Dion Pears Painting

[Milarity]

Merry Christmas to One and All.
Could any of you help me with unravelling a small mystery?
I spent today being dragged around my wife’s relatives, dishing out seasonal good wishes and scoffing mince pies. In a gloomy hallway of a Great Aunt’s rambling house I spotted an oil painting by Dion Pears. Having never heard of him, a quick Google revealed a prolific painter of classic cars and aircraft. This particular painting is of a pair of F100 Super Sabres preparing for flight, with 2 more flying past and 3 more just vague outlines in the background. The aircraft that is the main focus of the picture has the serial number FW000 painted on the fuselage above the wing. The sky is vast, dark and threatening rain. The frame is very simple painted wood, carrying a brass plaque inscribed with the following:

“This painting was liberated by Eastern Radar in Sep 79 and returned in Oct 79 suitably enhanced”.

Does this description ring a bell with anyone that may shed some light on its provenance?

Many thanks, M.

[BOAC]

Cannot help with the 'provenance' of the picture but I feel you may get more feedback if you stick this on the ATC thread (don't forget to delete this one please) and I'm sure someone who worked at Eastern Radar in the late 70's will recall the 'raid'.:D

[Tiger_mate]

Paul Coggin, a journo with Aeroplane Monthly magazine worked at Eastern at that time.

[Milarity]

Thanks for the suggestions. I would like to leave this in place for a couple of days to see if anyone could use the description to work out where the painting could have been taken from (and returned to). Eastern Radar suggests East Anglia, and the Great Aunt in question lives between Sculthorpe and West Raynham. I have no idea how to follow up on the serial number for further info as it does not seem to be a standard format.
M.

[Bob Wyer]

Suggest that FW-000 was a valid serial, known as Triple Zilch

Further to my last
Raven will give you the story but here is the \'Triple Zilch\" F-100. Our grandfather was the Commanding Officer at this base and this was his aircraft he flew.FW-000. Fighter Wing 000 His plane was called Triple Zilch from the 3-0\'s. http://www.mkparso.bravepages.com/F-100/F-100D_63000.jpg....http://www.mkparso.bravepages.com/FIGHTERS/F-100.htm. Raven has tons more of info.....[url]

[BOAC]

Bob - link 1 does not work for me - I suspect it is too long for the B board software - do a Google on 'TinyUrl'.

[PPRuNe Pop]

At this festive time, well its nearly over, I hate to invoke the rules but making links to sites that will make money from being put here or elsewhere on PPRuNe is not allowed.

The link to squadronprints does - so I have had to remove it.

You can always Google to it of course.


PPP

[Milarity]

BW, thanks for the leads. Could you give a little more detail on Raven, as my inept fumblings with the search button have not bore fruit.

A bit more searching reveals the use of 'buzz' numbers derived from the ac type (in this case FW for Super Sabre) and the last 3 of the serial number. I have found a lot of references to Triple Zilch, and she seems to be the subject of many pictures, but so far I have not found out why this particular ac should have so much attention focussed upon her.

By the way, no-one seems to know how the painting came into the family's possession, and there are no family conections with the services, other than their proximity to several Stations in Norfolk and their operation of a light ac off a farm strip many years ago.

Thank you, M.

[Tiger_mate]

Eastern Radar was a lodger unit at RAF Watton. Long after Watton closed as an airfield, Eastern remained, and a pleasant community it was to. The only resident aircraft at that time was a Meteor NF14 on the gate.

The airfield was used by helicopters and C130s on occasion on Exercise. Easterns primary 'customer' was the USAF in East Anglia although Wyton, Honington and Wattisham were up and running in those days also.

With the iminent demise of Coltishall, there will only be Marham left.

Social exchanges with the Americans were fairly common, especially on the football/cricket pitch. They are always "liberating" occasions.