A giant mural has been unveiled by Wallasey’s Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) Club in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
The Wallasey -based RAFA club, which has been closed since March, had hoped the Spitfire mural would be a great advertisement and encourage new members to join the club once they re-opened.
James Connelly, a local signwriter, designed the mural based on an iconic British WWII elliptical wing fighter Spitfire.
He said: “The RAFA club didn’t have many members before Coronavirus and lockdown had made it even harder, so I was asked to create the mural to help the building stand out.
“The response has been fantastic; I have created a lot of murals before but this one has really exploded.”
The RAFA aim to protect the welfare of all serving and former members of Her Majesty’s Air Forces and ensure that their sacrifice to the Royal Air Force does not result in suffering, poverty, or loneliness.
Wallasey RAFA Branch Treasurer, Ron Mooney said: “We have a couple of members in their nineties who served in the war and they keep asking when the club is going to re-open just to gather, and I think that’s one thing they are really missing.”
However, it seems the mural has struck a chord with the local primary school which sits directly opposite the RAF club on St Georges Road.
Mr Mooney said: “We have had a few comments about how nice the mural is with a few teachers telling me they wanted to start flying.
“All the kids have been really excited and it's surprising how many people didn’t realise the club was here even with the RAF flag flying all the time.”
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Amy Vickers, whose son attends St Georges Primary School said: “Not only is the artwork a welcome splash of colour in a time that is somewhat bleak, it is also something to admire at the school gates and has even sparked some discussion this evening with my young sons.
“We talked about the why the mural had appeared and what sacrifices those alive at the time of the Battle of Britain had to make.”
Her son, William Burke, seven, said: “I think that the painting is really cool. I think the pilots must have been very brave and the children very scared.”
The club are now hoping to create another air forced inspired mural and open a flower garden to encourage more members to join and hope to re-open again this October.
