squadron sweep home across the English countryside towards RAF Culmhead in Somerset. Brothers had already fought through the Battles of France and Britain before taking command of the Culmhead Wing in 1944, placing him at the forefront of fighter operations supporting the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Following D-Day on 6 June 1944, the Culmhead Wing maintained an intensive programme of armed ‘Rhubarb’ operations across the Channel. These low-level offensive sorties sought out targets of opportunity, particularly enemy road and rail transport, as Allied air power worked to disrupt German movement towards the Normandy battlefront. These missions continued until forward airstrips could be established on French soil in the weeks following the invasion.

Trudgian sets that operational history against one of the expansive landscapes for which his work has become so recognisable. The formation races inland at low level, the foreground Spitfire dominating the composition while further aircraft extend away towards the coast. Below, the quiet fields, river and rural buildings provide a striking contrast to the pace and purpose of the returning fighters. Trudgian himself has described his approach as creating “landscapes with aeroplanes”, with the setting intended to remain an integral part of the painting rather than merely a backdrop.

The image was subsequently published as the limited-edition Back From Normandy print in 2003, with the principal edition of 500 carrying the signatures of Pete Brothers and fellow veteran fighter pilots. The opportunity to acquire the original oil painting from which this established published image was created therefore gives the work particular significance within Trudgian’s aviation oeuvre.

Original oil on canvas. 41.5" x 30".

The Signatures

Further enhancing the provenance of this important original, the reverse of the canvas has been personally signed, alongside Robert Taylor, by three distinguished wartime fighter pilots: