It is appropriate that the central collection of the MOD should contain works of art depicting both twentieth century world wars. Activity during the 1939-45 war is widely represented, and again the concentration is on naval activity rather than on land campaigns.
The works of the War artists were presented to the Admiralty and to the War Office in 1946 by the War Artists Advisory Committee. The works of art shown here are all on display in various conference rooms and senior offices around Whitehall.
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.
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.
He 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.
This panoramic view of the Firth of Forth shows no human figures- Bone was more concerned with the positioning of the ships.The Fleet rests quietly, preparing as best it can for the unknown. The base of the Grand Fleet was in Scapa Flow, a land-locked area of water in the middle of the Orkney Islands.
The channel between Scapa and the Scottish mainland is the Pentland Firth. While waiting for the German High Seas Fleet to ‘come out’, divisions of battleships would go to sea in turn to do ‘battle-practice firings’ at a target towed – at a very respectful distance – by a tug.