First introduced on the Western front in June of 1917, the Sopwith Camel F.1 became one of the best known fighter aircraft of the Great War. The pilots who flew the Camel were credited with downing 1,294 enemy aircraft; more enemy machines than any other airplane during WWI. The Camel could be a handful to fly but it was nimble, quick and well armed. In the hands of an experienced pilot it was a formidable foe.
Among the airplanes which became known as the King of Combat the machine flown primarily by Canadian ace William George "Billy" Barker was the top scoring machine. Barker’s Sopwith Camel, No. B6313, was used to down an unprecedented 46 enemy aircraft. Camel B6313 has been called the single most-successful fighter aircraft in the history of the Royal Air Force. Remarkably, Barker never had a wingman killed while flying with him nor any aircraft which he was escorting shot down.
This artwork is a portrait of Camel No. B6313 early in its career with William Barker in the cockpit.