Air Vice Marshal Norman Hoad (1923-2014), Shire horses at a country fair, signed lower right, oil on canvas, 50 x 73cm Notes: Norman Hoad was shot down on the night of the 14th October 1944 in a Lancaster over Nazi Germany. He was taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war at Stalag Luft III until, along with thousands of other allied POWs, he was marched eastwards as the allies advanced. He was eventually liberated in May 1945. Post war he elected to stay in the RAF and enjoyed an illustrious career. On retirement in 1978 he pursued a successful career as an aviation and animal artist. He founded the Guild of Aviation Artists alongside David Shepherd and Frank Wootton.