Diary extracts for Sep to October 1942
11th Sep 1942:
Spent some hours going over Dieppe maps and operations
13th Sep 1942:
Taking a busman’s holiday and painting a few small works for the Redfern and my own edification.
2nd Oct 1942:
Prepared large panel for “Dieppe” three-ply, 4ft x nearly 6ft.(Finished 25th March, 1943)
10th Oct 1942:
Stalingrad still holding out after about 6 weeks’ fighting.
A complicated situation has arisen with regard to the treatment of prisoners of war.
[unknown date]:
Started painting a little head of a Refugee who has been through internment camps. 12x8 app [Refugee (1942)]
12th Oct 1942:
Crispin off back to boarding school…‘ Crispin was very brave and I hope will settle down alright at school, otherwise I am afraid he can’t come home for weekends.
20th Oct 1942:
Started small painting of Grock on wood, had to stop because of poor light.
22nd Oct 1942:
War paintings at National Gallery:
My painting of ‘Vaagso’ and ‘Destroyer Rescuing Shipwrecked Crew’ were hung between Henry Moore’s Coal Mine drawings so they looked rather well. Sir Kenneth Clark asked me how I liked the hanging. Had my photo taken by the press in front of Vaagso.
Took two new heads (clown in Home Guard, and Jew from Dachau) to Redfern. They were liked very much.
25th Oct 1942:
25 Oct
Started a small painting from one of Wadsworth’s pictures, making alterations where I feel like it. [The Hammock (1942)]
27 Oct
Finished the ‘Wadsworth’ picture. I wonder what he will think of my ‘improvements’.
28th Oct 1942:
Details of new mosquito bomber out today. The surprising thing . . . is its wood construction.