Please scroll down below the event details to read testimonialsabout our “In the Company of Heroes” sell-out event on 17th January. These events are unique in the world. If you join us you will know what these people below are referring to.

If you live in the UK and have yet to attend one of our events, you really are missing out on something very special – probably a chance in a lifetime to hear these men relive some of their WW2 experiences. Truly amazing.

Early booking of tickets strongly recommended.

NEW DATE!
Sunday 18th April

Eric Brown, who has joined us twice previously, has at your request (on those survey forms we gave out last year!) kindly agreed to return and amaze us with his knowledge and unique insight into flying.

In his test-flying career Eric has flown a world record 487 basic types of aircraft including any German WW2 plane you can think of, and made a world record 2,407 aircraft carrier landings in fixed-wing aircraft. To listen and watch Eric’s presentation is one of those unforgettable moments. Trust me – you won’t regret meeting and listening to Eric!

Joining Eric in giving a talk will be Mosquito Navigator Flight Lieutenant Des Curtis DFC. Author of “A Most Secret Squadron” – copies will be available on the day.

and also Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC AE Bob Foster is a well known figure at book and print signings in many parts of the UK. Although recognized as a Battle of Britain veteran, little is known of his life, or the details of his war service with the RAF.

We hope to soon be announcing a further guest speaker and other WW2 aircrew who will be signing prints and books.

Why not join us at the Hilton Hotel, Bagshot Road, Bracknell,
Berks. RG12 0QJ tel: 01344 424801 on Sunday 18th April.

Doors open at 11.00am and the last talk will end at about 3.30pm.
What a great chance for you to meet these brave men, shake their hands and even have them personally sign a book or print for you? There will also be photo opportunities.

Only £7.50 for a whole day of fascinating and enjoyable entertainment. Bring along your books and prints to be signed, meet and chat with these brave men.

All our events are suitable for a family day out.
On display will be a range of our prints, original paintings and books.

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

Either book now online (please see below) or telephone us at 01225 444929.

Tickets will be sent to you one week before the event.

	Event Tickets: £7.50

Further details about our guest speakers.

Captain Eric Brown R.N. 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.

Flight Lieutenant, Des Curtis DFC

Des Curtis was one of the founder members of 618 Squadron.  Formed within days of the illustrious 617, 618’s primary objective was to mount a daylight low-level attack by Mosquitos on the German battleship Tirpitz within hours of the attack on the Ruhr dams.

The operation, codenamed Operation Servant, was given top securityclassification, to the point where the subject was excluded from the minutes of the meetings of the Chiefs of Staff of the air and naval forces.  The author reveals the dilemmas and conflicting priorities existing to the highest levels, setting out in detail the technicalities of developing the ‘bouncing bomb’.  He also writes first hand about the tactical problems of getting to and from the target; and the tensions and strains endured by the Mosquito crews themselves, as they took the war to the German U-Boats within the sight and safety of their bases.

Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC AE. Persuaded to tell his story to air historian and well established aviation author Norman Franks, the result is a very readable account of his flying years. These began shortly before WW2, when he learnt to fly with the RAFVR. Called up for war service in September 1939, he completed his training and was posted to 605 Squadron, equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. By early September 1940 he and his Squadron were in the thick of the air fighting over southern England, operating from Croydon during the Battle of Britain.

Surviving the Battle, he later became an instructor, but shortly after joining 54 Squadron, which had Spitfires, he and this unit became part of a group sent out to Australia to help defend the Darwin area. Bob's squadron and two others, 452 and 457, engaged the Japanese incursions throughout 1943. Awarded the DFC for his efforts, he returned to the UK and was given an assignment with a RAF public relations outfit, ending up in Normandy within three weeks of the invasion of 1944. Often serving right up in the front lines, Bob saw the war at very close hand, and then quite by chance became one of the first, if not the first RAF officer to enter Paris with the liberating French army, and again, by chance, was in General de Gaulle's triumphant procession down the Champs-Élysées

His memoir is an entertaining collection of stories and reminiscences of two distinct areas of WW2, which also shows how luck often shaped the lives of the fighter pilots involved.

In the Company of Heroes” Testimonials

Hello
 
I just wanted to drop you a line to say how much I enjoyed yesterdays 'In the Company of Heroes' event. All the talks were excellent and it was nice to hear such a varied range of subjects being discussed. In particular I thought that Geoffrey Wellum's talk did a great deal towards putting the trials and tribulations of modern life into perspective.
 
I'm very much looking forward to the next event.
 Many thanks
 
Paul Gates

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Hello

Writing to say how much I enjoyed the talks given at Bracknell on the 17th January. This is the second such event I have attended, and as before, the speakers were fascinating to listen to. I was particularly taken by the emotive talk given by Geoff Wellum.

Little did I know when listening to Geoff, that within a few hours of leaving the event, I was to receive news that a close friend of mine, a commercial pilot, had been killed in an aircrash. As always at such times, I experienced that shock and disbelief, followed by immense sadness. It gave me all the more reason to admire the dignity that Geoff displayed in talking about what for him were such awful times. I was grieving for one pilot and friend. How many did he have to endure? My respect for him, and the many others knows no bounds.

Please keep up the excellent work of organising these events.
  
Thank you.
  
Steve Holmes 

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Hi Sean
Great day on Sunday.
many thanks
Regards Colin

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Hello,
I'd just like to pass on how much I enjoyed the talks yesterday. Geoffrey Wellums speech was phenomenal, and I can honestly say that if I was 18, I'd have immediately attempted to join the RAF! Thank you very much for hosting such an enjoyable event, and I wish you all the success possible for the future.

Mark Aslett

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re: In the Company of Heroes.
Dear Sean, Many thanks for information. I will attend on the 18th April '10. Without doubt. 'Thanks' should go to you and your team for ensuring an enjoyable and successful day in January.

Faultless organisation, the 'heroes' inspirational.

Kind regards
John

 

Speakers at our event in January

Geoffrey Wellum (Spitfire pilot) 

Rusty Waughman (Special Duties Lancaster pilot)

Don Briggs (Lancaster F/E and post-war Vulcan pilot)

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/