Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a lovely framed painting illustration of a Hawker Fury I biplane fighter aircraft, used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was a fast, agile aircraft, and the first interceptor in RAF service faster than 200 mph (320 km/h) in level flight. Although withdrawn from RAF squadrons, the Fury was still used by some foreign air forces in the early 1940s; Yugoslav Furies saw action against Axis forces in the German invasion of 1941.

Peter Endsleigh Castle’s cutaways, monochrome and color paintings for RAF Flying Review, Profiles, Wings, and others publications are considered by many as the high-mark of aviation illustration done by hand, before computers.

The painting shows the Hawker Fury I from five angles, with gorgeous detailing. The plane is painted with the Royal Air Force College Coat of Arms, which is repeated in the bottom right corner. We believe this to be a mix of print and paint, as there are many pieces which are obviously painted and others that appear to be printed. It is signed by Castle and dated 1965.

The frame measures 19 x 23” and is in fantastic condition. A great piece, ready for further research and display.

On 6 April 1941, a squadron of Furies took off against the invading German Messerschmitt Bf 109Es and Messerschmitt Bf 110s. In the resulting air battle 10 Furies were destroyed, almost the entire squadron. The commanding officer of the 36 LG was Major Franjo Džal, who watched from the ground as his men were slaughtered in their obsolete biplanes. In an unequal battle against superior adversaries, five aircraft were destroyed while taking off and eight pilots killed. Two more Furies and Bücker Bü 131 were destroyed on the ground. Of the attacking German aircraft, five Bf 109s and two Bf 110s failed to return, though most were non-combat losses, at least one was lost when rammed by a Fury. The other squadron of Yugoslav Furies active at the time of the invasion strafed enemy tanks and ground forces, some being lost to ground fire and one being destroyed in a dogfight with a Fiat CR.42. The rest of the Yugoslav Furies were destroyed when they became unserviceable or at the time of Armistice on 15 April.

Ex-RAF Furies were also used by the South African Air Force against the Italian forces in East Africa in 1940 and despite their obsolescence, destroyed two Caproni bombers as well as strafing many airfields, destroying fighters and bombers on the ground. A total of 262 Furies were produced, of which 22 served in Persia, three in Portugal, at least 30 in South Africa, three in Spain, at least 30 in Yugoslavia and the remainder in the United Kingdom.