Toon Ghose – Shoreham Airport Painting

This is the history of a local Shoreham painting with its backstory. The painting is of Toon Ghose flying his De Havilland Chipmunk “Lillibet” over Shoreham Airport in the late 1970’s. This painting has for some time been present on the shorehambysea.com “Paintings” section, numbered B63. It was written with the aim of providing a provenance for the painting:

I remember seeing Toon at Shoreham Airport during the late 1970’s, just before my teenage years, where I was introduced to him by my cousin, Ashley (Ash) Roote. Ash learnt to fly at Shoreham and was a member of Toon’s flying club, where Toon also flew as an instructor. The Flying Club was called Toon Ghose Aviation, or TGA, and I well remember the TGA window stickers that were a ‘must have’ for ‘anybody who was anybody’ at the airport at the time!

Ash came to know Toon quite well over the years and they became good friends, something which continued into Toon’s retirement. At the heyday of TGA, Toon commissioned Peter Champion, the renowned aviation artist, to undertake this painting. It shows Toon in his famous red jacket piloting his Chipmunk “Lillibet,” flying with two TGA Cessna aircraft in formation, the nearest Cessna being named “Lord Shiva.” Shoreham Airport can be seen below, against the backdrop of Lancing College Chapel. Toon subsequently gave the painting to Ash, where it had pride of place at his home. The actual date of painting is unknown, but it is thought to have been in the late 1970’s.

Ash always said that when he died, the painting would come to me for continued safe keeping in the family home at Shoreham. So when he passed over in 2024, I did indeed inherit the painting as a fine reminder of the ‘good old days’ at Shoreham Airport.

Toon was an absolute gentleman and wonderful to have a conversation with. He had many fantastic stories, including his journey all the way from India on a motorbike! I just wish I had been a bit older to have been better able to have talked of such things further with him. At least though, I was able to subsequently read his amazing life story “Tiger In The Sky.” 

Alas TGA ceased operation in the early 1980’s, but Toon continued with his great love of flying and in later years he moved to a flat on a lovely farm in Edburton, just north of Shoreham Airport. Ash used to tell me as to how Toon used to get him to practice engine failure procedures and subsequent emergency landings in the field next to the farm! When Toon was unable to carry on with his passion of flying, he nevertheless continued his aviation involvement by teaching and examining RT work (Radio Telephony) from his home in Edburton.

Toon was a great lover of the countryside around Shoreham and he had many happy walks on nearby Truleigh Hill and the surrounding area well into his later years. I recall from his book how he referred to flying into Shoreham Airport for the first time and seeing the fantastic view and instantly falling in love with it! He had the opportunity of two instructor jobs at the time, one at Shoreham Airport and one elsewhere but, on seeing this view, made his mind up immediately that Shoreham was the place for him!

I found four old photographs on going through Ash’s things after his passing. In one you can see some of our family sat around the table at Ash’s house for a Christmas dinner with Toon’s painting holding pride of place in the background The other three photographs are of the family with Toon in and outside his flat at the Edburton farm and one of Ash in a Cessna. 

Happy days days they were. Simple, quality time amongst good people: The heyday of Shoreham Airport, epitomised by Toon and TGA. Ash and Toon now both having flown over the horizon on their onward journeys, but no doubt still taking to the air whenever the opportunity presents!

Toon Ghose In His ‘Trademark’ Red Jacket At Shoreham Airport

And, on finishing, Ash would insist I make mention of Toon’s curries! Toon was an accomplished cook and he would often treat friends and students to one of his special trademark curries at Edburton!

Malcolm Bateman
23/10/2024

Further Reading: “Toon Ghose Obituary,” The Guardian, 29/05/2019.

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