Career
He was also a watercolourist, illustrator, poster artist, marine model-maker and author He wrote and illustrated two books on maritime history: Mr Pepys" Navy (1966 G Bell & Sons Limited, London) and Anson"s Voyage (1969 G Bell & Sons, Limited, London)
Born on 13 March 1904 to a working-class family in Fulham, he was the youngest of five children. With the Second World War looming he decided to volunteer for the navy before conscription started, and had spent only a few months in the Naval Patrol Service before his skills were recognised and he was seconded to the Naval Camouflage unit at Leamington Spa, where he spent the rest of the war making model ships and testing camouflage designs.
Then in 1953 he received a commission from the Master of Trinity House to paint the triumphal return of the Queen from the Commonwealth Tour, with the Royal Yacht Britannia passing under Tower Bridge in London.
This painting was presented to Her Majesty in 1954 and it subsequently hung over the fireplace in the drawing-room of the Royal Yacht until the ship was decommissioned. The work now hangs in Frogmore House at Windsor.
From this point his work began to receive worldwide recognition. He did several paintings for Aristotle Onassis, for the Union-Castle Lincolnshire and Clan Lincolnshire.
His large work "Jeannette, Trafalgar 1805" (shown above) which was painted for the RSMA Jubilee Exhibition at Guildhall, London was purchased by Mr Garfield Weston, and now hangs in Fortnum and Mason"s store, Piccadilly.
His large work "The Mayflower and Speedwell at Dartmouth" was bought by the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Another large painting, "His Royal Highness Price of Wales Leaving Plymouth, 1861" was commissioned by Mr Stuart Liberty, and now hands in Liberty (department store) in London. in addition to several in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. = Personal life In 1963 they moved out of London to live at Rustington in West Sussex, where he built a large studio to continue his painting.
lieutenant was also here that he worked on writing and illustrating his two books: Mr Pepys"s Navy, and Ansons Voyage.
He died in Rustington in January 1982.