Elephant and Swordfish, RNAS Putalam, c1943
During the Second World War elephants were used at the Royal Naval Air Station Putalam, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to haul aircraft and fuel browsers around the airfield. I came across this picture in the book "Swordfish at War" by W A Harrison and thought it would make a good companion sketch to one I had drawn a while ago, also showing an elephant at work, pulling a Vought Corsair. According to the picture caption in the book, the Fairey Swordfish was from 810 or 829 squadrons embarked on HMS Illustrious, which visited the base in 1942. As the photograph also shows some Corsairs, however, it is more likely to date from 1943. Drawn with a Staedtler 0.3mm pencil on an A4 cartridge paper sketchpad.
Elephant and Swordfish, RNAS Putalam, c1943
During the Second World War elephants were used at the Royal Naval Air Station Putalam, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to haul aircraft and fuel browsers around the airfield. I came across this picture in the book "Swordfish at War" by W A Harrison and thought it would make a good companion sketch to one I had drawn a while ago, also showing an elephant at work, pulling a Vought Corsair. According to the picture caption in the book, the Fairey Swordfish was from 810 or 829 squadrons embarked on HMS Illustrious, which visited the base in 1942. As the photograph also shows some Corsairs, however, it is more likely to date from 1943. Drawn with a Staedtler 0.3mm pencil on an A4 cartridge paper sketchpad.