A mural by a young pilot of the Second World War has been saved from destruction thanks to holiday home company Habitat First.
The piece was painted on the wall of a former RAF hostel in Crossways, by Sgt Sidney Beaumont, of 263 Squadron. It depicts a cartoon Gremlin flying an RAF aircraft- Gremlings were classed as 'a type of mythological bogeyman' said to sabotage aircrafts .
The artefact which weights half a tonne and measures in at 1.2 x 1.2 metres had been preserved and never painted over, and was discovered by contractors behind a fridge in the Tree Stores shop in the village of Crossways that was being demolished to make way for a new co-op supermarket.
Methods used to remove the artwork from where it was discovered were the same used to preserve the works of Banksy by private property developer and family run business Habitat First which is building new holiday homes in the area of Crossways.
The artist of the mural painted the picture over 70 years ago, taking inspiration from a similar motif which adorned the nose of his Westland Whirlwind fighter plane.
The discovery sparked a Facebook campaign to find the funding and expertise to safely remove it.at which point private property developer Habitat First Group responded to help rescue it. The removal procedure can cost upwards of £15,000. Habitat First called this 'a small price to save a priceless piece of art'.
Red Paxton, owner of Habitat First group and the builders of new holiday homes at Silverlake in Dorset, by the site where the mural was discovered, said: “When we heard of the opportunity to help with the removal we jumped at the chance and are delighted we have managed to successfully remove, preserve and mount this fantastic historic artefact. Losing a piece of wartime history wasn’t an option so we gladly volunteered to help. We are now
very keen on discovering and restoring any other WW2 relics that might be found at Silverlake and will continue to work in conjunction with Crossways Parish Council to ensure anything else found is saved for future generations to remember and enjoy.”
Habitat First currently has the mural in storage and expects to hand the wartime mural over to the Crossways Parish Council who will decide where it is best displayed, options include the town hall or the local Church.
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