VULCAN LEGEND - Original Oil on Canvas

An original oil painting by Philip West, depicting the unmistakable Avro Vulcan B.Mk2 XH560 of No. 27 Squadron RAF, high above the clouds in the distinctive anti-flash and camouflage markings associated with Britain’s Cold War V-Force.
Few aircraft have achieved the same combination of presence, beauty and menace as the Vulcan. Powered by four Rolls-Royce Olympus engines and dominated by its enormous delta wing, it was conceived as a strategic bomber and became one of the principal carriers of Britain’s nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. Its adaptability would later see the type employed in reconnaissance, aerial refuelling and conventional bombing roles.

The Vulcan’s operational career reached one of its most famous chapters during the Falklands War of 1982, when aircraft undertook the extraordinary Black Buck raids from Ascension Island. These missions involved round trips of around 8,000 miles and an exceptionally complex series of in-flight refuellings, making them among the longest bombing missions attempted at that time.

West places the aircraft above an expansive layer of cloud illuminated by the low light of the sky, allowing the Vulcan’s unmistakable shape to dominate the composition. The restrained palette and dramatic altitude give the painting a suitably imposing quality while retaining the atmospheric handling for which Philip West’s aviation work is known.

The Signatures

Further enhancing the provenance of the original, the reverse of the canvas has been personally signed by six RAF veterans who served as pilots and aircrew on the Avro Vulcan. The group includes veterans connected with the Vulcan’s famous Operation Black Buck missions during the Falklands War: