George Arthur Atkinson (1920-1988)
The painter of this strange picture trained to be an architect in Hull, but his studies were interrupted at the age of 21 when he joined the RAF in July 1941, eventually becoming the bomb aimer in a Lancaster bomber of the 7th Squadron of elite 'Pathfinder' aircraft which flew ahead and dropped markers to improve the accuracy of the main wing following behind. The bomb aimer was usually also a qualified pilot, in reserve in case the main pilot was injured or killed. Flight Lieutenant Atkinson survived several missions including the famous raid on the V2 rocket missile factory at Peenemünde (Operation Hydra) 17/18 August 1943, but on the night of August 30/31 1943, he took part (with 660 other aircraft) in a raid on the German city of Mönchengladbach in the Ruhr Valley (which earlier, the day after Churchill had become Prime Minister in May 1940, had been the first city of the Second World War to be intentionally 'area bombed' with heavy civilian losses). After dropping his bombs, Atkinson's aircraft was attacked by a night fighter, probably an ME110, in 'bright moonlight over a layer of stratus cloud', and the starboard engine set on fire. Receiving the order to bail out, in his own words: '… put on chute … found myself pinned to roof of nose as plane plunged - fell back into hatch which I had opened and pushed myself through. Counted three pulled ripcord - slightly injured shoulder through holding one lift web and lost one flying boot. Marvellous floating sensation and silence except for departing aircraft - entered the cloud layer and came out over dark landscape - a forest. Tree shot up before me - prepared for landing - parachute hitched on tree and I made a very soft landing in a bed of sand and pine needles.’ At least four members of the seven man crew died in the incident. Atkinson was picked up by the German police and eventually ended up a prisoner of war, passing through Stalag Luft III and being transferred from there before the Great Escape to Stalag Luft VIIIB. There he suffered a nervous breakdown, tormented by feelings of guilt over the death and destruction he had helped to wreak, and was moved to hospital in Poland by the Red Cross, and eventually repatriated in January 1945 to Britain via Switzerland. After his discharge he returned to his studies in Hull, where he painted this picture.
The painting may be seen as an aerial landscape; many of these raids were at night and the Rhur Valley was a regular target, often navigating by following the Rhine. There is a river at the bottom of the painting, to the right of the bomb sight, with snow capped hills to the left and lower ones to the right, like the topography of parts of the upper Rhine.
The painting may also be seen as a mindscape, its mood reflecting the deep conflicts and dark trauma of the artist's mental state after brooding on the heavy civilian casualties inflicted by saturation bombing raids. The hunched over figure to the left with headphones on is probably the artist.