Flying Officer Wilfred M Sizer DFC, No. 213 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 drew the pilots deemed most successful from every squadron, taking around two hours to complete each portrait. Wilfred Sizer was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three days before this portrait was made. He served with No. 213 Squadron and flew a Hawker Hurricane in the Battle of Britain, destroying four enemy aircraft and damaging another. Following the Second World War, Sizer had a distinguished career in the RAF and Air Ministry. Gifted by Sophia Crawford, 1998. Copyright: the artist's estate / RAF Museum.