Diary extracts for November 1943 to January 1944

3rd Nov 1943:

Went up to London to the cocktail party to meet some American painters. Quite enjoyable. The Americans knew my first Dunkirk painting very well. They were much amused at Sir Kenneth Clark telling them I painted all my war pictures never having seen anything.

11th Nov 1943:

Went up to meet Canadian War Artists at Vincent Massey’s flat at the Dorchester Hotel. Had a good time there. Mrs Massey a charming woman. Pitchforth, Lamb and Barnett Freedman there . . . 

12th Nov 1943:

We decided we will have another baby. Mavis wants another girl. She says she gets a bit tired of tanks.

1st Jan 1944:

Sir Edwin Lutyens died. Sir Edward Maufe said he is ‘the greatest architect since Wren.’

1st Jan 1944:

Painting ‘Fortresses over Southampton’ (30x40)

3rd Jan 1944:

Started ‘Bombardment of Salerno’ by battleships Howe and George V (30x50) High key and bright colour

[unknown date]:

Bombardment at Salerno

Well, it was when the allied forces were landing in south Italy that a covering bombardment from the sea was made by capital ships: they asked me would I try to do it.

This is a very difficult thing because bombardments like that take [place over] so many miles that not very much was visible actually. But I did something imaginative with it. When the shell left the guns of the ship, the vacuum caused by the shell going through the air may have been invisible, I don’t know, but I tried to make something of it.

7th Jan 1944:

Had a nice letter from Victor Pasmore congratulating me on my ‘Portsmouth (with Revenge leaving)’. I am rather surprised at this.