The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Two Second World War veterans got a private viewing of the “RAF Holbeach” trailer belonging to Pinchbeck haulage firm FreshLinc.
It came after Fleet businessman Harold Payne, organiser of veterans’ trips to Normandy for the past 20 years and fundraiser for the Royal Anglian Regiment Benevolent fund, saw coverage of the scheme by arts programme Transported.
John Summerson, of Spalding, and Tony Blackman, from Weston, were very impressed with the artwork – one of ten FreshLinc trailer pieces by artist Alisha Miller, who was commissioned in 2014 to create designs celebrating local landscapes.
Transported’s Melissa Poulson, said: “Along with FreshLinc, we were deeply honoured to host this private viewing for such remarkable people, and were delighted at how much they liked both the artwork and the concept of the project.”
Famous model makers Corgi have approached Transported and FreshLinc to make a model of this particular design to be produced and available for purchase as part of next year’s collection.
Alisha said of her inspiration: “This landscape is the bombing range at RAF Holbeach. It features the flight tower and a strange looking island locally referred to as ‘the doughnut’ due to its circular shape with a dimple in the middle.
“I initially chose to include the Lancaster Bomber purely because of its fantastic shape and visual image. It’s a magnificent feat of engineering, a giant bird in the sky. However, I wasn’t prepared for its popularity with absolutely everyone I met.
“People in this area have a real love for this aeroplane and most people talked of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.”
