Artist Biography Thomas Hennell

galeries de paris, boulogne (1944)(art.iwm art ld4743)

at outbreak of war in 1939 hennell wrote war artists advisory committee, waac, offering services artist. worked pilgrim trust in 1940, , ministry of information in 1941, producing watercolours of rural crafts , agriculture in kent, dorset, berkshire , worcestershire. in march 1941 1 of paintings purchased waac and, later, given commission make drawings of harvest work. in 1943 hennell named full-time salaried war artist , sent replace eric ravilious in iceland. painted in iceland throughout second half of 1943 before going northeast of england in january 1944 paint maritime topics. in may 1944 hennell went portsmouth record preparations d-day, took part in. throughout invasion spent 2 months canadian first army moved through north of france. @ time painted scenes of german prisoners of war , launch sites of v-1 flying bombs. in october 1944 transferred royal navy unit whom recorded allied advance belgium , holland.

hennell returned england surgery before starting assignment air ministry in far east. arrived in burma in june 1945 , based raf unit near rangoon japanese retreated. hennell completed painting of allied victory parade in city featuring lord mountbatten , painted indian units building airstrip in jungle. rangoon hennell travelled train calcutta, sailed colombo. colombo hennell sailed aboard hms hunter penang , witnessed retaking of town and, later, surrender of singapore. after singapore, hennell went indonesia , @ surabaya in java when captured indonesian nationalist fighters in november 1945 , presumed have been killed shortly thereafter.