From Fighter Pilots to Land Girls – The remarkable work of a Devon Sculptor

Even if you are rushing to catch a flight from Exeter airport, don’t miss the splendid figure of a WWII fighter pilot, which adorns the entrance to the site. The sculpture is a timely reminder of those airmen who flew sorties from Exeter airfield during WWII and commemorates their actions and the sacrifice of the twenty-two fighter pilots from allied nations who took off from RAF Exeter and who were killed during The Battle of Britain in 1940.

The creative project for the sculpture was driven by the Robin Gilbert and Mike Venn of The South West Airfields Heritage Trust (SWAHT) and was unveiled to much acclaim in 2012. The sculptor, is Frances Margaret of Otterton who created the bronze figure, depicting a pilot gazing up into the sky, seeking returning members of his squadron.

This project has been a fascinating journey for Frances, but it is a far different subject from her earlier work. ‘It all really started with horses’, she told Jonathan when he visited her at her delightful home overlooking the sea. ‘I grew up with them, so I understand how they move and feel and know quite a bit about their anatomy and structure. Michael Morpurgo’s ‘War Horse’ inspired me to learn more about creative ways to depict these animals. I could draw horses, and being brought up on a farm, I was no stranger to mud and clay, and I just clicked with the raw material.’

Without formal training, Frances used her innate artistic ability to sculpt horses for friends and for commissions and it wasn’t long before she attracted press attention. The Western Morning News ran an article on her equine sculptures, which was spotted by Robin Gilbert of SWAHT, who asked her if she would be interested in creating a bronze sculpture of a fighter pilot for a project at Exeter Airport. Rising to the challenge, but knowing little about RAF pilots, Frances rushed off to RAF Hendon to learn as much about them as she could. She was able to examine vintage uniforms and handle the kit they took with them on sorties. She even spent valuable time with veterans at the RAF Club in Picadilly, to understand the men behind the legend. Returning to Devon, she set to work in her studio and soon finished a small bronze maquette, or scale model, which would be used to check ideas and test forms without sustaining the cost of a large sculpture. The maquette was then placed in the window of a local gallery to garner interest.

One day a customer walked into the gallery and was astonished to see the pilot figure. Tim Holden’s father had been a fighter pilot, and he was very keen to offer support to the project. Services charities, veterans’ associations, local businesses and individuals soon followed his lead and SWAHT established a fund to cover the project costs. After completing the 6ft 3” life-sized carving in clay, Frances worked with a foundry to create the finished bronze, and within six months, the figure assumed its rightful place in front of Exeter Airport.

‘It’s the connectivity between the creator and subject that’s so important for me’, she stresses. And it’s a quality that was clearly shown in her next work – the Land Army Girls of WWII. Using a trio of nieces in period uniform as models, she created a bronze of a typical group of girls who helped British farmers till the soil, harvest crops and tend livestock during the war. Jonathan’s mother was a ‘land girl’ during the conflict and he was fascinated to see how well Frances had captured their wartime plucky spirit. After all, WWII had to be fought on all fronts and that included the Home Front.