For over a century, Australian air and ground crews have used nose art to personalise aircraft, boost morale, and express identity—turning metal and code numbers into symbols of pride, humour, and connection.
What is Nose Art?
Nose art is an unofficial or official application of paint, or another medium, to change the exterior finish of an aircraft. It can come in many forms, from amateur to expert, from simple to complex. Nose art can be commemorative, to give a unique identity to an aircraft or personalise the aircraft to the pilot, or air/ground crews choosing.
Inanimate aircraft with nose art applied become known less by a complicated production number or a simple code letter. They take on their own individual identity and record of service life, however long that may be.
Australians have applied nose art to their aircraft since the first days of military aviation. Australians serving over Britain and Europe with Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Air Force units continued and enhanced this tradition.
More than decoration
Much more than just paint, nose art has for over a hundred years helped generations of Australian air and ground crew, deployed in war fighting or peacekeeping operations, to deal with the extraordinary and dangerous situations to which they have been exposed.
Nose art has enabled aircrew to express their individuality and pride by making their mass produced aircraft distinct from others with the same provenance in their squadron. Different types of nose art would reflect individuality and character, and provide a bond for an aircrew by giving their aircraft an “identity”. The nose art can be patriotic, or reflect the place of origin of crew members. It can be (tongue-in-cheek) humorous, or make reference to the pop culture of the era. It can serve as a record of the missions the aircaft has undertaken, or of the identities of the crews.
The images, words and names that were either temporarily or permanently drawn on or applied to their aircraft often represented the crews’ families, friends, and the lives and communities to which they were attached back home in Australia.
Shepherd’s Grove, England. January 1945. Australian, New Zealand and British aircrew of a 196 Squadron RAF with their Stirling IV glider-towing aircraft. Its nose art shows a boxing kangaroo, “It’s in the bag” and a tally of daggers beside the kangaroo. P02345.005.
This Lancaster features the dog Snifter. Targets are shown with icons: ice cream cones from Italy, B for Berlin, a beer stein marked M for Munich.
Lincolnshire, England. 1943-09-08. "n" for nuts, a Lancaster aircraft of no. 460 squadron RAAF of bomber command, based at RAF station Binbrook, bears as its emblem a kangaroo wearing a tartan kilt and carrying a shillelagh, representing the Australian, Scottish and Irish members of the crew. The bombs depict raids on enemy territory, the ice cream cones showing Italian targets, and the parachute represents mine-laying in enemy waters.
A Handley Page Halifax B Mark III aircraft of 192 Squadron, RAF, showing some impressive nose art, consisting of a large kangaroo, a large bomb titled 'Reich 1,000' and a printed slogan, 'Matthews' & Co. Express delivery service'. This aircraft was piloted by James Matthews, RAAF, and has completed 55 operations represented by the rows of small kangaroos painted on the side. It has also shot down a German aircraft denoted by the swastika painted behind the pilot's side window.
Lincolnshire, England. 1944-12-06. "N" for Nuts, a Lancaster bomber aircraft of No. 467 Squadron RAAF at RAF Station Waddington, which has completed 87 operations. The white bombs represent daylight raids. Its insignia shows the boxing kangaroo, with young one in pouch, "zamming" Adolf Hitler.
1943. Lakenheath, Suffolk, England.
Stirling Bomber EX-B LJ-514 B for Beer whose crew included Australians from No.199 Squadron RAF.
Norfolk, England. 1943-07-13. Wing commander H. J. W. Meakin DFC, RAF, commanding officer of a Ventura no. 464 squadron RAAF, based at RAF station Methwold, standing in front of one of the squadron aircraft.
Nose art of 463 or 467 Squadron RAAF Lancaster bomber aircraft T-Tare. A reclining woman features in the artwork. The 37 operations flown by this aircraft are represented by boomerangs. This aircraft is fitted with a later style pitot tube, and rear view cupola over the bomb aimer's window (visible under the nose).
Lincolnshire, England. 1944-12-06. "A" for Able, a Lancaster bomber aircraft of No. 467 Squadron RAAF at RAF Station Waddington, with forty-one operations to its credit and the AIF crest as insignia.
Wellington Mk X of 142 Squadron RAF features a boomerang for Australian crewmembers. Based initially in Tunisia, they later flew from Amendola airfield in Italy.
February 1944. An Australian Mosquito of 456 Squadron RAAF at RAF Station Middle Wallop, flown by Squadron Leader ‘Peter’ Panitz and his Observer R G Williams. Their nose art features enemy trains, ships, radio installations, ammunition transports and aircraft that they had attacked and destroyed.
Rectangular shaped painted aircraft fabric 'nose art' from the forward left fuselage of Vickers Wellington Mark X bomber serial number LP 209 'J for Johnny' of 142 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF). The red brown painted fabric has been painted with a boomerang and daffodil in the centre with a white tudor rose, a white five pointed star and a green maple leaf on a white scroll painted around the outside. A paper cut-out of a springbok has been pasted on to the left side
Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII of No. 451 Squadron RAAF, Cuers airfield in southern France August–October 1944.
RAF Leconfield, c. 1943. This Wellington shows a kangaroo smacking Hitler.
Crest of "F" for Freddie, a Ventura aircraft of no. 464 squadron RAAF of bomber command based at RAF station Methwold. UK0448
"F" for Freddie, a Ventura aircraft of no. 464 squadron RAAF, based at RAF station Methwold.
RAF Station Ford, an Australian Mosquito night fighter crew Flying officer (FO) W. A. H. Kellett, Essendon, VIC, Navigator and 400739 FO F. S. Stevens, Surrey Hills, VIC, Pilot, of 456 Squadron based in Sussex, England, with their aircraft. They claimed two of the four enemy planes shot down on the evening of 6 June 1944 over Normandy. UK1437
The crew of “B Beer” [AM1] push their B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft of 98 Squadron RAF, 11 June 1944. This aircraft has bombed enemy territory eighty times; three members of the crew are RAAF.
England. 1944-07-31. Australian aircrew who fly Boston aircraft of no. 88 squadron RAF in the second tactical air force in front of the aircraft emblem "xxx beer is best". Left to right: 426300 flight sergeant R. M. Brockhurst, Nambour, QLD; 413122 flying officer Thomas McCauley hood, Forbes NSW, (lost on operations over France on 05 august 1944); 408609 pilot officer (later flying officer FO) Thomas Henry Simpson DFC, Morpeth NSW, who received his decoration from the king when his majesty visited the squadron. (FO) Simpson was lost on operations over France on 05 august, 1944) ; 408608 warrant officer F. D. Murphy, north Bondi, NSW.
