Gary began by sending a rough, low-resolution outline of his initial thoughts for discussion, with the following commentary:

"I have drawn on various accounts of the conditions, most obviously Bill's own. The port inner engine fire has gone out but it is smoking (prop feathered). There are fires in the port side of the cockpit and rear fuselage…..the skies were clear and there was good moonlight; (I have a better background of that actual landscape of northern France that I would put in). I have used artistic licence in featuring a generic Ju 88 nightfighter, but would do more research on the likely hunter if you wanted it visible."

In this sketch, an airman can be seen alongside the rear of the fuselage.

My response to Gary was that I had envisaged a piece which centred on Bill in much more detail; in my view, he is the central character in this story, and I have heard of no other veteran who has parachuted to safety in this way. I therefore suggested a front-on aspect of the Lancaster, whilst accepting this would mean that the entire wingspan of the aircraft would not fit. The timing should be a few seconds before the previous one – at the moment Bill was struggling to escape the Lancaster.