It is appropriate that the central collection of the MOD should contain works of art depicting both twentieth century world wars. The works of art shown here are all on display in various conference rooms and senior offices around Whitehall.
This drawing shows activity on board a British patrol visiting a German battle cruiser, at a time when some of the German Fleet was caged in Scapa Flow, a landlocked anchorage in the Orkneys. The artist was commissioned to record activity in and around the British Fleet.
Muirhead Bone was a master etcher, draughtsman and war artist who was born in Glasgow. He became the first official war artist in 1916 when he was attached to the Intelligence Branch of the War Office and sent to France.
He was commissioned as an Honorary 2nd Lieutenant and toured the Western Front in a chauffeur-driven car. Working at considerable speed his sketches covered a wide range of subjects, mostly behind the lines, including the work of the medical services, the repair and maintenance of big guns and war-weary soldier's off-duty.
Bone worked in various media - chalk, charcoal, pencil and pen, sometimes adding touches of watercolour later. Subsequently, Bone illustrated a 2 volume set of books entitled "The Western Front" which was published in 1917.
Muirhead Bone also served as an official war artist in the Second World War, by which time he was Sir Muirhead having been knighted by George VI in 1937. Bone was attached to the Admiralty and was not only the first but also the most senior of its artists.
His work was to become the most widely reproduced official war art of the War.