Thomas Hennell (16 April 1903 – 1945) was a British artist and writer who specialised in illustrations and essays on the subject of the British countryside. He was an official war artist during the Second World War and was killed while serving in Indonesia in November 1945.
German Prisoners - being assembled and searched at Thiberville (Art. IWM ART LD4625)
Hennell was born in Ridley, Kent in 1903, the second son of the Rev. Harold Barclay Hennell and Ethel Mary Hennell.[2] He attended primary school in Broadstairs and then secondary school at Bradfield College, Berkshire before studying art at Regent Street Polytechnic.[3] Hennell qualified as a teacher in 1928 and taught for some years at the Kingswood School, Bath and at the King's School, Bruton in Somerset. Whilst at college Hennell had begun travelling around the British countryside to work on essays and illustrations of rural landscapes.[2] He had a nervous breakdown from 1932–35 and was detained first at the Maudsley Hospital.[3] When he recovered he returned to the work of recording scenes of rural crafts and craftsmen at work. He worked closely with H J Massingham, illustrating books by him and others. Edward Bawden, a fellow artist, encouraged Hennell to write The Witnesses, an account of his mental illness.[3]
Artist Biographyedit
Galeries de Paris, Boulogne (1944)(Art.IWM ART LD4743)
At the outbreak of war in 1939 Hennell wrote to the War Artists' Advisory Committee, WAAC, offering his services as an artist.[3] He worked for the Pilgrim Trust in 1940, and the Ministry of Information in 1941, producing watercolours of rural crafts and agriculture in Kent, Dorset, Berkshire and Worcestershire.[4] In March 1941 one of his paintings was purchased by WAAC and, later, he was given a commission to make drawings of harvest work.[5] In 1943 Hennell was named as a full-time salaried war artist and sent to replace Eric Ravilious in Iceland. He painted in Iceland throughout the second half of 1943 before going to the northeast of England in January 1944 to paint maritime topics.[5] In May 1944 Hennell went to Portsmouth to record the preparations for D-Day, which he took part in. Throughout the invasion he spent two months with the Canadian First Army as they moved through the north of France. At this time he painted scenes of German prisoners of war and also the launch sites of V-1 flying bombs.[5] In October 1944 he was transferred to a Royal Navy unit with whom he recorded the Allied advance into Belgium and Holland.[6]
Hennell returned to England for surgery before starting an assignment with the Air Ministry in the Far East. He arrived in Burma in June 1945 and was based with an RAF unit near Rangoon as the Japanese retreated. Hennell completed a painting of an Allied victory parade in the city featuring Lord Mountbatten and also painted Indian units building an airstrip in the jungle.[7] From Rangoon, Hennell travelled by train to Calcutta, then sailed to Colombo. From there, he sailed aboard HMS Hunter to Penang and witnessed the retaking of the town and, later, the surrender of Singapore.[6][7][8] After Singapore, Hennell went to Indonesia and was at Surabaya in Java when he was captured by Indonesian nationalist fighters in November 1945 and was presumed to have been killed shortly thereafter.
Thomas Hennell : the land and the mind by Jessica Kilburn, London : Pimpernel Press Ltd, 2021, ISBN978-1-910258-62-0
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Hennell.
12 artworks by or after Thomas Hennell at the Art UK site
January 01, 1970
thomas, hennell, april, 1903, 1945, british, artist, writer, specialised, illustrations, essays, subject, british, countryside, official, artist, during, second, world, killed, while, serving, indonesia, november, 1945, born16, april, 1903ridley, kent, england. Thomas Hennell 16 April 1903 1945 was a British artist and writer who specialised in illustrations and essays on the subject of the British countryside He was an official war artist during the Second World War and was killed while serving in Indonesia in November 1945 Thomas HennellBorn16 April 1903Ridley Kent EnglandDied5 November 1945 1 Aged 42 Surabaya JavaNationalityBritishEducationRegent Street PolytechnicKnown forPainting writingCause of deathKilled in action Contents 1 Early life 2 Artist Biography 3 Legacy 4 Bibliography 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life edit nbsp German Prisoners being assembled and searched at Thiberville Art IWM ART LD4625 Hennell was born in Ridley Kent in 1903 the second son of the Rev Harold Barclay Hennell and Ethel Mary Hennell 2 He attended primary school in Broadstairs and then secondary school at Bradfield College Berkshire before studying art at Regent Street Polytechnic 3 Hennell qualified as a teacher in 1928 and taught for some years at the Kingswood School Bath and at the King s School Bruton in Somerset Whilst at college Hennell had begun travelling around the British countryside to work on essays and illustrations of rural landscapes 2 He had a nervous breakdown from 1932 35 and was detained first at the Maudsley Hospital 3 When he recovered he returned to the work of recording scenes of rural crafts and craftsmen at work He worked closely with H J Massingham illustrating books by him and others Edward Bawden a fellow artist encouraged Hennell to write The Witnesses an account of his mental illness 3 Artist Biography edit nbsp Galeries de Paris Boulogne 1944 Art IWM ART LD4743 At the outbreak of war in 1939 Hennell wrote to the War Artists Advisory Committee WAAC offering his services as an artist 3 He worked for the Pilgrim Trust in 1940 and the Ministry of Information in 1941 producing watercolours of rural crafts and agriculture in Kent Dorset Berkshire and Worcestershire 4 In March 1941 one of his paintings was purchased by WAAC and later he was given a commission to make drawings of harvest work 5 In 1943 Hennell was named as a full time salaried war artist and sent to replace Eric Ravilious in Iceland He painted in Iceland throughout the second half of 1943 before going to the northeast of England in January 1944 to paint maritime topics 5 In May 1944 Hennell went to Portsmouth to record the preparations for D Day which he took part in Throughout the invasion he spent two months with the Canadian First Army as they moved through the north of France At this time he painted scenes of German prisoners of war and also the launch sites of V 1 flying bombs 5 In October 1944 he was transferred to a Royal Navy unit with whom he recorded the Allied advance into Belgium and Holland 6 Hennell returned to England for surgery before starting an assignment with the Air Ministry in the Far East He arrived in Burma in June 1945 and was based with an RAF unit near Rangoon as the Japanese retreated Hennell completed a painting of an Allied victory parade in the city featuring Lord Mountbatten and also painted Indian units building an airstrip in the jungle 7 From Rangoon Hennell travelled by train to Calcutta then sailed to Colombo From there he sailed aboard HMS Hunter to Penang and witnessed the retaking of the town and later the surrender of Singapore 6 7 8 After Singapore Hennell went to Indonesia and was at Surabaya in Java when he was captured by Indonesian nationalist fighters in November 1945 and was presumed to have been killed shortly thereafter Legacy editHennell s art works centred on the countryside and in particular hedging threshing baling and the clearing of orchards 3 Hennell was a member of The Royal Watercolour Society and exhibited in the New English Art Club A number of his works are held by the Imperial War Museum the Tate and are also part of the Ministry of Defence art collection 9 Bibliography edit1934 Change in the Farm 1936 Poems with wood engravings by Eric Ravilious 1938 The Witnesses 1943 British Craftsmen 10 1947 The Countryman at Work 8 1947 Six Poems privately printed at Tunbridge Wells School of Arts and Crafts Hennell provided illustrations for 2 1939 A Countryman s Journey by H J Massingham 1939 Country Relics by H J Massingham 1940 Chiltern Country by H J Massingham 1943 English Farming by J Russell 1943 The Land is Yours by C H Warren 1944 Miles from Anywhere by C H Warren 1944 Farms and Fields by C S amp C S Orwin 1946 The Natural Order Essays in the Return to Husbandry by H J Massingham with Philip Mairet Lord Northbourne the Earl of Portsmouth 1946 49 Recording Britain Volumes 1 3 amp 4 by A Palmer Editor 1948 The Windmills of Thomas Hennell by Alan Stoyel References edit CWGC a b c Betty Elzea amp Paul Brasington 2012 Thomas Hennell Writer painter Kent countryman Folkestone Art Trust a b c d e Thomas Hennell 1903 1945 British Council Retrieved 12 March 2024 Gill Saunders ed 2011 Recording Britain V amp A Publishing ISBN 978 1 85177 661 0 a b c Imperial War Museum War artists archive Thomas Hennell Imperial War Museum Retrieved 7 November 2013 a b Brain Foss 2007 War paint Art War State and Identity in Britain 1939 1945 Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 300 10890 3 a b Richard Knott 2013 The Sketchbook War Saving the Nation s Artists in World War II The History Press ISBN 9780752489230 a b From a book published by The Architectural Press London in 1947 with a memoir of Hennell by H J Massingham Ministry of Defence Ministry of Defence Art Collection The Ministry of Defence Retrieved 9 September 2013 From a copy of the Britain in Pictures series published by Collins in 1943Further reading editThomas Hennell Countryman Artist and Writer by Michael Macleod Cambridge University Press 1988 ISBN 0 521 33124 2 Thomas Hennell the land and the mind by Jessica Kilburn London Pimpernel Press Ltd 2021 ISBN 978 1 910258 62 0External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Hennell 12 artworks by or after Thomas Hennell at the Art UK site Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thomas Hennell amp oldid 1213313093, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
