One of the archive team has recently finished building a 1/32 scale model Lancaster. A short time ago, we had to choose which aircraft it was to represent. Without giving it much thought we asked on social media for suggestions, made a short list and posted an opinion poll. With almost 50 percent of the votes, ‘Fair Fighters Revenge’ was chosen for the model.[1]
Some aircraft were known only by their squadron codes and individual letter, others were given their own character and painted with ‘nose art.’ The number of operations each aircraft completed was often recorded by painting a small bomb underneath the cockpit. Operations to Italy were sometimes symbolised by the depiction of an ice-cream cone. Some aircraft were also decorated with nose art; they were given a name or a mascot. As a form of folk art’, some aircraft were painted with comical cartoons, risqué pin ups or quotes.[2] The Canadian War Museum displays a collection of nose art from Halifax aircraft,[3] and there are several books on the topic.[4] The Lancaster S-Sugar, currently at Hendon is decorated with a quote from Herman Goering “No enemy plane will fly over the Reich Territory.” The RAF has regularly chosen cartoons to be painted on the nose of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster. The BBMF Lancaster has previously been ‘The Phantom of the Ruhr’, ‘Johnny Walker’ and Mickey the Moocher.’ In 2014 it was painted as ‘Thumper’ and in 2017 became ‘Leader.’
Thumper at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. (SAC Megan Woodhouse)
The aircraft our poll chose, Lancaster ME812, ‘Fair Fighter’s Revenge’, completed over 100 operations with 166 and 153 squadrons. Its nose art shows a red-haired woman in a short red dress flexing a sword. At a recent meeting some of the team were uncomfortable with the choice, one mentioned the figure on the nose art looked like ‘Miss Whiplash’. During the war, ‘pin ups’ by artists such as Alberto Vargas, George Petty and David Wright influenced the artwork on many bomber aircraft. Based on Norman Pett’s risqué character ‘Jane’ from the Daily Mirror, the Lancaster at the Lincolnshire Heritage Aviation Centre at East Kirkby has been ‘Just Jane’ since the 1990s. She is depicted wearing swimwear and sitting on a rather phallic looking bomb.
Just Jane (Alan Wilson)
Such nose art can only properly be understood and explained in the context of the largely masculine environment of a 1940s wartime bomber station. Today, such objectification of women and the use of offensive national stereotypes are problematic and may cause offense, but so can almost every other aspect of the history of Bomber Command. Its history is difficult heritage, and remembering the bombing war continues to expose a barrage of conflicting opinions, positions and agendas. For some people, Lancaster bombers commemorate the aircrew killed flying in Bomber Command, but for many others in Germany, Italy and France they represent death and destruction, whatever is painted on them.
[1] You can follow the build at: http://ibccdigitalarchivelancbd.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/
[2] Lane, J. ‘Nose Art’ Art Then and Now (2006) http://art-now-and-then.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/nose-art.html accessed 08.11.2017
[3] The Collection of Original Halifax Nose Art Currently on Display at the Canadian War Museum http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/noseartcwm.html accessed 08.11.2017
[4] See for example: Wood, J, Aircraft Nose Art, (Salamander, 1997). Simonsen, C. RAF and RCAF Nose Art in World War II (Hikoki, 2000). Valant, G. Vintage Aircraft Nose Art, (Motorbooks, 2001).
I wholeheartedly agree with the above comments. We have to remember the times and the great risk these crews took in the line of duty. Approximately half of the 55,000 aircrew didn’t return.
My Dad, pilot Ft Sgt and later F/O Keith Groves grew up and trained in Australia and came to England via the US to join the war effort.
I was very pleased to find 2 photos of him with his crew and Lancaster Fair Fighters Revenge, and 2 of him sat up in the cockpit. I therefore believe that they flew Fair Fighters Revenge. I know and have records for their operations at RAF Scampton mostly in Lancaster PB633 but don’t have records of their operations from RAF Kirmington. When they completed their tour of 32 operations, he went on to RAF Transport Command flying freight from RAF Lyneham to support the war in the Far East.
The very next trip with a different crew PB633 was in involved in a mid-air collision and crashed near Laon in Northern France, with the loss of 4 crew. 3 survived and with help from US troops they got back to RAF Scampton 10 days later.
Afterwards my dad was a commercial pilot baeed in Australia, Indonesia, Switzerland, Beirut and for some time in the UK. At age around 85 he returned to Australia and passed away aged 94. Very lucky indeed.
And we should remember the circumstances and situation before judging.
What should make people uncomfortable is the number of young men who were killed inside the aircraft with that nose art. As a woman, I would still feel honoured to have a nose art dedicated in my name. Times were very different but to me nose art is beautiful
Speaking from the perspective of a millennial female, I feel this is an example of where feminists need to consider the bigger picture before diving in with the ‘masculine environment’ and ‘objectification of woman’ stock-phrases.
Personally when I see these types of images and articles what crosses my mind is the thought of the brave crews, young men who don’t know if they’ll ever see home again, being reminded of their own sweethearts when they look at the artwork on the vessel that may well be the last thing on Earth they ever see.
To say that these things make people uncomfortable in current times is fair enough, but remember that these were totally different times; we don’t berate the crowning of English kings instead of queens through the ages, so why berate these pieces in a modern context when it is just as pointless – it’s done, it’s gone, it doesn’t affect your day to day life and it hasn’t anyone’s for the decades since it’s has happened.
It’s part of our heritage after all, and something that we should embrace with pride, or if you do not wish to do that, consider the bigger picture and learn from it, rather than berate it for what it is. And above all, remember the context of those bomber crews when you feel uncomfortable looking at this, not of the ‘masculine environment of wartime’, because let us be honest here; nations at stake, quite literally a world at war; not a single person cared what’s future generations perspectives might make of it, because they were too busy securing that future for us to form these opinions in.
Whole heartedly agree with all you have said Elice……I love the nose art and those that find it objectifies females have very little to complain about…….