Gaydon Painting.
Much discussion recently about this painting.This is what happened.
I was in the crewroom of "A" squadron , 230 O.C.U.at R.A.F.Gaydon.There was no flying due to the bad weather.A blizzard was blowing outside.A sergeant stuck his head round the door and said there was an instrument problem on XA 941 and to get down there and fix it.I put on my anorak and went outside.I arrived at the aircraft and saw the Warwickshire Hunt milling about in the jet exhaust of the Victor.Large sheets of ice were being picked up and sent spinning towards the riders , horses and hounds.The horses were panicking and there seemed to be much confusion , with the result that the hunt was circulating in the worst part of the ice storm.Chiefy Swinburne , the crewchief , had not seen the riders as he was looking down [due to the weather] and they were hidden by the flying ice.I signalled that he should cut the engines and he then saw the hunt and did so.The rest of the groundcrew had got into the cockpit , pulled up the ladder and shut the door.Only the crewchief [obviously made of sterner stuff] remained outside the aircraft.
I commissioned the painting , and 17 prints of it have so far been sold , and numerous Christmas cards.I was contacted by the ex Station Commander , Group Captain Everitt , who told me of an earlier intrusion by the hunt.Print No.17 was bought by Tom Swinburne [ex Chiefy] and I am told by John Bishop , Master of Hounds and in charge of events at the Heritage Museum at Gaydon , that there is at least one hunter still living that was there.To conclude , the fence was as it is in the painting.