Sergeant Matthew Cameron, No. 66 Squadron by Cuthbert Orde, charcoal on paper

This portrait is one of many that the Air Ministry commissioned from Cuthbert Orde, independently of the War Artists' Advisory Committee, to promote the contributions of Fighter Command pilots during the Battle of Britain.

Orde undertook this project after his application to be an Official War Artist was rejected by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee, although the WAAC selectively purchased several portraits. For the RAF, Orde drew the pilots deemed most successful from every squadron. Matthew Cameron from No. 66 Squadron sat for this portrait following achievements that included shooting down and destroying a Messerschmitt Bf 110. Each portrait took around two hours to complete. In 1942, they were published in a book entitled ‘The Pilots of Fighter Command’. Gifted by Sophia Crawford, 1998. Copyright: the artist's estate / RAF Museum.