John Rutherford Armstrong ARA (1893 – 1973) – British artist who served with the Royal Field artillery in WW1

Poretrait c. 1933

 John Rutherford Armstrong was born on 14th November 1893 in   Hastings, Sussex.  He was the third son of the Rev’d William   Alexander Armstrong and his wife, Emily Mary, née Cripps. 

 Educated at St Paul's School, London (1907–1912), he went on to   read law briefly at St John's College, Oxford, before starting a short   period of studies at the St John's Wood School of Art, London until   the war intervened.

  During his service as an officer in the Royal Field Artillery in   WW1, the period he spent in Salonika fostered a lifelong interest in   the painting and pottery of ancient Greece, a subject that appeared repeatedly in his later work. and his career in painting and design   began after his return and demobilization

Sources:

Photo of Armstrong c. 1933 from https://www.jennaburlingham.com/artists/361-john-armstrong/biography/

Philip Connard, CVO, RA, (1875 - 1958) - British artist who served in the Royal Artillery on the Western Front before becoming an official Royal Naval war artist during the First World War

 With thanks to Ognyan Hristov for finding this artist for us 

Self portrait

 Philip Connard was born in Southport, Lancashire, UK, on 24th March   1875.  He left school to go out to work as a house decorator, enrolling to 1study art at evening classes.  Philip won a scholarship to study at the   Royal College of Art in London.   After a brief period in France, he     returned to London and worked as an illustrator, before taking  up a     teaching post at Lambeth School of Art.

 During the First World War, Philip volunteered and joined the Royal   Field Artillery as a Gunner (Private).  He was posted to France, where he   took part in several actions before being sent home suffering from Shell   Shock.  By then, he had attained the rank of Captain.

 Appointed as an official war artist by the Royal Navy, Philip painted the   surrender of the German ship SMS “Goeben” and “St George's Day:   Bridge of HMS 'Canterbury', on Patrol Work when the Great Naval Raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend Took Place” on 23rd April 1918.

Philip  was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1918 and became a full Academician in 1925. He was Keeper of the Royal Academy school - the principal tutor - from 1945 to 1949 and was a member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours. In 1950, Philip was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. 

Philip never forgot his roots, founding The Southport Palette Club in 1921 in order to hold annual exhibitions of the work of local artists. He was President of the Club until his death on 8th December 1958  in Twickenham

Anti-aircraft Gun, 1918

St George's Day 1918 - Bridge of HMS Canterbury

Sources:  Wikipedia and

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