Paintings of the London Docks 1939 – 1945

Isle of Dogs Life

The Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts Canteen Concert, Isle of Dogs, London, E14 by Kenneth Rowntree – IWM (Imperial War Museums) 1941

At the beginning of  the Second World War, the War Artists Advisory Committee was created to look at ways that Art could be used to support the war effort.

The Committee was led by Sir Kenneth Clark , Director of the National Gallery  with the remit of documenting the conflict, raising morale and promoting national culture.

It was recognised that the original war artist scheme in the First World War had played an important role and Clark bought together a number of well known artists and commissioned work at home and aboard.

Artist such as Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland and Stanley Spencer produced works,however there was a large number of artists who used the conflict to record the day to day existence of ordinary…

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Empire’s Shield – Royal Navy silent film collection from 1914-1918

EMPIRE’S SHIELD Royal Navy Main Title (IWM 551).

• (Reel 1) The training of a naval cadet – Pangbourne, HMS Worcester, HMS Medway.
• (Reel 2) Scenes from the building of a merchant vessel. Shots of a Standard Tanker being launched on the Clyde, female dockyard labour, dazzle painted merchant ships, etc.
• (Reel 3) Various types of cargo unloaded at the East India Docks. Grimsby trawlers unloading and preparing for the next voyage. Medium shot groups of merchant officers and crews.
• (Reel 4) Episode portraying the bombardment of Zeebrugge, 11 May, 1917 – a compilation using stockshots and some actuality material.
• (Reel 5) Preparation and execution of a sweep by drifters. Close-ups of HM.TMS Atalanta II.
• (Reel 6) Dramatic reconstruction of the clearance of a recently laid minefield – swept mines are destroyed by rifle and MG fire. Close-ups of the crew of Atalanta II.
• (Reel 7) The Royal Naval Air Service. Probationary flight officers under training at Cranwell. Squadron ‘scrambles’ at Manston. Aerial views of south coast. Balloons on anti-submarine patrol.
• (Reel 8) Construction and wheeling out of a Short 184. Seaplane bombed up. HMS Furious. Felixstowe flying boats. King George V visits the fleet – he meets the crews of various ships.
• (Reel 9) HMS Vindictive and material relating to the Zeebrugge raid.
• (Reel 10) Scenes onboard HMS Canada.
• (Reel 11) First Battle Squadron sorties for live firing practice.