On Tuesday, 10th March, we were delighted to unveil a special Victoria Cross artwork, which will take pride of place in our newly refurbished Running Horse Tavern.

The evening reception, held in the Club's Presidents' Room, was hosted by Air Vice-Marshal Warren James CB CBE DL, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Group Captain Jim Beldon MBE, Chair of the Arts & Heritage Committee. Vice President and former Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Michael Graydon GCB CBE, who was accompanied by Lady Graydon, unveiled the artwork on the evening.

Club Friends, Members and assembled guests were among the first to view Mandy Shepherd’s remarkable pencil montage, a tribute to the airmen awarded the Victoria Cross, the nation’s highest honour for valour.

Mandy Shepherd, a distinguished aviation artist and longstanding Club member, has combined exceptional artistic skill with meticulous historical research in creating the piece. The two-panel artwork features 42 miniature individual portraits of Victoria Cross holders from the RFC, RNAS, RAF and Air Forces of the Commonwealth, each depicted alongside the aircraft most closely associated with them. Among those represented are William Rhodes-Moorhouse, Guy Gibson, Leonard Cheshire and John Cruickshank, whose courage and service are remembered through this detailed and historically resonant tribute.

The artwork will stand as a lasting tribute to the extraordinary valour of the VC recipients and to the enduring heritage of the Royal Air Force, and will hang in the Running Horse Tavern for years to come.

The commission was made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Club, member donations and proceeds from sales of the Running Horse commemorative Tankard marking the reopening of the Tavern in autumn 2025.