Roy cross paintings biography

Introduced to art by an aunt who lived at Smallford, his natural talent and ability helped him play a modest yet important role as a youngster in WWII. As a commercial artist he captured the imagination of generations of young boys and helped establish Airfix as one of Britain's leading toy brands of the 1960s and '70s – mainly through his aviation art (and immortalised Hatfield in the process).

Turning to the fine arts he became a marine painter, and today he is recognised as one of the finest in the field (and in aviation art). However, his contribution to aviation literature and history is less well documented, as is the poignant fate of his aunt's son, his much-loved cousin Sidney, who like so many of his generation never grew old.

Early Years

Roy Cross was born at Camberwell, London on 23 April 1924.

As a young lad he recalls how he and his younger brother frequently spent the long summer holidays