1918 HANDLEY PAGE O / 400

Roy Cross ( April 23rd, 1924 ) was born in Camberwell ( London, England ). On rainy days he would sit in a relative's conservatory ( " Aunty Nell " ) and read her books on art. 

1938 : with storm clouds gathering across Europe in the lead up to the Second World War, 14 years old Roy joined the Air Defence Cadet Corps ( later called the Air Training Corps ). Eventually, becoming a cadet in No. 343 Camberwell Squadron and promoted to Flight Sergeant for " general efficiency ". He also found he was a capable draughtsman and was engaged by the A.T.C. Gazette ( the Corps publication ). He was also selected to be No. 343 Squadron's lecturer on aircraft recognition. 

In April 1942, he applied to join the drawing office at Flight magazine. Managing Editor Geoffrey Smith while praising his work turned him down when he learnt that Roy was expected to get his call up in the next six months. Roy's poor eyesight meant he would not be able to enlist as aircrew, and he left the Air Training Corps. However, the sketches he had submitted a year ago were published in the A.T.C. Gazette. These were the first of many sketches and articles to appear in this publication. The same year, his first complete work : U.S. Army Aircraft - a fold out leaflet - was published after his eighteenth birthday. 

He illustrated for The Aeroplane and the Eagle comic. In 1952 he joined the Society of Aviation Artists, but it is for his work at Airfix which he is best known. 

( sources : amazon, Fine Rare prints, www.hatfield-herts.co.uk, Wikipedia )