Very Special Duty

摘要

When his raf career came to a swift - and nearly fatal - end, Peter Arkell studied the art of making beer in Edinburgh before joining a brewery in Yorkshire. His father and uncle were then running the family business in Swindon, Wiltshire, but it was not long before he "got the summons to come back". Today, Peter Arkell OBE is still very much involved with the day-to-day running of Arkell's Brewery as its chairman. Peter's son, James, is managing director and in 2003 he decided to celebrate his father's 80th birthday in style. Well-known aviation artist Gerald Coulson was commissioned to paint a Lysander of 357 Squadron, which Peter flew in Burma in 1945. Additionally, the brewery produced in secret a very special ale called 'Moonlight' and the label carried Gerald's superb painting. The brew - like all of Arkell's - is distinctive, with a lingering taste and superb aroma.