Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 2, 2007 18:56:11 GMT 12
I was having a chat with aviation artist John Chrisp today and he showed me some of his wonderful paintings of various aviation subjects, many with NZ connections. One of them was a painting of kiwi ace Robert Spurdle making his first kill, an Me109 during the Battle of Britain. Mounted into the frame is a fragment that Bob got from the wreckage.
John said when he was at Bob's house he offered him another piece of memorabilia, which he declined to accept. It was a skull from a Japanese serviceman, with a bullet hole plugged up, that apparently used to be in the RNZAF mess tent up in the islands. When the Kiwi pilots made their first kill against the Japs they were expected to drink a beer from the skull!!
Rather macabre piece of memorabilia. I wonder what became of it after Bob's death.
John said when he was at Bob's house he offered him another piece of memorabilia, which he declined to accept. It was a skull from a Japanese serviceman, with a bullet hole plugged up, that apparently used to be in the RNZAF mess tent up in the islands. When the Kiwi pilots made their first kill against the Japs they were expected to drink a beer from the skull!!
Rather macabre piece of memorabilia. I wonder what became of it after Bob's death.
