His name was Mike Bailey.
Mike was a born and bred Norwich boy, and it was during the “friendly invasion” of the Second World War when he first met the American airmen at Horsham St Faith.
“It was just part of our growing up,” he said.
“On Saturdays and school holidays, me and my friend used to tramp up to the airfield to see the Liberators.
“It meant trespassing on a farmer’s field, or maybe two, climbing over a gate and cutting along a hedgerow which brought ui out in the dispersal area of the 75th squadron.
“The first time we did it, I remember expecting to be chased away but, much to our surprise, the ground crews seemed to welcome us,” said Mike.
“They showed us around the aircraft, even let us clamber around inside, and to a ten-year-old boy who was aeroplane crazy, believe me, this was heaven on earth…”
And he explained: “We’d been used to seeing light bombers, Blenheims, Mosquitos, and so on around us, but these Liberators were something special.
“They seemed like giants, enormous great things that were suddenly in the skies.
“They seemed big enough in the air, but close to on the ground, I remember being almost overwhelmed by the size as I walked the whole length, underneath the wing and clambered up through the bomb bay into the cockpit.
“I can still smell the distinctive odour of high octane and hot metal that the Liberators gave off.
“It never leaves you,” said Mike.
He went on to become a world-famous aviation artist, illustrating books published in this country and across the United States, but there was one painting which had such a special meaning.
It was on a November day in 1944 when he had arrived home from school and was laying the fire for his mother when he heard an aircraft in trouble.
“I ran into the back garden.
“Ours was the only house standing at this end of the road.
“All the others had been flattened, and I just caught a glimpse of the last seconds of the flight,” said Mike.
“It was going down over on its side, and then disappeared, followed by a ball of flames which shot up in the air.
“Us kids all ran down the road to the end of Barker Street, where a wall and fence bordered on the Corporation yard.
“We were there before the firemen, and I got my pals to pump me up the wall.
“I got my hands on top and lifted my face over but I could only look at it for about half a second.
“The heating was so intense…”
All nine aboard the Liberator were killed.
There is now a plaque remembering the young crew of the Lady Jane, which narrowly missed St John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral before heading down Dereham Road.
The plane hit the top of St Philip’s Church and then crashed.
No-one on the ground was hurt.
Witnesses believed the pilot Ralph Dooley, aged 20, was desperately trying to avoid crashing on houses.
Mike’s painting of the plane hitting the church tower remind us of those dark days.
It was sold many years ago.
Married to the love of his life Maureen for almost 65 years, he worked as a printer at Jarrolds when not painting.
And when former GIs returned to Norfolk from America, they wanted to meet and thank Mike, who was also a great supporter of the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library in the city.
It was a privilege to have known Mike and call him a friend.
I remember him saying: “What’s going to happen to all my paintings when I am no longer around?”
Now we know.
The exhibition and sale of Mike Bailey’s paintings and prints will take place at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Old Norwich Road, Horsham St Faith, NR10 3JF on Thursday, November 20, from 12pm to 8pm.
More details and catalogue at events@cnam.org.uk.
