Gobowen man's wartime poster shown at Imperial War Museum

The family of the late Norman Thomas have said they were thrilled after the poster he created to help the war effort at the age of 13 was part of the museum’s ‘Childhood in War’ exhibition.

Painted by Norman, in 1943, the image depicts a wartime aircraft flying over hills with an explosion on the ground in the background.

According to Norman’s son Richard, the poster was put up in Wrexham as part of a campaign to raise £275,000 (around £12 million in today’s money) to fund the building of aircraft during the war.

The poster, which had been in Norman and his wife Dorothy’s possession for decades, was donated to the museum back in 2019 but the family were left ‘chuffed to bits’ after finding out it would be put on public display for the first time this year.

The poster painted by Norman Thomas at the age of 13 has been put on display in Imperial War Museum in London (Image: Bronwen Thomas)

The poster painted by Norman Thomas at the age of 13 has been put on display in Imperial War Museum in London (Image: Bronwen Thomas)

“It had been sat in a drawer in Norman and Dorothy’s house for 60 years,” said Norman’s daughter-in-law, Bronwen.

“We were very chuffed. My son has become a father himself. He and Norman’s great-grandchildren were among the first to see it.

“My other son has been to visit, then me and my husband David went, it was very emotional to see it up there.

“Norman was a very unassuming man, but he would have been thrilled to bits.”

Childhood in War ‘is a free, interactive exhibition exploring how children have experienced conflict from 1914 to the present day’ and will be on display at Imperial War Museum until the end of February.