TMB Art Metal is a small London based company dedicated to producing provenance sculptures, cufflinks and other items, the unique key to all being that they incorporate in their making metal or material originating from the actual iconic subject the item represents.
TMB was founded by Christopher Bennett in 2005 following the much publicised excavation of Hurricane fighter aircraft “P2725 TM-B”, which crashed in Buckingham Palace Road, London, on Battle of Britain Day, 15th September 1940. Post-excavation, and with TM-B’s Merlin engine safely on display within the Imperial War Museum, a limited number of Hurricane sculptures were crafted using actual ‘recycled’ corroded metal originating from the Hurricane. One example was presented to Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace – a sculpture made of metal from the actual aircraft that had saved the Palace, her home, over six decades earlier.
Such was the interest in these unique sculptures actually made of history and imbued with provenance, TMB Art Metal was formed to expand the concept and the exclusive limited edition product range.
Since then TMB Art Metal has developed into the respected and renowned ‘provenance’ brand, along the way collaborating with many other brands such as Dunhill, Bentley and IWC. TMB is also proud to have created for the Royal British Legion a series of fund raising poppy lapel pins made of materials recovered from the WW1 battlefields of the Somme and Passchendaele, whilst also remembering the soldiers who died there, fighting for our freedom.
Now Christopher Bennett and TMB are extremely proud and privileged to have instigated in entirety The “Thank You” Pin concept to raise funds for NHS Charities Together, whilst saying “Thank You” to all the NHS staff who fought for us on the Covid-19 front line.
“Whilst the pandemic isn’t a physical war, there are many parallels to the experiences that communities and front-line workers endured during World War Two,” comments founder of TMB Art Metal, Christopher Bennett. “I wanted to bring two iconic symbols from these wars over 80 years apart together to create a collectable pin that represents the nation’s gratitude for all NHS workers’ sacrifice and bravery, whilst raising significant funds for NHS Charities Together.”
Hurricane “P2725 TM-B” which, having rammed a German bomber enroute to bomb Buckingham Palace on 15 September 1940, crashed at the junction of Buckingham Palace Road and Ebury Bridge.
A clip of motion picture film shows the crash site of the Hurricane, which was vital in 65 years later pinpointing the remains of “TM-B” beneath the road.
The above clip was used in conjunction with this 1946 aerial image, Christopher Bennett using photo-triangulation to pinpoint the crash spot.
The excavation in May 2004 was shown live on national television as Ray Holmes, “TM-B’s” heroic pilot, is shown the Hurricane’s control column he last held decades before.
As an afterthought Christopher decided to turn scraps of corroded ex-P2727 aluminium into sculptures, one of which was presented to HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace.
This led to the creation of TMB Art Metal* and other provenance items, amongst which cufflinks made involving aluminium from Sir Malcolm Campell’s first Bluebird land speed record car.
Cufflinks linking two iconic symbols of 1940 and WW2 – miniature sculptures of Prime Minister Winston Churchill crafted of bronze from a significant Battle of Britain Spitfire.
One of TMB’s most spectacular releases were twenty-four inches long Flying Scotsman locomotive sculptures, made using ex 4472 bronze, surely the most incredible piece of railway art ever created.
A product that holds special pride are WW1 commemorative Royal British Legion fund raising pins made of artillery shell fuze brass with battlefield earth, this being the 2017 Passchendaele poppy.
*Even the company name has provenance, TMB being the Hurricane’s squadron code “TM-B”, whilst “Art Metal” references the name of the building at the junction of Buckingham Palace Road and Ebury Bridge, “Art Metal Steel Office Furniture”. Thus TMB Art Metal’s name is inextricably linked to its own foundation.