Cross & Cockade has released their 2021 calendar, and in keeping with past calendars, combines excellent W.W.I aviation art with the usual calendar functions. As in past years, you are advised to order your copy now, and not wait. There may be a limited supply of these calendars and you do not want to miss out because you waited until the supply ran out.

According to Roger Tisdale of Cross & Cockade the profits from the sale of these annual Cross and Cockade International Calendars go to assist in the upkeep of the British Air Services Memorial at the St-Omer airfield in northern France”. This is a very worthy cause and deserving of your support. One can check out the St-Omer Memorial.

Beside the fact that you will be contributing to the upkeep and maintenance of this significant Memorial, the artwork on the calendar is stunning. Consider it an early Christmas present you can give a friend, or yourself, for that matter.

The calendar is 81/2 inches by 12 inches. The pages are “bound” on a set of small metal rings that allow for each month to be flipped to the reverse side, thus keeping the calendar together rather than having to remove each month’s page and discarding it. A small, sturdy mounting wire allows the calendar to be hung from a traditional picture hanger, a push pin, or a nail/screw head.

Each month features artwork as indicated by the chart copied from the C&C website. One of the pages in the calendar includes the name of each artist and a website featuring that artist’s work and/or an email with which the artist can be contacted.

The calendar can be ordered by visiting the C&CI website. Know that your payment is a contribution to the maintenance and upkeep of the British Air Services Memorial at the St Omer airfield in northern France.

While seeking permission from several of the artists and copyright holders, I fell into an email exchange with them. All are incredibly talented artists, as can be seen by the artwork that is featured on each of the monthly calendar pages. One of the subjects that came to the surface was some information about the Sopwith Camel and its pilot that appears on the February page. Lynn Williams, the artist, shared, “I don't know if you are aware that the artwork, showing Captain DV Armstrong's red-painted Camel performing an ultra-low level flick-roll, which was his piece de resistance in commencement of his astonishing aerobatic displays around British aerodromes during WW1, forms the front cover of Annette Carson's excellent biography of Armstrong. Her well-researched book, Camel Pilot Supreme published by Pen and Sword, describes his early life and service history and includes eye-witness accounts of Armstrong's unique abilities, both in pioneering aerobatic manoeuvres and serving to overcome the fear that the Camel inspired in novice fighter pilots at the time, many fatal accidents occurring in training and familiarisation flying before ever they went to the Front. Performing such demonstrations he prefigured Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier who encouraged young P-38 pilots to overcome their concerns about the Lightning, in his (also red-painted) P-38,emblazoned with the word Yippee! beneath the lower wings.” Mr. Williams, it turns out, is a very talented artist as well as a pilot who has designed some kit aircraft, some of which are flying and more are under construction. If you are interested in the story behind Captain DV Armstrong, you can find Ms. Carson’s book by Googling “camel pilot supreme by annette carson”. It is available on several websites

As mentioned previously, the proceeds from the sale of the C&CI calendar go to support the British Air Services Memorial at the St-Omer airfield in northern France. One can check out the St-Omer Memorial.

This calendar is highly recommended due to the excellent artwork, as well as the fact that the proceeds go to the British Air Services Memorial at St. Omer. Thanks to Roger Tisdale and C&CI for providing this calendar to IPMS/USA for review.