Sunday 12th September

We are excited to announce our next event (previous ones have sold out) when once again we will be joined by the most amazing speakers.

How would you like to meet and have your print(s) or books(s) signed by a man who flew with Winston Churchill and HM King George VI during WW2? With his talk John Mitchell will provide a unique insight into his travels with Winston Churchill. His new book will be available to buy and have signed on the day.

Then, former Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot and Lancaster bomber pilot, Tony Iveson will give an illustrated talk on ‘Attacking the Tirpitz’.  One of our very first speakers and back by popular demand.

Our third speaker will be Aubrey Niner (Blenheim & Boston pilot) who was shot down on his 16th mission, along with his two crew was captured and imprisoned in Stalag Luft 111. Aubrey’s second time with us. Last year he amazed and entertained us with his wartime memories. Another gifted and popular speaker not to be missed.                    

In addition to the speakers we aim to have a few other WW2 aircrew with us on the day signing books etc. An amazing opportunity to meet some remarkable men, shake their hands and even have them personally sign a book or print for you. There will also be photo opportunities.

The location will as usual be the Hilton Hotel,
Bagshot Road, Bracknell, RG12 0QJ
and the date is Sunday 12th September. 
Doors open 11.00am.

All our events are suitable for a family day out.
Only £8.50 for a whole day of fascinating and enjoyable entertainment.

The hotel is offering a very special room rate of
£49.00 per room b&b. tel: 01344 424801
(any problems, ask for Alison Dawson!)

Attendance of WW2 guests is subject to their good health.
A print or book can be signed for only £10.
Anything bought on the day for £30 or more
can be signed free of charge.

Either book now online at or call 01225 444929.

THIS EVENT WILL SELL OUT 
To avoid disappointment pleased book early.
Tickets will be sent in the post about one week before the event.

	Event Tickets: £8.50

Speakers:

Air Commodore John Mitchell LVO,DFC,AFC, AE had a remarkable career.  In the pre-war RAF Volunteer Reserve as an Observer, he was mobilised on 1st Sept '39 and after training narrowly missed being posted to a Fairey Battle squadron in France where the chances of survival were low.  He was instead transferred with little further training to night bomber operations on Whitley’s.  He survived a tour of operations during the winter 1940-41, including a ditching in the North Sea.

Awarded the DFC he was posted to Canada for  further specialised training and then became involved in the development of the Celestial Navigation Trainer at the famous Link Trainer factory at Binghamton N.Y., the first such simulator in the US or the RAF.  For his work there he was awarded the U.S. Legion of Merit with its citation signed by President Truman.  Returning to the UK and a spell in the Air Ministry Navigation Dept, he was selected to join the RAF crew being posted to the Prime Minister's personal Avro York aircraft "Ascalon".  For two years he navigated Churchill and his entourage to a number of international conferences from North Africa, Italy, the Middle East and Teheran, to Moscow and Yalta.  He also flew HM King George VI to North Africa in '43 and Italy in 44, for which he was given the Victorian Order (LVO), an award in the gift of the Sovereign.

After the war he filled a number of senior navigation appointments, including taking part in the 1951 transpolar exercises in the Long-range Lincoln Aries III.  A tour as Senior Intelligence Officer at NEAF HQ in Cyprus was followed by appointment as Defence Attaché in Moscow during the Cold War, with subsequent employment on the Defence Intelligence Staff in London."   

Sqn. Ldr. Tony Iveson, (Pilot) DFC, AE, CRAeS was born and raised in Yorkshire and learned to fly in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve before the war. In 1940 he flew with 616 and 92 Fighter Squadrons, Fighter Command, and survived ditching a Spitfire in the North Sea after a combat with a Junkers 88. After qualifying at the RAF’s Central Flying School in 1941 he went on to be a flying instructor in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.

On returning to Britain he was directed to Bomber Command and was posted to No. 617 ‘Dam Busters’ Squadron in 1944 flying Lancaster’s. He was later appointed a Flight Commander. Amongst other operations he flew on all three attacks the Squadron made on the German battleship “Tirpitz”. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in January 1945.

He was seconded to BOAC at the end of the war to Captain Avro Lancastrians on the re-opening of the routes to Australia and other countries. Later he returned to RAF Transport Command flying Handley Page Hastings before retiring in 1951. He also commanded an Auxiliary Squadron from 1954 to 1957.

He was Secretary of 617 Squadron Association from 1966 to 1990 and is currently Chairman of the Bomber Command Association, still 6500 strong! His post-war career was entirely in communications – in the printing industry, in television, advertising, corporate and financial public relations. Since his retirement in 1990 he lived in the south of France for eight years, returning to England after the death of his wife.

Aubrey Niner (Blenheim & Boston pilot) who was shot down on his 16th mission, along with his two crew was captured and imprisoned in Stalag Luft 111.

Help Put Right A Wrong

In this day and age when so-called celebrities are handed them out and many businesspeople buy them, it is extraordinary how one truly remarkable man has been so consistently overlooked for a Knighthood. Just look at what Eric Brown has achieved and what he has done for his country during his remarkable lifetime.

Do you think it is time, long overdue really, that Eric Brown’s achievements are acknowledged with a Knighthood and before it is too late?

If you agree then please will you write and recommend Eric for a Knighthood?
This Link will take you to the relevant page to submit your recommendation. Surely it is time we all did something in return for Eric’s bravery.  No one will ever equal, even come close to his flying achievements.

When writing please can I suggest you make only positive comments as to why Eric is so deserving, and resist the temptation to complain about why he has not been recognised and rewarded with a Knighthood in the past.  Please write now. Eric is over 90 years of age and it could easily take two years for a Knighthood to be bestowed on him. AND! Please ask friends etc to write as well.

Captain Eric Brown RN had a 31-year career in the Royal Navy, and is the Fleet Air Arm’s most decorated pilot. After a distinguished operational tour flying from Britain’s first escort carrier, he was selected as a test pilot in 1942 and then served at A&AEE Boscombe Down before being appointed as Chief Naval Test Pilot at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, where he remained for six years. During that time he commanded the Enemy Aircraft Flight, the High Speed Flight and finally the prestigious Aerodynamics Flight.

During the Korean War he served as a test pilot at the US Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River for two years. While in his appointment as Head of the British Naval Air Mission to Germany from 1957-60 he was seconded to the Focke-Wulf Co. for a spell as their test pilot.

In his test-flying career he has flown a world record 487 basic types of aircraft, and made a world record 2,407 aircraft carrier landings in fixed-wing aircraft. He is a past President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a Master Pilot of Russia. In 1995 he was inducted into the US Navy’s Carrier Aviation Test Pilot Hall of Honor, the only non-American to have received this accolade.

Frequently Asked questions

You may find the following information of help when selecting the print(s) of your choice. If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email us.

Limited Eition Prints
A predetermined number of prints published from an original piece of art. The quantity of prints published can vary from edition to edition and publisher to publisher. Typically, an edition will be 500 or less. The fewer there are the rarer the print. Each print is individually numbered. e.g. 15/850

The signature.
Every limited edition print bears the unique signature of the artist. This signature is the artist’s seal of approval that the print is a faithful and accurate reproduction of his original painting. Over the years collectors have demonstrated their enthusiasm for prints countersigned by pilots and/or crew members. Wherever possible we try to accommodate this preference, but sometimes it is either impractical or prohibitively expensive. e.g. when the relevant people live overseas.

Remarque
This is a small original drawing or sketch made by the artist in the lower white margin/border of the print, either to the right or left of the print title and caption. Generally, an artist would not Remarque more than 50 prints in an edition, each one of which attracts a premium price because of its uniqueness. i.e. no two drawings will ever be exactly the same. Remarqued prints tend to be the most valuable and prized of any edition.

Two examples of Stephen Brown’s Remarques.

Three examples of Philip West’s Remarques.

Artist Proofs
These are published in addition to the main edition and signed as Artist Proof or A/P. Traditionally these prints are reserved for the artist’s personal use, and usually do not exceed more than 10% of any one edition. Nowadays, most publishers and artists make this allocation available to collectors at a slight premium.

Paper quality
We use 300-gram (350 gram since June 2003) acid free paper of the finest quality (in accordance with ISO 9706), manufactured using Elemental Chlorine Free Pulps and vegetable based lightfast inks not less than BW7 on the lightfast scale Printing process. We use four-colour Offset Lithography, the most widely used form of printing today.

Secondary Market
Once an edition has sold out, the prints normally begin to attract a higher value, based on how quickly the edition sold out and the present demand for the print in question. Collectors will sometimes offer such prints for sale through an advertisement at a price they feel the print is now worth; this is known as the ‘Secondary Market’. It is always worth giving the artist’s publisher a call to see if they might know where you can find a specific print.

Sold Out
When this term is used by SWA Fine Art Publishers it indicates we have sold out of that particular print. It is possible, though, that one of our retailers or distributors may still have a copy in stock and we will always be happy to put you in touch with the one nearest you. Please contact us in the first instance.

Framing / Mounting
We recommend that prints are “Conservation Mounted.” This will help preserve the life as well as the value of your limited edition print. If you take your print to a framer be sure to take your time over the selection of both the mount and frame, keeping in mind the décor of the room where you propose to hang the picture. Cost’s vary enormously depending on the size of the print, quality of frame chose, your location, etc. For one of our standard sized prints the frame could cost upward of £50. Due to the difficulty in shipping framed pictures we regret we are unable to provide prints already framed.

US$ etc prices.
Due to the constant change in exchange rates we are gradually removing US$ prices from our web site. If you would like to find out how much one of our prints is in your local currency you might like to use this web site for
a quick and easy comparison.  http://www.xe.com/ucc/