55,573 by Andy Finlay - Oil on canvas, backlit and framed with poppy petals from the 2012 Bomber Command Memorial inauguration ceremony
55,573
A painting by Andy Finlay commissioned by Chris Lowe and subsequently gifted to Linconshire Aviation Museum and Heritage Centre where it now hangs on public display
RAF Bomber Command Memorial
On 28th June 2012 the RAF Bomber Command Memorial was unveiled in Green Park. The event was marked by a flight of four Tornadoes and a single Lancaster Bomber.
The Lancaster dropped 800,000 poppy petals in an act of remembrance of the 55,573 Bomber Command airmen who were killed during World War Two; that’s more than the entire complement of today’s Royal Air Force.
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This painting reflects that moment of remembrance and respect to the courage and bravery of all those that the memorial commemorates.
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Inspiration
On the day of the inauguration of the Memorial there was a southerly wind and this wind carried the poppies north to fall in Marylebone where some were collected by Chris, who had attended the inauguration and kept those poppies safe waiting for a suitable and respectful use.
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Those poppies now lie within the frame; incorporated as the starting point of this commemorative work of art.
Their installation in the bottom of the box frame refers to their journey from the plane to the ground to their final, permanent resting place below the airmen in the painting.
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The poppies, 55573 airmen who gave their lives and the statue in the memorial by Philip Jackson remembering them were the inspirations for the painting.
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Speaking about the inspiration for the piece the artist, Andy Finlay, said:
"It was the number 55,573 and standing in front of Philip Jackson's statue in the Memorial initially. Then when I found the image of the actual poppies that I held in my hand falling from the Lancaster during the inauguration, it was that moment. It touched me so deeply, I wanted to try to replicate that emotion in anyone who saw the painting"
In the studio
References within the piece
During the planning and development stages a number of elements emerged that the artist wanted to reference in the finished piece:
The original poppies
The number of airmen who lost their lives
The Bomber Command Memorial
The night sorties, searchlights and darkness
The Lancaster Bomber
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The ultimate aim was for the painting to invoke a feeling of loss and respectful rememberance in equal amounts.
A section of a brush and ink painting from the develpment and planning stages
Hand made at every stage
The canvas stretcher and supports, the mounting, surround, housing and frame were all hand made by the artist, mirroring the build-at-home culture employed during the war in sheds across the country.
Using Acrylic glass, a lightweight and extremely durable glass alternative for the housing references the perspex glass used in aircraft including bombers and fighter planes. In this case it is museum quality acrylic glass which is almost invisible while restricting harmful UV light which could fade the poppies over time.​
Cutting the Acrylic Museum Glass to size in the studio
The perfect paint
Lancaster bombers were painted in a specific black paint BS 642 known as ‘night’. This colour was researched and replicated by Witham Paints when they were tasked with the job of exactly matching the original paints for the restoration of Lancaster Bomber ‘Just Jane’ (NX611).
Witham Paints were commissioned by the artist to replicate this paint again especially for this project. The box frame, surround, background and housing for 55,573 are all painted using this paint.
Backlighting
55,573 is painted using just titanium white oil paint onto hand stretched clear-primed canvas. The areas of clear-primed canvas allow light through but the oil paint doesn’t because it is opaque. Using this opacity allows the artist to create tone and detail that only appear when the canvas is backlit.
The soft orange glow of the painting comes solely from the cotton fibre of the canvas as the bright LED light passes through it.
The painting changes in response to the ambient light of its environment.
In low ambient light the colour of the canvas glows as if lit by candlelight
The painting's journey
The painting was first publicly exhibited at The Royal Air Force Club, Piccadilly, where it hung from 2018 to 2019 as part of the Royal Air Force’s centenary celebrations.
Following this exhibition, the work entered Chris Lowe’s private collection. In late 2025, the painting was gifted to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre in East Kirkby, Spilsby, where it is now held in the permanent collection and remains on public display.
Its inclusion in the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre's collection, proudly sharing a home with the Avro Lancaster Bomber NX611 'Just Jane', is both fitting and poignant, giving visitors the opportunity for a moment of remembrance and respect to the courage and bravery of all 55,573 lives that the Bomber Command Memorial and this painting commemorate.
Hanging at Lincolnshire Aviation Museum
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre
The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre is a family run museum and was set up in 1989. It is now widely seen as a living memorial to the 55,573 men of Bomber Command who lost their lives during WW2. It holds two of the rarest aircraft, an Avro Lancaster Bomber MKVII and DH Mosquito NFII, in its collection along with many wartime vehicles including a Ford WOT1 Crew Bus, the only one of its kind in existence.
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About the artist
Andy Finlay is a contemporary British artist.
He works primarily as a painter using canvas, white oil paint, cement, found items and gold leaf to create subtle, textured pieces with complex narratives. He has exhibited extensively and his work can be found in many corporate and private collections.
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Image credits
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, SILKSHEEN Photography, Emma Finn, AFP/Getty, Gary Eason, Steve Smailes Photography, Andy Finlay Artist.
The authour recognises the copyrights for all images used and is grateful for the use of them in this page. If any images appear without the correct credit or are in breach of any copyright please contact the authour (Andy Finlay at studio@andyfinlay.co.uk) who will rectify this error or omission immediately.