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"The crews of Bomber Command faced one of the most daunting tasks, calling for courage sustained night after night, in conditions of desperate danger and discomfort. They did not fail us and 55,573 paid the supreme sacrifice"
H.R.H. The Duke of Kent
The crews of RAF Bomber Command, each member carefully selected, came from all walks of life in Britain, its Empire, and other nations overrun by Germany in World War II. Family background counted for nothing. Capability, and the ability to inspire confidence in others counted for everything, and the integrity of the crew was sacrosanct. Though often made up from a mix of nationalities, ranks, and family backgrounds, individual bomber crews became closely knit into an interdependent unit, each having the firm belief he served in the best crew in the command. Camaraderie and morale were crucial because every night they went to war they faced some of the most daunting tasks fighting men have ever been asked to undertake.
In his new tribute to "The Many", Robert Taylor's evocative painting HIGH COST recreates a typical scene encountered by many Royal Air Force bomber squadrons on raids over enemy occupied territory: Having already survived 30 successful operational sorties, on 9 February 1945 Lancaster PG-G of 619 Squadron has been intercepted by Luftwaffe night-fighters during a raid over Stettin Bay. The entire length of the aircraft has been raked by gunfire and there are injuries on board. Beginning to lose altitude and slip behind the returning formation, PG-G will struggle to return to her base in Lincolnshire - still a long way distant as dawn breaks on this fateful February morning.
"I believe the massive achievements of Bomber Command will long be remembered as an example of duty nobly done" WINSTON CHURCHILL
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